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Intonation

Author: gsurosey
Date: 2010-07-25 01:37

Hello

On 4 of the 5 single-reed instruments I play on (4 clarinets, 1 sax), I play sharp. I'm sharp on Bb, eefer, bass, and alto sax. On my A clarinet, I always start out flat and can generally get up to pitch with enough playing. Are there equipment changes that I can make that will help my intonation? Here's what I use (on clarinet; I play sax very little):

~ Bb/A: Buffet R13s (early 90s). Vandoren 5RV series 13 mpc (looking to switch, perhaps to M15 due to going through reeds like water), Moennig barrel 64mm, Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic #4 reeds, Optimum ligature.

~ Eefer: Older than dirt Bundy. Vandoren B40 mpc, some sort of custom-made barrel 40.5mm, Vandoren #3 reeds (looking to go thicker), Rovner Lite ligature.

~ Bass: Older than dirt Bundy (same old-style logo as eefer). Vandoren B45 mpc, Vandoren #3 reeds (I don't play bass much and I'm not sure whether to go thicker with reeds or not), currently some crappy stock ligature looking to get a Rovner Dark.

I've been told I must have an embouchere of steel to blow through reeds the way I do. I know that having a tight embouchere will bring pitch up, but there doesn't seem to be much I can do about that (who knows what's correctable after 20 years of playing). I find it easiest to adjust on alto sax (which is ironic since I only play it when orchestra parts call for it) by yanking out the mpc from the neck. Even on eefer I play noticeably sharp, though I'm sure the short barrel contributes to that (ever try to find a replacement barrel? Tough). I get to the point where I can't blow the pitch down anymore so I have to keep pulling things out. At least on the Bb/A I can pull out the middle; not so lucky w/ the eefer and bass. The Bundy's I have are real old but I'm way too poor to replace them (and I'm not a pro anyway), so I'm not sure there's much I can do there. However, being that the Buffets are relatively new I'm hanging onto them for dear life.

Ok, so long-winded background story short, what can I do to bring my pitch down to the neighborhood of A440? Thanks!

Rachel

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Rachel

Clarinet Stash:
Bb/A: Buffet R13
Eb: Bundy
Bass: Royal Global Max

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