 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Stormy
Date: 2001-01-24 00:42
Yet another question from li'l ol' me... This time it's just a "curiosity" question, nothing important.
I was reading a description of the clarinet in one of my sister's (she's the "real" musician of my family; she plays a concert harp) music books -- and it said the following:
>"(The clarinet's) compass comprises 3 octaves in 4 different registers:
>Low (chalumeau), medium (throat, break), high (clarinetto), and extreme."
At my last lesson my teacher mentioned the "throat notes," but I was wondering where exactly are the breaks between those "registers?" I mean I can guess the lowest and most extreme, but I was wondering about everything else in the middle -- is there a definite division between each register, or is it just sort of vaguely categorized? And how do you pronounce "chalumeau?"
Thanks, and sorry if I didn't word that too well!
--S.
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Author: ken
Date: 2001-01-24 02:14
Hope this URL will be of some help to you
http://www.wfg.sneezy.org/cl_index.html
Throat notes usually refer to the G, G#, A and A# notes right above the middle C. IMO they are called throat notes as they require you to "open up" your throat when you play them to produce a good tone
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Author: Eoin McAuley
Date: 2001-01-24 08:03
Chalumeau is a French word. It is pronounced "shall oo moe".
The chalumeau and throat tones are not technically two separate registers. All the throat tones are actually part of the chalumeau register. I think they are called throat tones because they are all in the throat of the clarinet (that is, up near the top). I think of the throat tones as any tone which has an open thumb hole.
The difference between registers is the way the sound is formed inside. In the Chalumeau register, the air inside the clarinet vibrates at a frequency determined by the length from the mouthpiece to the open holes. In the Clarino (medium, Clarion, Clarinet) register, the air vibrates at three times this frequency. In the Altissimo (extreme) it vibrates at 5, 7 or 9 times this frequency. The break between chalumeau and clarino occurs at the throat Bb (which is a chalumeau note) to B with all the fingers down (which is a clarino note). But you can also play a B or even C in the chalumeau using the throat Bb and some of the side keys. So the two registers do in fact overlap.
Similarly, the normal top of the clarino register is the C which uses register key and thumb and nothing else. The normal fingering for C# above this is in the altissimo register. But there is an alternative using the C fingering and some side keys which is in the clarino register. THere is an overlap here too.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-01-24 23:22
Although there are several naming schemes, the standard, classic tutorials define the registers as follows:
Chalumeau - lowest note to the Bb in the middle of the staff
Clarion - B in the middle of the staff to the C on the second ledger line above the staff
Altissimo - everything above the C on the second ledger line above the staff.
Throat tones are a subset of the chalumeau and are generally defined as the G, G#, A, and Bb at the top end of the chalumeau (i.e. no thumb or finger holes covered). They are in the "throat" of the clarinet.
As Eoin has stated, some notes can be played in more than one register depending on how they are fingered. If one looks at it from a mathematical point of view, the registers are acoustically as follows:
Chalumeau - Fundamental (i.e. 1st harmonic) of the sound wave
Clarion - 3rd harmonic of the sound wave
Altissimo - 5th, 7th, 9th, etc harmonics of the sound wave
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Author: Stormy
Date: 2001-01-25 16:05
One word: oooooh.
I get it... thanks SO much to the lot of you for answering.
It's pretty nice being able to surprise my teacher... at my last lesson (last night) she actually started explaining the chalumeau register, and I already knew what she was saying -- and could pronounce it.
So thanks again,
--S.
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Author: Rene
Date: 2001-01-26 10:34
Just one thing: The u in Chalumeau is not pronounced oo. More like the y in physical. At the end is a long round o. Note, that the ch is like sh.
:-)
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Author: Rene
Date: 2001-01-26 10:36
Don't ask about "embouchure" :-o ! Really tough for english tongues.
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Author: Eoin McAuley
Date: 2001-01-26 11:01
The correct French pronunciation of the middle u in chalumeau is made by putting your lips into the position to say the sound "oo", but then without moving your lips, say the sound "ee".
The word chalumeau has been adopted into the English language which doesn't include this French u sound, so "oo" is perfectly acceptable. Similarly, "om-boo-shoor" is perfectly acceptable in English for "embouchure", even if that's not exactly how a French speaker would pronounce it.
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