 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SJGordon
Date: 2011-11-08 03:20
Attachment: _DSC9403 (Large).jpg (95k)
I have kind of a strange question for everybody. One of my Sons had expressed an interest in joining band when he got into the 6th grade and wanted to play the clarinet. Seeing how I had a couple of years before he was in 6th grade, I started looking around for older instruments that were in decent shape yet. I bought 4 or 5 and when it was getting close to school starting this year I had him go through them and pick the one he wanted to play. He chose an old Conn (1922 from what could be determined at the repair shop) and I took it in to be inspected, and then cleaned, re-padded, etc... if it was worth it. The woman called back and mentioned an extra key on the upper section.
What it is, is a key like on the first two holes and an extra pad between #2 and #3 holes. #2 key closes the pad between #1 and #2, as well as closing the extra pad between #2 and #3. The #3 key closes just the pad between the #1 and #2 keys.
Nobody has an answer as to what is going on with this instrument and the "extra" key. It plays beautiful and he is ecstatic about it. There doesn't seem to be a difference in sound between his and my wifes clarinet. Any help here would be MUCH appreciated. It is driving us nuts not knowing why they would put this on an instrument. He likes it because it is different from everybody elses instrument and has such a smooth, mellow sound.
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-11-08 03:36
This clarinet has a forked Eb mechanism on the upper joint which is why it has the extra ring for the RH ring finger. The extra pad cup is for a venting hole and is only found on instruments with this mechanism.
I rather like having the forked Eb setup but many players don't like the feel of having the extra ring. It's all pretty much just a matter of what you are used to. At least this one has the tone hole offset slightly like it is on a normal 17/6 clarinet. My old Selmer CT's with forked Eb have the all of the finger holes inline with no offset and it took me a while to get used to it.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-11-08 03:55
It's a very useful gadget to have as it means you can play both Eb and Bb as xox|ooo instead of using the side key, cross key or long fingering, so C-Eb or G-Bb is played by simply lifting the left hand middle finger. Long Bb (xoo|xoo) only works best in the upper register as Bb and is usually too sharp as an Eb in the lower register, but with this mechanism, both Eb and Bb are in tune with the xox|ooo fingering. So with the forked Bb mechanism, you now have four fingerings for Bb (or five if you're using xoo|oxo for an upper register Gb-Bb or F#-A# slur, depending on what the next note is).
An excellent use for it in the upper register is in Borodin's Polovtsian Dances where the clarinet solo in the 8th bar starts on Bb followed by Ab then G and back up to Ab and forked Bb so eliminating the use of the side Eb/Bb key here. Also in the Rondo of Weber's clarinet concerto where there's a sequence in semiquavers of low F#-C-Eb-C-G-C-Eb-C-Ab-C-Eb-C-G-C-Eb-C repeated making the C-Eb dead easy.
And many more uses besides! It's hardly ever fitted to most clarinets nowadays when it used to be an option that most makers offered and has gone by the wayside like the articulated C#/G#.
Late Selmer Series 9/9* and Series 10 and 10S clarinets with the forked Eb/Bb mechanism had the LH3 chimney offset instead of being inline with all the other finger chimneys as previous models had.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: SJGordon
Date: 2011-11-08 04:08
Very nice! Thanks for the quick answers! It does sound like there is an advantage to having it set-up this way. Is it going to pose a problem for a brand new player to pick up how to use it correctly?
According to a couple music shops and the repair shop, they all say the clarinet was made in 1922. I have no idea what model it is, I can't find anything other than the serial number and the oval C.G. Conn logo.
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-11-08 04:23
SJGordon wrote:
> Very nice! Thanks for the quick answers! It does sound like
> there is an advantage to having it set-up this way. Is it
> going to pose a problem for a brand new player to pick up how
> to use it correctly?
>
> According to a couple music shops and the repair shop, they all
> say the clarinet was made in 1922. I have no idea what model
> it is, I can't find anything other than the serial number and
> the oval C.G. Conn logo.
It shouldn't be a problem for a new player in my opinion. I think the forked Eb poses the biggest challenge for experienced players who are accustomed to playing an instrument without the mechanism as making a sudden switch can be uncomfortable at first.
I would just dig up some fingering charts to show the additional options afforded by the forked Eb mechanism or perhaps just pencil them in on a regular chart.
As for the date of manufacture you can check your serial number against this list: http://www.conn-selmer.com/content/resources/serialno.php . A 1922 date of manufacture would mean that your serial number must be between 83000 and 101774 if the chart is to be believed.
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Author: SJGordon
Date: 2011-11-08 04:36
Dead on for the serial. It is 95529.
Thanks for the info about finding fingering charts with the additional fingerings and adding them to the one he uses now. He has really taken to playing the clarinet and it is astonishing how far he has come so far, considering he just started playing in September. I haven't heard a squeak or squawk in a couple weeks now, even with new music he is unfamiliar with.
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