 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Raff P
Date: 2012-10-22 10:03
Hello all!
So my private lessons teacher at the university is allowing me to use his vintage crystal O'brien mouthpiece, and may even let me keep it since he doesn't have a use for it anymore. The response of the mouthpiece with a Traditional Vandoren 3 is just so intimate and immediate, a much different approach than my previously resistant mouthpiece -- which I do love, also.
The problem is that the mouthpiece plays consistently flat. I mean, 10 centz flat across the entire range. I play on a Ridenour G1, and the 64 barrel just isn't enough to bring the pitch up to A=440.
I'm at a loss... I love the mouthpiece to death. What are my options? The only barrels that I think might bring the pitch up that far are those cheesy adjustable barrels by RS Berkeley, which apparently shorten to 60 mm.
Is that the only route I can take? or is there something I'm overlooking?
Thanks,
Raff
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2012-10-22 11:11
I suppose you could try putting some bluetack or other putty type material inside it to reduce its internal volume.
Beware its tenon. Unless they have been removed (with an abrasive diamond tool) there are 2 sharp "wings" representing where the two moulds met when it was cast. They tend to chew out the timber in your barrell. (Shame on O'Brien for not removing them before they left the factory.
A few decades ago, if you didn't play on a crystal mouthpiece you were hardly a serious clarinet player. Now they are rarely seen. A wonderful example of musical instrument fashion. 
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Author: John Peacock
Date: 2012-10-22 12:04
I spent a number of years using a Vandoren crystal, but early on met the same flat tuning problem as the O'Brien you describe (maybe the blanks all come from the same source?). This was just about tolerable on the Bb, but not on the A, where barrels (for Buffets, that is) are 1mm shorter. On the Bb I could get by with a 64mm barrel and play at 440, but the A needed a 63, which you can't get. The solution was to go to a competent craftsman (Howarths of London) and get them to shorten a barrel - this cost about 20% of the price of a new barrel, so not a significant expense. Once I got this barrel, everything worked fine. I actually went for 62mm, since I think it's not sensible to use a barrel that plays up to 440 only when warm and fully pushed in - too often either you aren't warm enough, or the band drifts sharp and you need some flexibility to follow them. The idea is to be at 440 when warm and pulled out 1mm - a 65mm barrel on a Buffet Bb, with a normal mouthpiece, as opposed to the 66mm standard.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2012-10-22 12:38
Why not discuss this with Tom Ridenour, and see ifhe can provide you witha barrel that will solve the issue? HE designed the clarinet, after all.
If that doesn't work, contact a custom barrel maker and explain your issue. Allan Segal or Morrie Backun (to name just two) make all kinds of wonderful barrels.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2012-10-22 13:22
This can sometimes be a function of the reed. Try reeds from other makers, or a little softer or harder than you normally play. Try a phone call to Tom Ridenour and see what his thoughts are.
Tony F.
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2012-10-22 13:24
I have a vintage Selmer 62MM barrel that you are certainly welcome to try and keep if it does the job. You can contact me at jmsa715@comcast.net.
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Author: John Peacock
Date: 2012-10-22 14:02
Ken Shaw says:
> A very short barrel will not raise the pitch evenly.
> The "long tube" notes will hardly move, while the
> "short-tube" ones will go crazy sharp.
It's true that the throat notes will be more affected by a shorter barrel, but you need to know where they start. For example, the Vandoren 13 series mouthpieces seem to have a marked tendency to make the throat notes too flat. So if the O'Brien mouthpiece were to share this problem, and also have trouble reaching 440 for concert A, then a short barrel could be just what's needed. I'd just get the barrel made and then try it out with a tuner - it's not a very expensive experiment.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2012-10-22 15:27
Remember that the same effect that makes a mouthpiece play flat (oversized volume at the very top of the horn) affects throat tones more than the rest of the range, similarly (but in the opposite direction) a short barrel makes the clarinet play sharper overall but also affects the throat tones more than the 'longer' notes. Because of this, a short barrel can indeed correct for a flat mouthpiece evenly across the range of the instrument --- in effect the two objects (both at the top of the instrument) cancel each other out.
So I would try shorter barrels.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-10-22 18:36
Most VD crystal mouthpieces I have handled tend to have slightly larger and less tapered bores than a "conventional" hard rubber model and this increases the mouthpiece volume and lowers the pitch.
Since this lowering affects primarily the short tube notes then using a slightly shorter barrel neatly reverses the pitches affected.
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Author: Raff P
Date: 2012-11-13 02:00
Thanks for the many replies.
As an update to this post, I have tried using slightly harder reeds and it successfully raises the pitch to an acceptable level. It won't be in tune in a cold practice room, but when it warms up it's pretty much A=440.
The problem is simple though, one can't always wait for the instrument to warm up.
Clarineteer, I sent you an email about the barrel.
Thanks again everybody
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