 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: oca
Date: 2012-12-14 02:12
If I mostly play all my basic notes and Bb, Eb, F#, C#, what should I tune to?
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2012-12-14 02:56
Most bands I've been in tune to concert Bb (C on a Bb clarinet).
Tony F.
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Author: gsurosey
Date: 2012-12-14 03:45
It depends on what kinds of groups you play with. Generally, bands tune to concert Bb (our C), and orchestras tune to concert A (our B).
On Bb/A clarinet, I tune to a few different notes to make sure my clarinet is as much in tune with itself as I can get it to start. I tune to E's and B's starting with the lowest E all the way up to B above the staff, and sometimes I'll tune the G's in between as well (depends on how much time I have). I actually start with B below middle C because it's in the middle of the instrument. Low E/long B are at the end, so they'll be relatively low, but long B is generally what I use to tune once the oboe gives the A to start rehearsal. My bottom line E is a little flat in relation to other notes, so I keep that in mind when I tune.
When I tune my bass clarinet, I usually tune to a middle (written) C because I only need my left hand to play that note; that way, I can hold my tuner with my right hand as close to the bell as I can and still be able to see it (I just watch for the green light since I look below my glasses and can't see the tuner line). Plus, I play bass more in concert bands than I do in orchestras. My bass is a little harder to tune sometimes since the body is one piece; therefore, I can only pull the neck out. A really good bass clarinet is on my bucket list.
When tuning my Eb clarinet, I play a bunch of different notes since that instrument can be tough to play in tune with itself. I don't play it all that much, so I look at what piece I'm playing to see where the majority of the note lie range-wise. That's where I focus my tuning.
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Rachel
Clarinet Stash:
Bb/A: Buffet R13
Eb: Bundy
Bass: Royal Global Max
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Author: ruben
Date: 2012-12-14 06:01
Dear Friend,
A mad genius composer that I knew claimed it was pure folly to tune to A-440. He suggested tuning to the tonic and the dominant of the piece that you are about to play. -interesting, the idea of "slotting" your intonation into a certain tonal center.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2012-12-14 12:52
The main reason for "tuning" to a specific note is to be in tune with others in an ensemble.
If you play in an orchestra, the tradition is concert A (whether it's 440 or something else nearby is a matter of local tradition and preference). The tuning pitch needs to be an open string common to all the string instruments - I'm sure A was chosen over D or G back in history for some further acoustical reason but I don't know what the reason was.
If you play in a band, most of the time a concert Bb is used, because most of the instruments used in bands (flutes, oboes, bassoons and alto and bari saxes excepted) have fundamental scales based on Bb. Some bands tune each section to other pitches because of tuning idiosyncrasies of each instrument.
But the reason for any of these tuning activities is to try to get the instruments in the group at least close enough to each other in pitch that players can adjust any note-to-note differences with embouchure, fingerings, voicing, etc. When you're playing alone in a practice studio there isn't much of a practical reason for tuning any particular note to a tuner. A goal is to keep the notes of your instrument in tune relative to each other. If you hear an out-of-tune note on your instrument, a tuner can be a tool to help find how much to adjust the note (and if you're unsure, which direction).
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-12-14 13:12
In bands that tune to Concert Bb, then any notes that make up the Bb Major chord (Bb, D and F) can be used to tune to, so start with the Concert Bb (any C) then the Concert F (any G) and then any Concert D (any E) to be sure you're in tune in all registers. Bb is usually given so the brass players can tune to an open note or trombones with the slide all the way in.
In orchestras or other bands where Concert A is given as the standard tuning note (which is an open string on stringed instruments), any note in the Concert D minor chord (D, F and A) can be used. So that's an E minor chord (E, G and B) on a Bb clarinet and an F minor chord (F, Ab and C) on an A clarinet.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: William
Date: 2012-12-14 14:55
Our community band principal oboe tunes the brass and saxophones to Bb, then the flutes and clarinets to A. After that, the oboe gives another Bb for the whole band. While tuning my clarinet to the A, I also like to jump down to an E (clar F#) just for a little "perspective" of the left hand range. After all of that, and during the course of the rehearsal or performance, I rely mainly on my ear to adjust with the changing harmonies and pitch centers of the band. Good intonation and tuning should be a continual listening process for the duration of the gig. In other words, do not assume you are "in tune" just because your first tuning note is good. Good intonation is good cooperation with all others in your group.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2012-12-14 15:37
I'm curious why the clarinets tune to the A when a Bb is given for the brass.
Karl
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2012-12-14 15:45
After you tune your clarinet by adjusting the barrel and mid section for open G and middle G, many bands play many different notes but I did not change the above settings ib that account.
richard smith
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2012-12-14 19:16
Like Ricxhard, I satar (after warmup) by tuning my clarinet to an open Gadjust with the tuning barrel), and then the G just aboe the staff (adjust in the middle joint). This gets the clarinet fundamentally in tune with itself. After that, you make smaller adjustments as necessary to the rest of the ensemble on whatever tuning note they prefer.
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: Wes
Date: 2012-12-14 20:32
Yes, I played the flute with a group called the "Shoreline Winds" recently. The brass tuned to a Bb and the woodwinds tuned to an A, both using a tuba as the reference source. I don't see any reason to tune band instruments to an A and I would generally not tune to the tuba unless one knew that they were perfectly on pitch. One could expect the first clarinet to give a Bb in a band as a tuning reference, although sometimes they use the oboe. Some good bands that play a lot together skip the tuning procedure as most of the players know what their pitch situation is.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-12-14 20:40
Why do most concert bands insist on having the solo clarinet giving the tuning note instead of the oboe?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-12-14 20:48
Just as strings tune to A an open string so the brass need to tune to a note that is an open equivalent i.e. no valves used or for trombone in the closed position which is one reason why Bb is most commonly used.
For Bb clarinet the note concert Bb i.e. clarinet C provides a much more stable tuning note than the clarinet B (concert A) which is a bell tone.
Of course for the A clarinet then clarinet C is obviously a good note.
But as others noted above the real tuning comes from listening to the ensemble.
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Author: LJBraaten
Date: 2012-12-14 20:57
Similar to Richard and Jeff, I tune open G on the barrel, but C ( both hands down) at the bell. I don't like pulling out the middle section of my clarinet, and find if I tune the G and the C, that is usually enough for the whole range. When the whole band tunes, it is always to Bb concert.
Laurie
Laurie (he/him)
Post Edited (2012-12-14 20:59)
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Author: davyd
Date: 2012-12-14 23:09
"A mad genius composer that I knew claimed it was pure folly to tune to A-440. He suggested tuning to the tonic and the dominant of the piece that you are about to play. -interesting, the idea of "slotting" your intonation into a certain tonal center."
That makes sense for most material. But what to do if you're about to launch into something bitonal, or atonal, or one that switches tonalities frequently?
"Why do most concert bands insist on having the solo clarinet giving the tuning note instead of the oboe?"
The oboist is busy working on reeds. Seriously: The concert band I occasionally direct often doesn't have an oboe, so we've all gotten used to tuning to a clarinet. A band I sat in wth once tuned to a trumpet, on the idea that a trumpet's note is easier to hear than that of a woodwind, or something like that.
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2012-12-15 14:11
A problem with tuning the clarinet to concert Bb or A is that, on most clarinets, C and B tend to be flat. Bringing one of them in tune, particularly by adjusting the barrel, may virtually guarantee that most of the other notes on the instrument will be sharp. G4 is generally a "good" note for the clarinet and, with proper venting, is also quite stable. If it is in tune, most of the rest of the instrument will be as well. Also, G4 is affected more by barrel adjustments than C or B. For the longer *lower joint), additional tweaking is possible with G5.
There is a brief (but quite good) article on using these notes to tune the clarinet at:
http://www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com/tuningBb.htm
(Thanks for finding it Alexi, aka sfalexi.)
Best regards,
jnk
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