 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: HANGARDUDE
Date: 2014-01-28 14:35
Is it possible for an A440(International pitch) bass clarinet to play up to A443(German pitch) when needed?
Josh
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2014-01-28 14:49
Yes. We play A=442 here, and depending on the mouthpiece and temperature of the instrument I still have to pull the neck about 2..3 mm.
--
Ben
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Author: concertmaster3
Date: 2014-01-28 17:48
I don't see why not...technically, the wind ensemble at my school only starts at 440...we normally end up well above 442. I watched my tuner climb everyday during rehearsals last year when I was playing oboe and biting a hole through my lip to reach the pitch that the rest of the group was playing. (Yes...I'm a little bitter...lol). I'm playing flute this year, and my headjoint is pushed in farther than I have ever had to before.
I honestly think that most instruments are built on 442 rather than 440. But do you already own the bass clarinet? Try setting your tuner up to 443 and see if it works, and how well the scale of the instrument fits. If not, tell us what brand you're thinking about purchasing and if someone here owns it, they could probably tell you if you can reach 443 on it.
Good luck!
Ron Ford
Woodwind Specialist
Performer/Teacher/Arranger
http://www.RonFordMusic.com
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Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2014-01-29 00:58
Have you ever started playing out of pitch?
If you can get yourself "in tune" you can sure as heck get yourself "out of tune" as long as your instrument plays consistently so.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-01-29 05:51
Well I know it seems a simple matter of just playing "sharp," but the reality is that it is much MUCH more than that. It becomes the ratios of intonation from one note to another and the relationships become too different to achieve an actual move in pitch that great on one horn.
This is easier to hear and experience in all its glory if you are using an A=445 German horn and try to play in an American ensemble at A=440. But to get some idea what is involved you need to adjust the pitch center on your tuner to A=445 and then try to play everything "in tune."
Trust me, it doesn't work.
Karl Leister made quite a point of noting that he has A=440 horns for those occasions where he tours the States, otherwise they remain in their case.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: alto gether
Date: 2014-01-29 12:18
Yes, perfectly possible, but it is a nuisance to keep your horn ten degrees warmer than everyone else's. Breathing a mix lighter than air would also work, but helium is about to be in short supply. (For this posting, I speak as a physicist, which I abandoned some decades ago, not as a musician.)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-01-29 17:12
Ok this is TOTALLY off topic but the helium crack reminded me of and incident in my high school's chemistry class. A slightly over zealous instructor decided to demonstrate the effect of HEAVIER inert gas on the vocal chords. This was initially funny to hear the professor in a much deeper voice but became serious as he began to asphyxiate. A slightly brighter student came up with the idea to hold the professor up by his feet to let the HEAVIER inert gas flow back out of his lungs.
Kids, don't try that at home!
................Paul Aviles
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