 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: barney
Date: 2015-02-11 22:22
I've read that a better barrel, mouthpiece and extension will enhance the playability of my new Eb which is on order from Germany. The Fobes barrel comes in 5 sizes. I will play it in ensembles in the US. Can you suggest the best size for the instrument? Should I wait until I know what the intonation issues will be? I plan on buying a Fobes mouthpiece with the extension as well.
analog9@hotmail.com
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Author: yaseungkim
Date: 2015-02-11 23:11
Jessica Phillips has youtube video on Eb setup that works for her. I do not play clarinet, nor am I a musician, but I thought her video on Eb made sense to me. I recommend her video on Eb setup. She plays backun barrel modified to play a regular Bb reed. If my son wanted to play Eb, I would give a call to folks at backun to get a barrel like the one Jessica Phillips has.
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Author: James S
Date: 2015-02-12 09:21
Hey Barney! The "default" E11 eefer barrel is 42.5mm. I would probably wait and see if your E11 runs sharp or flat before ordering anything. You can always just email Clarke (Fobes) too! He's wonderful to work with. I would order a Fobes mouthpiece with the barrel and hold off on the extension until you get acclimated the the oddities of eefer resistance. The taper of Fobes' barrels is designed to match the large(ish) bored mouthpieces popular in the American style. Also, if you're ever in the market for a Bb mouthpiece check out his Cicero model. He makes AWESOME stuff!
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Author: shadow1
Date: 2015-02-12 19:01
I have an E11 eb from Germany too. If you're playing in the US in 440hz then the stock barrel is extremely flat until one pushes it all the way in. Careful though, because the barrel can get stuck onto the tenon. This could be just my specific clarinet that I bought new, but in an old thread on this bboard some other people have experience this with their E11 eb clarinets.
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Author: barney
Date: 2015-02-12 23:29
Thanks to all. I ordered the clarinet through a Buffet distributor in Arizona where I plan to visit next month. Hopefully the E-11 will arrive by then so I can try it out in the store and check its intonation. Then I will work on the barrel issue. I ordered a Fobes Eb mouthpiece at a discount through WWBW but it is also backordered and not expected until late March. Ordering seems difficult with E'fers! I hope to start playing it regularly in in duets or jazz settings this summer. Anyone have a jazz background with Eb's? I'm a bit of an oddball player, everything from jazz clarinet/alto sax to classical repertoire, even a little vito bass playing.
analog9@hotmail.com
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2015-02-12 23:40
the effer intonation is more sensitive to MPC change, I'd wait and try both at the same time. Also effer to clarinet is what soprano sax to alto, need changes to embouchure. Be prepared to spend some time to learn/get used to it good luck
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-02-13 11:32
Eb tends to have intonation issues anyways - this is one of the main challenges of playing it. My teacher plays Eb professionally, and she tells me that she finds herself using a lot of trick fingerings to deal with the instrument's tuning tendencies. The main intonation difference you'll notice is that the altissimo register is quite flat; on E and F above the staff you have to add the throat G# key in order to bring the pitch up.
While I don't play the Fobes Eb mouthpiece or barrel as I'm using a school instrument, I've tried my teacher's Fobes Eb setup (sans extension) and it's really nice. She plays it with size 4 V12 reeds; I've found that trimmed-down White Master reeds work quite well on the Vandoren 5RV and it might be worth trying them on the Fobes mouthpiece as well.
(I play a Fobes CWF and barrel on my Bb/A clarinets and I've had the chance to visit his workshop in San Francisco; he makes really excellent stuff for all members of the clarinet family.)
While I haven't played jazz much, one of my first impressions upon playing Eb clarinet was, "interesting, this instrument's sound could work really well for jazz."
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-02-13 17:40
Jennifer McLaren of the Philharmonia made this video - she plays a B&H Imperial Eb clarinet with a barrel made by Alan Andrews:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ngv25gI7c
Here's a quote from her from the replies:
"I play on an old, heavily customised Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Eb which takes a very specific mouthpiece. French mouthpieces don't work at all. I do however have lots of students asking me the same question so here goes. Vandoren B44 is pretty good, although I usually recommend a B40.
Many instruments are quite sharp around top C and B. This is a problem that can be dealt with in three different ways - barrel, mouthpiece and/or tone hole adjustment. I sometimes use a narrow bore barrel to correct this, but some mouthpiece makers, particularly in USA tinker with the bore of their mouthpieces to achieve the same thing. There are knock on effects of course (sharper throat notes easily corrected by putting a bit of poster putty in the tone holes).
In short, you need to be careful not to over correct! You can of course also use poster putty in the relevant holes to flatten the top notes. My instrument is full of blu-tack. Also, people play differently so some have less need of correction up there. I like my C & B to be bang in tune or else I struggle in the Rite of Spring. I have found Eb clarinets to be pretty inconsistent over the years so there are no hard and fast rules.
Intonation is the most important thing of course. Related to that is also the feel of the mouthpiece, so if you're struggling to play anything above mf then chances are you'll be more likely to go flat under pressure so look for a reasonably free blowing mouthpiece that give you unrestricted volume (I like to be able to play VERY loud!). I use Vandoren White Master reeds with 3-4mm sawn off the bottom to fit the mouthpiece. (Some people shave a bit off the barrel to eliminate the need for chopping the reeds). I find these much better than standard Eb reeds as they seem to support the intonation better up high. You could also try the Black Master reeds. I find that the normal Eb reeds close up too easily.
To sum up - intonation is key so be prepared to try different combinations and tinker with the instrument."
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2015-02-13 17:41)
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Author: shadow1
Date: 2015-02-16 20:13
I've played it in jazz and I like it. It can really punch through and stand out. And yes, I'll get my tenon fixed soon.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-02-16 21:52
Chris P: That post is very interesting. When my school was given an old Eb clarinet by someone in the community, I noticed that the barrel was clearly too short; all the short tube tones were playing way too sharp. It looked as though the barrel had been intentionally sawed down to a smaller size. After reading that post, I bet the previous owner must have done it on purpose to in order to use French Bb or White Master reeds.
Also, about the sharp top B and C, my teacher recommends playing them without the octave key if you need to play them flatter. They go too flat on my instrument though.
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