 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Anji
Date: 2001-04-23 21:23
At Ken's urging, I'm posting my take on the aftermarket vent sold by Abe Galper.
Be advised that there are no big letters behind my name, I'm a novice player and something of a gadget freak.
At least with this assembly, I didn't come up with extra parts.
Cindy Field (clarinet doc) pointed this out to me when I was having break problems. As a beginner, I was willing to try out most anything that would help with this all-too-common problem.
I play the Evette & Schaeffer Master Model, and the register key fits. So at least that measurement is the same. The vent is a tapered brass tube with a rather large flare outside the bore of the instrument.
My vent needed a little 320 grit 'coaxing' to settle in. I found the supplied leather pad a little noisy and switched to a cork pad, which silenced the schticking sound when opening.
It did take awhile for the cork to seat.
The long and short of it, the break is easier to cross and the Altissimo tuning improved measurably (not that I can hear it, the tuner registers closer to Zero).
The throat tones are now audibly worse (this is with the vent closed, so it is not a contributing factor) as the upper register now sings a little more freely.
I did notice some instability in the A above the staff, but fresh reeds and a tougher embouchure did more to alleviate that.
I have a back up ESMM that is stock, and the Bb is gassy by comparison.
The break is not insurmontable (I have been playing for a year) and the tuning is pretty spotty up top. This is certainly not a controlled test.
Does it sound better? I dunno.
Is it easier to play with the AG vent? Sure it is. Accomodation or habituation may have something to do with the ease of play.
Is it worth $150? Sure it is, especially if you think research and development are worth paying for.
Will it make you a better player? Not a chance, only more practice does that.
anji
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Author: Jack Swickard
Date: 2001-04-23 22:08
Please post something immediately that will make me a better player without practice! If you can do so in the next five minutes it would be good because I have to go to my lesson shortly.
Thanks,
Jack
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Author: Danielle
Date: 2001-04-23 22:20
Jack; I may be only 13, and I may be simply a novice student player, like yourself if I'm not mistaken, but I know this much about the clarinet: nothing will make you a better player without practice. I'm a pretty good example; I started practicing more and taking lessons last year, and improved drastically within the first month. Earlier this month, I decided to work on only one piece for a week, for an audition that I have on this saturday(!). I improved on that piece, which I had been struggling on, in just a week of intensive practice. Nothing, except for practice, will make you a better player. (unless there's some sort of surgical procedure that I'm unaware of ^__~)
Danielle
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Author: Bill
Date: 2001-04-23 22:33
Author: Anji wrote:
The throat tones are now audibly worse (this is with the vent closed, so it is not a contributing factor) as the upper register now sings a little more freely.
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I read the patent, and looked at the variations. The "basic" embodiment is a (too) long vent tube. A small chamber, associated with the preferred embodiment, allows for the tube to be shortened. If this is the variation that you have, it is possible, due to the chamber or additional material in the bore, that the tone is affected with the vent closed. What do you think? I think you are also implying that the upper register is improved, and the throat tones are unchanged from before adding the new vent tube, but you can only tell from memory.
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Author: Anji
Date: 2001-04-23 22:47
Yep, Bill is on the track.
I have two similar horns (same model year) and they play in a noticeably different manner.
The throat tones are VERY similar between the two, but the upper register is has much more projection with the vent.
I don't think the volume is large enough in the enclosed chamber to act as a resonant filter (but refer to item one, above).
The inlet of the vent is nearly identical to the original, were it flared I would posit some sort of interaction. Abe is a serious and talented player, I'm sure this design accounts for that sort of thing.
What I mean to say, is that the throat tones are not improved and suffer by comparison to the improved upper range and kickin' bottom end. (I'm a bass freak, what can I say. Anything below middle C has mf written above, when I play.)
anji
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Author: Aaron
Date: 2001-04-24 04:47
Is there a web site somewhere showing how the vent works??? I have never seen the vent and would like to find out how it works, or how it goes on the clarinet. I am always interested in new gadgets and this is definately one that is something interesting to look into.
aaron
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Author: Willie
Date: 2001-04-24 06:43
Could this vent possibly fit and improve clarinets other than the Buffets?
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-04-24 07:35
Guy Dinguin recommends to have long air column (i.e. the air should reach far end of clarinet bell just like playing Si) to improve throat tone. Another way is to replace the register cork to one with a concave to enhance dispersing of air coming out from the hole. I remember there was a discussion on this matter a few years ago at Klarinet list.
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Author: Rene
Date: 2001-04-24 08:45
Here is an exert from Abe's page, by the way:
There is no shortcut. Practice is the key.
See, he says it himself!
PS: I find that the reed has a drastical influence on the way the Bb sounds. A too hard, stuffy reed, which is a bit airy everywhere, will be a lot airy at the Bb, when it is played the normal way. Sometimes I have to discard reeds, which I simply cannot get to produce a profoundly sounding Bb, no matter what kind of embouchure I try.
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Author: Gavin
Date: 2001-04-24 09:36
Danielle said this:
I know this much about the clarinet: nothing will make you a better player without practice.
I think that in time, you will appreciate that there are numerous other factors which can make you a better player including experience (both playing the instrument and general life experience - the latter particularly when interpreting many works such as, for example, those of Brahms), ensemble playing, the acquisition of general knowledge about the instrument, music history and the like, and relaxation technique.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-04-24 12:31
No - it only fits stock R13s and no other model - you get a new register key and of course it must be exactly the same length as a stock model. Abe checked it against my Selmer 10G and it wouldn't fit, as well as my son's Festivals.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-04-24 13:57
As we discussed before, if you study the LeBlanc and Selmer lines of clarinets, you will see a variety of register-vent designs over the years to "solve" the poor Bb problem. I'll see if there are more pertinent patents on vents [such as the "References Cited" in Galper {above}] and make an up-to-date search of US and EP - PCT patents. There is also discussion in many of our cl books, and of the several "systems" of keying which do help [and hinder]. Don
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Author: Fred
Date: 2001-04-24 14:22
Interestingly enough, my King-Marigaux has the clearest Bb I've ever heard - certainly far better than my R-13. Also, my Buffet Super Dynaction has a register vent placement similar to the S-1 (I think) - it is also considerably clearer than a stock R-13. I've never played an S-1 - was a clearer Bb the justification for the vent placement? Each of these horns have their own tradeoffs, however. Ain't no perfect world we live in.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-04-24 15:28
Interesting, yes, thanks Fred ! My LeBlanc L7 also has a very "clean" Bb, where the vent projects only about 1/3 into the bore. For those wishing to pursue the subject, you might wish to look at Marchi, US 3,844,193 [1974] available only on IBM [www.delphion.com] . Two earlier Selmers, and a Christensen [if I can find them in my "archives"] may also be of interest. A German, DE 8903448 to Hammerschmidt also is cited in Galper etc, will see how to access it. In case you may wonder, I did patent searching for an oil company for many years, and some pat attorneys found me "hard to turn off" !! Don
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-04-29 15:41
Can anyone comment on Vent offered by Andy Crisanti? I see it regularly adverrised in the Clarinet quarterly. mw
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