 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2016-07-29 21:50
The standard clarinet design uses the throat Bb key not only to sound said note but also as a register key. The compromise to the sound of the Bb is well known. There are several designs to get around that compromise, usually by opening another (larger) hole for the throat Bb. Those designs have not caught on for various reasons.
Instead, why not leave the register key's hole the same diameter (or width) as it is, but elongate the hole sideways a bit? Of course, the key and pad would need to be elongated too, and curved to match the arc of the instrument o.d. The hole would still perform both duties, but I'm wondering if the larger opening might improve the Bb without impairing the register function.
Though this sounds relatively simple and doable, no doubt there's good reasons it wouldn't work. Sorry for my ignorance of mechanics / acoustics / etc. Anyone with knowledge care to explain?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-07-29 22:11
You can see the speaker tube on some clarinets is in a different place to another model from the same maker.
Compare a Buffet R13 with an RC and a Selmer CT with a Series 9 and you'll see the speaker tube position and diameter is different on them.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2016-07-29 22:22
On many clarinets, the sound of the throat Bb is not a problem.
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2016-07-30 00:17
Wes, which clarinets are those? Throat Bb with the standard figering is the worst sounding note on every soprano clarinet in good repair that I've ever played. Some are better than others, but they are all bad, comparatively.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-07-30 00:24
"On many clarinets, the sound of the throat Bb is not a problem."
... if you can use the side/trill key fingering.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-07-30 01:29
To answer the OP - to perform it's function as a speaker the tonehole needs to be as small as possible. So having to provide a Bb it is already widened too far to be a completely satisfactory speaker so making it wider (i.e. bigger) would make the speaker function much worse for most notes.
The speaker Bbs on my 1960 Leblanc LLs are remarkably similar in tone to the surrounding notes including the B above.
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2016-07-30 01:39
Norman, that's the main thing I was afraid of, that the widening would impair the "speaker" function. I'd hoped that keeping the vertical dimension unchanged would avoid that problem, though I admittedly don't understand the principles involved.
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2016-07-30 02:22
The register vent acts as a "node" for the standing wave inside the clarinet bore. In order for the node to be created it must be a small point of constant pressure. Enlarging the register vent hole in any direction is fine for some notes in the upper register but others will be out of tune and difficult to play in the upper register. You can try this yourself by opening the B-flat trill key when playing the upper register. You may be able to play clarion B and C but you will not be able to play much above that. Theoretically you could solve this problem by having multiple register vents but by that point you might as well just have two separate holes for the register/Bb key.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: ClaV
Date: 2016-07-30 04:45
The nodes are well confined along the bore direction. From this point, a well confined in a vertical dimension hole that spreads to the sides should work.
Post Edited (2016-07-30 04:46)
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2016-07-30 05:04
If the hole is too wide the standing wave will either terminate or be restricted at the hole. The register vent needs to be small to work throughout the clarion register.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: Wes
Date: 2016-07-30 10:42
The Bb situation has been discussed for decades, but my 2012 R13 Prestige clarinet has a register key that looks like the key on my 1912 Buffet clarinet. On the Prestige clarinet, the side Bb sounds about the same as the regular Bb, so I don't bother with it except for trills, etc. Putting left or right fingers down produces no real difference in the Bb, although the venting change is slightly noticeable.
In many years of playing, I've never heard a conductor, critic, or reviewer comment on the substandard Bbs on the clarinet.
The clarion G is a strong note on some clarinets due to unavoidable explainable acoustic enhancement, but one gets used to it and compensates.
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