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 Barrel and Throat Bb
Author: WhitePlainsDave 
Date:   2016-10-12 22:59

What if any improvement in throat left pointer and thumb Bb might one expect from a barrel switch?

(Scope: I'm pretty well versed in all the conventional methods of improving this note's quality from a fingering and embouchure standpoint--so lets hold all that constant if possible and support/refute a conventionally fingered throat Bb improved barrel purchase.)

I want to guess that improvements to this note alone does not "yee barrel buy justify."

Thanks.

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 Re: Barrel and Throat Bb
Author: Bob Bernardo 
Date:   2016-10-13 10:09

Hi Dave, what setup are you using at the moment? I've played a few recently for older 1960's R13's. So can you let us know what you are playing on?


Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces


Yamaha Artist 2015




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 Re: Barrel and Throat Bb
Author: kdk 
Date:   2016-10-13 16:53

A barrel may improve the overall tone, intonation and response of the whole throat area. If the rest of the throat notes are already good and Bb is noticeably worse, I would suspect that whatever is wrong isn't going to change much from a barrel replacement. That isn't to say it isn't worth trying, but I wouldn't expect much.

Is the register vent tube clear? If it isn't obstructed, maybe a different tube might improve things, although you'd have to be careful that it doesn't compromise response in the clarion register.

I'm assuming that both G#4 and A4 (throat) are clear sounding and in tune. If not, undercutting either the G# or the A tone hole (or both) might help.

Karl

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 Re: Barrel and Throat Bb
Author: Clarineteer 
Date:   2016-10-13 17:01

Make sure that the diameter of the barrel at the end that connects to the mouthpiece is the same as the diameter of the mouthpiece at the tenon end.

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 Re: Barrel and Throat Bb
Author: Micke Isotalo 2017
Date:   2016-10-13 18:55

I'm also curious about your setup. Do you happen to play on a Selmer? I have very little experience by my own about Selmers, but I've seen elsewhere here that some Selmer models seem to have an inherently very bad sounding throat Bb.

Micke Isotalo



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 Re: Barrel and Throat Bb
Author: WhitePlainsDave 
Date:   2016-10-15 19:01

The instrument in question, as Bob referred to, is a Golden Age R13.

All the throat tones but "2 left fingered" Bb are good, and the register vent is clear.

Clarineteer: hmm--I respect your thoughts here while others swear by tapered barrels, if not to solve this problem, then others.

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 Re: Barrel and Throat Bb
Author: kdk 
Date:   2016-10-15 21:41

WhitePlainsDave wrote:


> Clarineteer: hmm--I respect your thoughts here while others
> swear by tapered barrels, if not to solve this problem, then
> others.

He's not talking about a straight-bored barrel, but only saying that the top (entry) bore of the barrel should match the exit bore of the mouthpiece. The exit bore of the barrel itself can still be smaller (inverse taper).

I'm not sure empirically that the match between the mouthpiece bore and the entry bore of the barrel is all that important. Most of my after-market barrels don't match the mouthpieces I've used on them. I guess you could always claim that I might get even better results if they did match.

If the barrel is *smaller* you will, I assume, get a good deal of turbulence as the air bounces back into the mouthpiece off the protruding edges of the barrel, a phenomenon I would think should have bad consequences to the response if nothing else. If the mouthpiece bore is smaller, there shouldn't be any physical barrier for the air to get past.

Karl

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 Re: Barrel and Throat Bb
Author: Bob Bernardo 
Date:   2016-10-16 02:03

Dave, I'm using the 1960's R13 horns and I agree that even a reverse Moennig barrel won't work. When playing slow movements you have to use alternate fingerings, meaning adding the right hand. This is the only way I know of to solve this as far as I know.

Do you know the right hand fingerings? I'm not sure how to post them. If you don't know them I'll try to figure out a way. Maybe someone here knows how to post the positions. There are a few fingers for the A and the Bb depending on what sounds right. I learned the fingering from studies with Iggie Gennusa and Fred Ormand.

So save your money! I asked Hans Moennig about this and in his heavy German accent he said there isn't too much you can do, because if you lower the keys down to flatten the sound a shade the notes don't speak out.

Great question!


Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces


Yamaha Artist 2015




Post Edited (2016-10-16 04:42)

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 Re: Barrel and Throat Bb
Author: WhitePlainsDave 
Date:   2016-10-17 17:22

Thanks for the correction Karl: you're correct, I misread Clarineteer: who was pointing out the need for size match at the end of the mouthpiece beginning at the barrel interface only--Not the size differential, if any, from barrel entrance to exit (i.e. tapered barrel)....

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