 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Fred
Date: 2001-05-28 03:02
I have two very nice clarinets that both require pulling out between the upper and lower joints as well at the barrel/upper joint for proper tuning. Fortunately, that adjustment lines intonation out nicely in both cases. One of these horns is tuned at 442-444; the other may be as well. One horn uses a 65mm barrel; the other 66mm. They are both uncommon horns and I'm not sure about bore diameters at either location. What are the thoughts on tuning rings as a solution for sharp horns, and are they available to fit the joint diameter between the upper and lower joints.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Wes
Date: 2001-05-28 08:03
Hi Fred!
Perhaps these clarinets were meant for the European market. I respectfully suggest the following:
If you have an expert clarinet repairman/tuner in your neighborhood, such as Clark Fobes, talk to him about it.
Pulling out at the center joint is inconvenient and should not usually be required unless the clarinets are quite sharp. The lacuna or open space in the center joint is probably not as devastating as the effects of the open space on the throat tones when the barrel is pulled out. It may affect the low c, b, and bb some, however.
The Zinner blanks for Bb clarinet mouthpieces are quite flat, I've found. I've bought several, refaced them for various people and found that the material in them produces an outstanding, resonant sound at an overall lower pitch For my clarinet, I prefer a more normally pitched mouthpiece.. I would consider buying one and trying it as is and then get a mouthpiece person to reface it or touch it up if it offers hope in the pitch department. I seem to recall that some of the Portnoy mouthpieces were also quite flat.
The bottom flare in the bore affects the overall pitch somewhat. Reaming it out raises the pitch. One could try some temporary tape, or later, some epoxy to coat this area to try to lower the pitch. This goes from the bottom end of the lower joint and into the bell. One could also try a bell with a smaller diameter interior. I saw an oboe with a bead of epoxy through the top joint to lower the pitch, presumably due to wood shrinkage and resulting increase in bore size.
One could also check pad heights to see if they are abnormally high.
Good Luck!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
