Author: kdk
Date: 2017-04-05 20:23
Of all the characteristics attached to "blown out" clarinets, I don't think I've heard before of extreme sharpness as one of them. "Blown out" is a tradition that not everyone accepts anyway, and it usually is said to cause a dulling of tone, some sluggishness in response and, for some people, unevenness of the scale within itself. Instruments said to be blown out in under ten years are usually ones that have been played heavily in that time, such the instruments on a principal player in a major symphony orchestra. It doesn't sound as if these have had such hard use.
You don't say who the manufacturer is or what models are involved or how sharp they are. Some instruments are marketed specifically to players in Europe, where many orchestras play higher than those in the U.S.. If the mouthpiece tends to be sharp and the instrument is made to be sharper (or just outfitted with a shorter barrel for those European sales) the additive effect might be problematic.
Naming the instruments and model(s) might get you a more specific answer. Unless you're using reeds that are really too hard for the mouthpiece and biting them into submission, changing reeds probably won't help. Changing mouthpieces might, but you'd have to experiment - there's no guaranteeing the result from here.
Under the best circumstances, you should want to be able to pull the barrel out a little. You need flexibility in both directions unless you want to carry several separate barrels.
Karl
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