 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Corey
Date: 2001-06-01 00:30
when i play a B(finger the lowest E plus the register key) the sound is unclear and sounds cloudy or raspy-is this a problematic note for clarinets like the high E can be problematic for flutists? or maybe i am having a pad leak? i should probably go to my local shop to get this checked -I know some clarinets have a vent key for the Low E/High B notes --could this be installed on clarinets after purchase for better intonation and tone?any help you have will be much appreciated.
------------------------>>>Corey
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Author: Sara
Date: 2001-06-01 00:43
That note has always been a problem but most of the time when I have to hold third line B for any length of time I use the alternate fingering, with the A key and the third key up frm the side, you know the groups of four keys on that you use to play first line e flat. I know its a bad explanation but htis alteernate fingering sounds much less raspy and has a better tone, at least in most cases. Hope I could help!!
Sara
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Author: Aussie Nick
Date: 2001-06-01 01:16
Sara, are you sure that isn't the alternate Bb fingering? I'm a bit confused now. I'll go and check it out.
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Author: jenna
Date: 2001-06-01 02:50
that is the alternate Bb fingering. I use it a lot on the alto, because it seems like the normal Bb fingering gives me a fuzzier sound. I think it's a little sharper than it should be, but it gets the job done.
on soprano i generally have trouble getting a clear Eb (the one on the bottom line of the staff)
you have to love these note descriptions =)
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Author: William
Date: 2001-06-01 03:17
Third-line B is a "cloudy" note on lots of clarinets. Often, it just requires a bit more breath support to clear it up, but it may also be a result of a bad pad or a "leaky" finger not completly covering a tone-hole. Some clarinetists, in an attmpt to improve this B will rotate their bells by small degrees--testing the B a each new position--until a position is found which produces the best sound. You mark the position and then be careful to assimble your bell at this position each time you play. You may also try adding the "throat" A key (l-h 1st finger) along with the regular B fingering. This may also provide some accoustical help for you. IMHO. the Bs should only be buzz'n in the hives--not in our clarinets. Good luck!!!!
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-06-01 04:11
This was much discussed in this BBS and in more details in Klarinet mailing list. In summary, the remedies I remember are:
1)change the location of register hole itself like Moennig did(this is too much).
2)use alternate fingering Sara suggested with top side key hole open. But as jenna suggested this makes the tone sharper. Its remedies are either by closing the tone hole half with some (epoxy?) material or by closing right hands keys.
3)change the register key cork with a hole shaped like this(side view)
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This can make sure the air from regjister hole dispersed better;
cf. The register key elevation should be adjusted between (0.65mm-1.2mm).
I remember 0.65mm by Tony Pay(posted in Klarinet mailing list)
and 1.2 mm by Tom RIdenour(in his fingering book). This is to eliminate
strange sub-tone just above middle brake.
4)use Roger Galper's special register key,
5)and inhale with longer air column like penetrating the whole length of the horn.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-06-01 04:12
This was much discussed in this BBS and in more details in Klarinet mailing list. In summary, the remedies I remember are:
1)change the location of register hole itself like Moennig did(this is too much).
2)use alternate fingering Sara suggested with top side key hole open. But as jenna suggested this makes the tone sharper. Its remedies are either by closing the tone hole half with some (epoxy?) material or by closing right hands keys.
3)change the register key cork with a hole shaped like this(side view)
____ ____
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| |
This can make sure the air from regjister hole dispersed better;
cf. The register key elevation should be adjusted between (0.65mm-1.2mm).
I remember 0.65mm by Tony Pay(posted in Klarinet mailing list)
and 1.2 mm by Tom RIdenour(in his fingering book). This is to eliminate
strange sub-tone just above middle brake.
4)use Roger Galper's special register key,
5)and feed air with longer air column like penetrating the whole length of the horn.
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Author: Rene
Date: 2001-06-01 05:27
Are you sure the tone is "obscure" at all? Because the sound is emitted down the bell in this case, while all other tones have sound holes to the side, the player may be fooled. Especially the experience of change from the throat tones to the B may be drastic. If you listen to a clarinet, the range from B to G above is the most beautiful of the clarinet.
Have someone else listen to you first (perferably a teacher).
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Author: Stephen Froehlich
Date: 2001-06-01 13:35
Hiroshi, I believe is talking about B<bold>b</bold>. The question was about the B <bold>natural</bold> above it.
Personally, as I play Bass, the challenge for B natural on most of the instruments I've played on has been intonation. As for clarity, its great on any bass with a double bridge key in my expierence (but that's another discussion).
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2001-06-01 14:15
The remedy of reshaping the register pad suggested by Hiroshi DOES work to clear up the B natural. I do this to all of my students' clarinets.
The side B natural has a shallow sound to my ears. The B natural problems can also result from reeds that aren't shaped correctly down by the bark, or from certain configurations in the mouthpiece.
If you use a reed with a U-shaped end cut, try taking a knife and carefully straightening this area, like on a traditional Vandoren, except that you should eliminate the U completely. This will also clear up other fuzzy notes. Also, if the reed isn't balanced in this area, the B will sound fuzzy.
If the facing of the mouthpiece opens up too abrubtly near the tip, as on some B45s, or if the chamber has bumps in certain areas, this problem will also occur.
Chris
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-06-01 17:36
Corey -
The middle B is emitted through the bell, so it will always sound a little different from other notes. You can usually improve the tone quality by experimenting with the position of the bell.
Put plenty of cork grease on the bottom tenon and position the bell with the trademark exactly at the front.
Play a 3-note scale up and down, B-C-D-C-B, listening hard to what the B sounds like.
Rotate the trademark on the bell from the 12:00 position to 12:30 and play the same thing. Then go to 1:00, and so on. There will be some points at which the B is bad, and others (probably 2 or 3) where it will be better focused and closer in sound to the C and the D. Write down these positions. as you go all the way around.
Then try all the good positions, also tring the low register, E-F-G-F-E. Pick the best position and mark it. I made a *very* tiny mark with a screwdriver exactly lined up with the E/B key rod. If you don't want to do that, use White-Out or red nail polish to make tiny dots to line up on the back of the lower joint and the bell. Be sure to mark the wood on the bell, and not the metal band, which can rotate easily if the instrument gets dry.
People who do "tweaking" can usually open up the narrowest part of the bell slightly, which improves the middle B and also other "long" notes. This is not for do-it-yourself, however. It's highly precise and critical work.
In a PBS special on wood a few years ago, they showed the final steps in tweaking the Buffet Elite at the factory, where they experimented to find the best position for the bell and then stamped the trademark to line up.
By the way, you can get more dramatic results by finding the correct rotational position for the barrel. The best part is that it makes a noticeable improvement at zero cost.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Marcia Nottle
Date: 2001-06-01 19:10
This is probably a dumb question. Why would rotating the bell make any difference to the sound quality? It is a perfectly symmetrical shape is it not?
.....am I missing something crucial here?........
Marcia
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-06-02 13:59
I find this notion close to the absurd, even given that there may be minute irregularities in the timber grain and density, or even thickness in a piece of timber that was turned while in an unstable state.
I believe that the psychological effects for those that believe in this must far outweigh any REAL effects.
But then there is plenty I don't know!
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