Author: AHS
Date: 2018-07-11 18:21
Thanks to everyone for all the thought and attention my problem has generated.
I spent some time yesterday conducting several experiments to see if I could diagnose the cause of the sharp tuning on my E45. First, I replaced the Vandoren M-15 mouthpiece that I've been using with the original Buffet mouthpiece that came with the instrument. Differences in tuning were minimal. Next, I checked the relative tuning throughout the instrument. Interestingly, low E was very flat, but the rest of the notes were in relative tune, more or less, although the notes above the break, and particularly the higher notes were somewhat less sharp, but not dramatically so (of course there's the question of how my embouchure plays into changes in relative tuning - more on that below). Next I tried correcting the tuning to A445. This was a little difficult to do exactly (for reasons too trivial to go into), but the tuning was certainly better for A445. However, I think that this is just another way of saying that the instrument is playing sharp to begin with. I've followed the discussions here about possible differences in German vs. French tuning (my E45 was, in fact, made in Germany), but that doesn't strike me as a good explanation for an instrument marketed by a French company (Buffet) under its name. Finally, yes, I do know what a cm looks like. So, I think that that leaves me with only two possible explanations: 1. There's something very strange and aberrant about the instrument, or; I'm the problem. As I've said, I've been playing for many decades. For a lot of that time, I've played alone or informally with others where exact tuning hasn't been a serious issue. Now, I'm playing chamber music and exact tuning is, of course, an issue. It may be that I've fallen into a bad and too tight embouchure, but since I've been trying to diagnose this problem, I've been making a conscious effort to loosen my embouchure. While that helps, in order to bring the pitch down sufficiently for me to only have to pull out the barrel 2-3 mm, I have to loosen my embouchure to the extent that things just sound bad and the high register becomes a problem. It's still possible, however, that I've developed bad habits that I'm not aware of.
So, bottom line. whether it's the clarinet or me, I'm stuck. Can someone suggest someplace in the NY City area where someone can diagnose the problem in person and where if necessary, I can get a specialty barrel that can compensate for whatever is going on?
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The Clarinet BBoard
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