Author: GavinClarinet
Date: 2020-08-11 01:41
Hi all,
My first post to this illustrious board, but I've been reading for several months and am constantly impressed with the breadth of knowledge and experience that doesn't seem to exist anywhere else.
I'll try to keep this post short, (though I can't promise not to have follow ups to come...)
The tl;dr version: what is a reasonable range of intonation in cents to be able to play with an local amateur ensemble without standing out like a sore thumb. Does it vary across the range from low to altissimo? What would I expect to get from a 'modern' clarinet such as an E12f? (Assuming a minimum level of skill to be able to play each note comfortably)
The long version:
I'm a returning clarinetist, having played through school in the 1980s (UK) and reached Grade 7, then lost interest and stopped playing.
About 10 years ago I bought a B12 on eBay and dabbled, but didn't catch the 'bug', however in the recent lock down I dug it out and found the time to start enjoying playing again.
I've joined (remotely) a local amateur concert band who of course are not meeting at the moment, but hope to eventually enjoy playing with other people again.
The B12 wasn't giving me the sound that I remembered and enjoyed, so I purchased a B&H Edgware in good condition online, had it checked over and it now plays well and I'm enjoying practising again. Including a checkup, I paid less than GBP200 so I don't think I could have done much better for the price.
However, I'm aware of the long and many discussions on here about the intonation of the slightly larger bore. I've also read every thread discussing whether the correct bore mouthpiece is essential or not, so I won't get into that discussion again.
What I'm trying to work out is whether I am going to stand out (and not in a good way!) when we do finally meet together for rehearsals.
I've been experimenting with tuner apps (a luxury I didn't have when originally learning) and I've found from my experiments that getting the clarinet tuned well across the range is a struggle. The heatwave we are having here may not helping, but it's not just a case of being sharp across the range, although with no pull out many notes are over 50 cents sharp.
Having an engineering mind, I put together a spreadsheet (with graphs) and have been experimenting with different amounts of pull out, different mouthpieces etc (A process I've enjoyed). But I've now reached the point where I don't know whether the best outcome I can reach with this instrument is going to work in a concert band setting, even an amateur one.
I've put a list of the best intonation I've been able to identify and the conditions, plus the alternatives I've tried below. I'd love some experienced input as to how it stands up to what should be expected. I'm aware that practise and perfecting
embouchure will improve things too, but that will likely be a long term ongoing process. I do have access to a local musician who turns barrels for a hobby with positive reviews and is willing to try different bore sizes, so I'd be interested to hear feedback on whether that might improve things too.
Results: (B&H Edgware circa 1970, Mouthpiece B40, Original barrel pulled out 4mm, middle joint 1mm, tuner set to A440, Legere Signature 2.75 Reed)
E3 -19
F3 -11
G3 13
A3 9
B3 5
C4 10
D4 12
E4 8
F4 4
G4 4
A4 8
B4 -15
C5 -5
D5 7
E5 1
F5 -2
G5 8
A5 8
B5 15
C6 13
D6 -15
Other mouthpieces tried: Hite Premier, B&H 593 (Facing 2) , Buffet F1A (116/16.5), Buffet F3A (125)
If you've read this far, then thank you! Apologies for not being able to keep it short after all...
Gavin
"Clarinets, like lawyers, have cases, mouthpieces, and they need a constant supply of hot air in order to function."
- Victor Borge
|
|
The Clarinet BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
