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Re: Different Note Air Volume Tendecies

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2020-12-04 19:09

Klarnt wrote:

> So what makes some notes more free blowing than others? For
> example, ...
>
> I understand that these are probably specific to my
> instruments, but maybe it applies to others? I am a Clarinet
> player who likes (if not obsessed with) playing loud.
>

I think most of the specific examples you've asked about are vulnerabilities on all Boehm clarinets (I don't know about other systems), although some instrument designers manage to overcome them better than others, or choose differently when a compromise is needed between two inherent problems. So each clarinet's scale is slightly different depending on what design choices were made. Sometimes the problems are caused by the mechanics of making the instrument - the ways the cutting tools have to do their work. The mechanical issues recede as the technology improves. The acoustical ones and their solutions are part of the differences among the myriad brands and models on today's clarinet market.

Often a stuffy or out-of-tune note can be hand adjusted by a skilled repairer. Sometimes it involves tone hole size or the way the edge of the hole is shaped leaving the bore (undercutting). Sometimes the cause is the pad clearance above a hole. Sometimes the barrel or mouthpiece bore can be an influence.

Often, a note's timbre or resistance is exaggerated by the mouthpiece and reed combination you use. A very resistant setup or even a badly unbalanced reed can add to an inherent resistance in a note so a resistant note won't blend with the ones around it that are inherently less resistant. You can overcome this by choosing a responsive setup. You should be able to maintain a steady embouchure and air movement without changes in timbre from one note to the next. Then, if specific notes just won't line up, you can have a skilled repairer see what he can do to improve them.

Karl

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