 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Josh Schultze
Date: 2001-07-17 13:57
I've been studying the clarinet for over 2 years. When tuning the clarinet I will tune the lower A (second ledger line below the staff) so that it is at A440. To do this I use a tuner and pull out the barrel until the needle goes to zero. Afterwards, when going up and down the scales there are some notes which are sharp and others are flat. My question is which note should I get tuned first? I've heard some people tune their open G first.
Also, high F (third ledger line above staff) is extremely flat (about 35 cents) how can I get that note to be more in tune? I've changed tongue position by making it higher and that works to sharpen the note to about 10 cents flat. However this tongue position is so different from the rest of the notes. Anytime I am about to hit High F I have to pause, get my really high tongue position, play the note and readjust my tongue position for other notes.
Thanks, Josh
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Author: william
Date: 2001-07-17 14:49
I recommend: Check open G first; if sharp (normal) tune by pulling your barrel or mouthpiece until in tune with tuning meter (needle on zero)--then check G above top line; if sharp, pull middle joing a little until in tune--then check third space C and third line B; if sharp, pull bell until they are in tune, but keep checking your low E and F to make certain they do not go so flat that you can't lip them up. This done, your clarinet is now "in tune" with itself. Your high F should be in tune also by now. How ever, if still flat, try 1) lipping it up or 2) adding side Bb key to raise the pitch of the note. High F# is usually flat so try adding the r-h chromatic F# "banana" key. If your high Eb is also flat, try playing it with the C key rather than the Eb key. If your throat A and Bb notes are weak or still sharp, try adding your second and third fingers as well as you little finger low E key to the normal fingerings--this is a common practice called "venting" and is usually used by most pros to improve the tone qualities of these notes. Beyond all of this, individual notes may still be slightly "out of tune" and will need to be "lipped" into place. For sharp notes, loosen you embouchure to bring pitch down--for flat notes, tighten embouchure for opposite effect. Listening and a "good ear" are necessary requirements for playing any musical instrument, except the tuned percussion (piano included)--arn"t they the lucky ones????? Hope this helps a bit--Good clarineting!!!!!!!
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2001-07-17 16:18
I find that on some instruments the side G# key can make the high F in tune. Sometimes it even makes it sharper than it should be, and sometimes it won't come out at all!! But on other instruments it works beautifully. Why don't you try experimenting with fingerings on your own with your own instrument and see what works for you? I believe you can find a rather large variety of alternate fingerings on another sneezy site.
http://www.wfg.sneezy.org
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Author: Dan Borlawsky
Date: 2001-07-17 21:31
I believe William has it right. Since the pitch of notes closest to the barrel is affected more than the pitch of notes closer to the bell when you pull the mouthpiece, you should tune those notes (close to the mouthpiece) first, then proceed to notes in the middle of the instrument, pulling the center joint if necessary. Finally, you would tune the third space C and third line B by pulling the bell if necessary.
Of course, all this is for naught if the instrument is in poor condition, etc.
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Author: William
Date: 2001-07-18 04:38
One correction is necessary--the fingering that I gave for raising the high F (normal F fingering plus the side Bb key) is an alternate fingering for F#. You might try instead, the long F fingering which is: TR 1-2-3 G# 4-5-6. Good luck.
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Author: Josh Schultze
Date: 2001-07-18 13:30
William,
Thanks for you info. It is reassuring to have you input. Just another question. You said to tune to open G. I often play open G with the two fingers of the right hand down which flattens the pitch slightly. Should I tune "open" G with these two fingers down? I tend to play that G more often; certainly when going to B.
Thanks.
Josh
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Author: Roger
Date: 2001-07-18 18:57
Clarinets are made to play in tune (sort of). You have to lip certain notes on every instrument. My teachers (over the last 20 years) recommend tunning the third line C (Bb concert on a Bb clarinet and A concert on an A clarinet). You then learn how to make lip adjustments for the other notes.
The only band (orchestra) leaders who ever tried to tune a Bb clarient to F concert (i.e. open G) were brass players.
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Author: Roger
Date: 2001-07-18 18:58
Addendum.
This is not to say that when purchasing a clarient you do not check the other notes. You will find clarients that you cannot play all notes in tune.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2001-07-18 19:40
Roger, you may have to do a lot less "lipping" if you follow the tuning regimen given in the other posts. Tuning C only happens to be adequate on my Buffet R-13, but I have several other pro horns that require adjustment between the upper and lower joints to tune correctly. Why not take advantage of the tuning flexibility if it's there and needed?
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2001-07-18 20:17
An old band director that mastered at clarinet (almost literally, he tried out for the NYPhilharmonic and did better than most.) always did a quick tune in the following matter: play the throat G, adjust barrel, play the Lower Clarion C, adjust midjoint and bell till everything balances. I've tried this method and managed to turn a Bb clarinet into and A clarinet by pulling out all of the joints by differing amounts. This was inconvenient, however, in the fact that most of the notes were out of tune with each other just enough to notice.
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Author: Roger
Date: 2001-07-18 21:33
Oh yes---When I pull out (which I have to) I do not pull out just at the barrel. I also pull out at the middle joint. Still I tune to to concert Bb
About 7 or 8 years ago I went to workshop on Christian orchestra music in Panama City FL being conducted by Camp Kirkland (he arranges a lot of pieces of church orchestras and bands.) I tuned using my tuner (of course) to Bb and was in tune on it. He (an ex trombone player---He was also drum major for the FSU marching chiefs at one time) tuned everyone to concert F. He selected my F with which to tune the entire orchestra. I was proud of that.
I had pulled out at the barrel and middle joint. I know people who pull out at the bell. The bottom line is that I tune my Bb and everything else falls into place. You have to work on tuning with a tuner to learn exactly what to do on any given clarinet
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Author: Fred
Date: 2001-07-19 02:00
Roger -
Glad to hear you are playing Camp Kirkland arrangements. My church orchestra played several of his charts tonight. For those not familiar with Camp Kirkland, this is NOT your parents' church music (unless your parents really like things to move !!)
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2001-07-19 04:18
Who says church music is boring? Every once in a while I'm asked to play something a little jazzy at my church, like a swing version of "Amazing Grace" or something like that. Then it's okay for me to lip (So I don't need to tune as precisely and with how little you need to adjust to change that can be a major plus. ;] ) I would say that the tuning procedure that William recommended is a pain but a necessary one. If you want to sound right, you gotta work hard, and you have to be in tune. And besides, I like tuning an instrument. I can practice long tones that way and get away with it.
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Author: William
Date: 2001-07-19 14:04
Josh:
I also play "open" G with my two r-h fingers 4 & 5 down. On my clarinet, it lowers the pitch--especially when I have to play ppp--but more importantly, it improves the sound of the note. I also play throat A and Bb with l-h fingers 2 & 3 down (on Bb I also add the l-h little finger B key). And yes, it is advisable to use these fingerings when tuning. FYI--Davids method and mine are pretty similar, I just like to use the register key and tune the upper G and C instead of the lower clarion C and F. So really, tune the open G first by pulling the barrel, then the clarion C/G by pulling the middle joint, and then the long F/C and E/B by pulling the bell, if necessary.
You can also think of the tuning sequence as: no fingers--tune barrel, l-h fingers (except little)--tune middle joint, all fingers--tune bell. Also: tune top, middle, bottom. Short to long, get it. OKOKOKOK, I'll give stop!!!! Seriously, this is the way most pros get their clarinets in tune with "themselves" and with the rest of the orchestra (which officially tunes to concert A). After all of this, then listening and lipping to match others (it seems that nobody else if ever as perfectly tuned as us clarinetists!!!!!) is the real "final adjustment." Good Tuning and clarineting!!
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2001-07-19 15:42
Let's just be glad we aren't brass players who have to adjust a main slide and then three or four other ones to a different variety of notes. (And then only a few professional models actually stay in tune for whole range after that.)
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