 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: moolatte
Date: 2026-10-28 20:39
I am currently playing a Selmer Bundy contra alto clarinet in a community group, and despite the instrument sounding divine alone, its tuning across its range is wildly inconsistent.
Assuming I've adjusted the neck slide enough such that the notes in the middle of the instrument body are in tune, the throat tones and notes toward the lower end of the instrument are flat. Low E in particular is incredibly problematic: if I push the neck in enough to bring the throat tones up, the low E is still very flat (-20 cents), while low Eb will be in tune (according to a tuner at 440 Hz). That's not accounting for the fact that notes in the mid-body are now incredibly sharp.
My setup is a Fobes Nova mouthpiece with Legere 3.0 reed. What specifically is most likely to contribute to the notes not having consistent tuning across the instrument? Is it the synthetic reed? Is it just a tendency of the instrument? Is it something worth having a repair tech look at?
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2026-10-29 18:18
I find that the low end of most Selmer-manufactured/inspired clarinets tend to be flat. In some cases quite flat.
So, while I my personal tendency is to drop my jaw slightly and lip downward for low notes on low clarinets, I actually need to lip upwards and tend to use a bit stronger reed than I generally would choose and more breath support.
To your point, I don't think that synthetic reeds are all that helpful in terms of tuning overall (although everyone's experience varies and some people love them), and prefer slightly harder bamboo reeds and lots of breath support to manage intonation on the bigger clarinets.
As always, your mileage may vary....but you have to find a way to play in tune with your set up, or alter your set up to play better in tune.
Final thing: sometimes tuning on the very lowest notes is a bit more forgiving in the context of a larger group -- is the poor intonation standing out badly?
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Author: Mojo
Date: 2026-10-29 18:44
I think the 12th between low E and B above it is wide on all c_larinets. The maker decides to split the difference in tuning or makes the B in tune and the low E very flat. The player then decides to tune sharp and lip down or tune most notes and live with the flat low E. It is more difficult to lip note up than down. Some soprano clarinets have low E and/or F pitch correction mechanisms.
MojoMP.com
Mojo Mouthpiece Work LLC
MojoMouthpieceWork@yahoo.com
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2026-10-29 20:47
Please note that the links marked "clarinets" above appears to be a virus DO NOT CLICK
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