 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Stu
Date: 2001-12-23 18:46
I've just inherited an old Artley clarinet. How do I tell what key it is ?
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Author: kenabbott
Date: 2001-12-23 20:05
Measure It. If it's 26.5" from the bottom of the bell to the tip of the mouthpiece (23.5" to the end of the barrel) it's a Bb.
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Author: IHL
Date: 2001-12-23 20:52
tip: get a length of thick string, and run through the inside of the clarinet. Then mark the point where it shows through on both sides on the string with a marker pen, remove the string, and lay it against a ruler.
It's a lot easier and more accurate than using a ruler on the outside of the clarinet, because you dont have any annoying keys or bell flares getting in the way.
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Author: IHL
Date: 2001-12-23 20:53
oh yeah, use a tape measure, most hard rulers aren't long enough.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-12-23 20:59
Ken makes it about as easy as it can possibly get. Personally, I'd trust his advice and let it go at that.
An ordinary old Artley, the kind that's a couple of feet long that all the kids in band play, is most likely (99% likely) a Bb instrument.
Maybe you can find a clarinet player in your neighborhood to verify it for you, just to make sure. Or, you can take it to any music store where band instruments are sold -- they can tell you immediately by looking at it.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-12-23 21:18
Do you have a piano, any type of keyboard, a pitch pipe? Play any note - if the matching clarinet note is one major step higher - it's a Bb clarinet...GBK
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Author: Eoin
Date: 2001-12-23 22:08
One danger with measuring your clarinet to find out what key is in: there is an outdated type of clarinet called and Albert-System clarinet which has a different fingering from the standard Boehm. For some reason, these clarinets seem to be shorter, so if it was one of these, the length would not tell you the key. The best way is to play a note on it and see what you get. The note with none of the holes covered and none of the keys pressed is called G by clarinetists. If it matches an F on the piano, then you have a Bb instrument. If it matches an E on the piano, then you have an A instrument.
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2001-12-24 00:40
and if it matches a Bb, it's an Eb instrument, in case you run into that situation.
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