 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Fil
Date: 2002-02-14 21:24
Once me and my teacher were talking about them and she told me that the A clarinet is harder. I didn't believe her, but it's really different. Why is it so much harder that the Bb??
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-02-14 21:39
I play both - I see no real difference, except the obvious physical dimensional differences which are a little disconcerting at first. As to being really different - that's not my experience, at least. Others may very well disagree - and they will, and I'll hear about it.
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Author: Joe O'Kelly
Date: 2002-02-14 21:42
Imho the A isn't harder that its Bb counterpart. It does have a different feel but not necesarilly "much harder" just different, and not even drasticcly different. I would have your A clarinet checked out for leaks.
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-02-14 22:14
Assuming it is in good condition, you may still find your A clarinet has a bit more resistance than your Bb. To keep the finger spread reasonable, most manufacturers make their A clarinets with a smaller bore than the Bb. (The smaller bore allows a shorter tube.) The decrease in bore size makes it a little less free-blowing. There is also the possibility that your mouthpiece doesn't match the A as well. Otherwise, the modest increase in length may seem a little awkward at first but, unless you have very small hands, you will get used to it with practice.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-02-15 14:35
It seems that a manufacturer has to put considerable effort into the acoustic design of an A clarinet. Theyb seem to be quite different from a Bb. Compare a matched pair. Whereas you may expect an A to be a perfect copy of a Bb but slightly larger, a closer look will reveal that typically the A has some smaller - some larger tone holes, differnet realtive tone hole, spacing etc.
If all this difference is necessary to get it to sound right then there must be heaps of opportunity for a less dedicated manufacturer (or perhaps for a cheaper model) to get it all wrong, making the instrumnet more difficult to play.
Another aspect is that A clarinets tend to get much less servicing thatn Bb clarinets, so their adjustment problems have not been put right.
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Author: Roger
Date: 2002-02-15 21:33
There is a psychological problem also. If you are used to the Bb clarinet when you play the A clarinet and the tone comes out 1/2 tone lower than you are used to, you will swear you are flat even if you are in tune. It takes some getting use to.
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2002-02-17 10:14
yes to all of the above, but what i wonder is, why would your teacher tell you that the A clarinet is "harder"? (it being, more or less, untrue), were those her/his exact words? and maybe you misinterpreted them slightly.... your teacher might have meant to say that the A clarinet is more resistant (which is a moot point anyway, any comparison depending on the B flat you are comparing it to) or your teacher might be giving you the "easy/quick" answer in order to deal quickly with the topic and get on with the next student.
like Mr Spiegelthal my current A clarinet is less resistant than my B flat, but my old Buffet Pair were definately mismatched and the A was much more resistant.
Gordon refers to the existence of "matched pairs"- here he is refering to them being matched in terms of design, but actually the ideal situation is that you have a pair that are chosen, or "matched", to compliment each other. In doing this you consider the relative resistance of the two instruments, among other things.
nzdonald
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Author: FT
Date: 2002-02-18 20:10
Ok, I'm sorry for the confusion, but I guess she meant that it was harder to get a good tone on the A.
sorry.
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2002-02-19 09:52
well, sorry to sound a bit... "blunt" but that would be, well, even more contentious (i might say "less true" but "more argueable" is more tactful).
lets quit talking and just get some practise done, then you'll find it all out for yourself....
have fun and play some good tunes
nzdonald
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