 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Jeff
Date: 1999-08-04 02:18
I have been given a clarinet that is very sharp. I can pull out as far as possible at both the barrel and bell and still be sharp. I have now resorted to pulling out at the mouthpiece, and I know that is not good. Does anyone have any suggestions on lowering pitch besides getting a new clarinet?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-08-04 02:37
Pulling out the bell will only really affect the long note (E/B).
A longer barrel will put you closer in tune, but if this clarinet is tuned to a high pitch (A=444 or higher) there's not much you can do other than getting a piano tuned the same way! The intonation will never be quite right.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: angella
Date: 1999-08-04 03:13
i don't believe pulling at the barrel does anything at all for any note, unless very very minute. don't pull at the mouthpiece. the more you pull at the barrel, the more it meesses with your throat tones. maybe you should try a longer barrel- like a 66 mm.... or maybe a 67, though that's extreme. maybe you need a new horn? good luck.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Therese
Date: 1999-08-04 03:41
are you sure its b-flat? just kdding, I found that pulling out at the mouthpiece just a little bit, helps to get the pitch down a lot more than pulling out a whole lot at the barrel, plus the throat tones don't fluctuaute as much, have fun! therese
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Daniel
Date: 1999-08-04 05:38
Actually, the standard length for a Bb clarinet is 66mm; so a 67mm isn't extreme. I play on a 67mm Fobes. I would play a 68mm but he doens't make that long. And i don't like the Buffet Mönnig barrels to buy one in 68mm.
angella wrote:
-------------------------------
i don't believe pulling at the barrel does anything at all for any note, unless very very minute. don't pull at the mouthpiece. the more you pull at the barrel, the more it meesses with your throat tones. maybe you should try a longer barrel- like a 66 mm.... or maybe a 67, though that's extreme. maybe you need a new horn? good luck.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Willie
Date: 1999-08-04 06:24
I've heard some beginners model clarinets were designed to play a little sharp to compensate for young {weak) embouchures. I don't know this to be absolute fact but I do have a couple of student models in my "pile" that do play sharp thoughout the entire range, especialy the high notes. Anybody else have any knowledge on this?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Andrea Bergamin
Date: 1999-08-04 09:51
In my opinion serious clarinets are never built to be higher than 442/444 and this means that probably there is something wrong in your embochure. Try to relax the lower lip (it means that you have to use much more breathing to play!) and I think that it will be enough. You can use a tuner and play a little exercise: play a long note from pp to ff, from ff to pp and try to control the pithc only with you embochure. You will notice that in lower notes you have to "close" and in the higher notes you have to "open" and use more quick breathing.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-08-04 12:07
Andrea Bergamin wrote:
-------------------------------
In my opinion serious clarinets are never built to be higher than 442/444 and this means that probably there is something wrong in your embochure.
------
Andrea,
I don't believe you've played in Europe, have you? Some orchestras play at A=444 or higher, and clarinets can be had that play that way. Also, A=440/442 is relatively new as a standard - many clarinets made at the turn of the century will be tuned higer or lower (most probably lower).
Any clarinet where the barrel & mouthpiece have to be pulled out (pulling out the mouthpiece is _not_ recommended) is seriouly out of tine with today's pitch standards. Most student instruments play slightly sharp to compensate for a developing embouchure, but nothing to this extent, especially on the long notes.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William Fuller
Date: 1999-08-04 16:09
Everybody is forgetting that most clarinets need to be "pulled" also at the middle joint a little to bring down the right-hand notes and to fine-tune the octave G with the open G. Pulling the mouthpiece is ok and should be primaily used to tune throat and left-hand notes. Pull the bell if your middle B and C are too sharp to lip down. I learned these tuning techniques fronm Tom Ridenour when he was with LeBlanc.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jeff
Date: 1999-08-04 17:13
I know that my clarinet is A=440 in pitch, if this changes anything.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-08-04 19:59
William Fuller wrote:
-------------------------------
Pulling the mouthpiece is ok and should be primaily used to tune throat and left-hand notes.
--------
William,
I have heard from many sources that this is not to be done. It makes switching between Bb and A clarinets well nigh impossible if you're pulling on the mouthpiece for tuning.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Fred McKenzie
Date: 1999-08-05 02:35
Jeff wrote:
-------------------------------
I have been given a clarinet that is very sharp. I can pull out as far as possible at both the barrel and bell and still be sharp. I have now resorted to pulling out at the mouthpiece, and I know that is not good.
AND:
-------------------------------
I know that my clarinet is A=440 in pitch, if this changes anything.
Jeff-
Your first statement suggests that your second statement isn't really correct. You should expect a Bb Soprano Clarinet to be in tune when the barrel is only slightly pulled out, maybe less than 1/8 inch total.
A little more might be required if you happen to have an unusually short barrel or mouthpiece. Is it possible that your mouthpiece or barrel is actually from an different instrument?
One way to tell if your instrument is designed for A=440 Hz, is to use a tuner to compare throat tones with tones that use most of the keys. For example, tune your low G, and see how close your open G is to being in tune. If they are close, you would expect that a mouthpiece or barrel was just too short. If they are so far out of tune with each other that you can't compensate by "lipping", you would expect that the instrument was designed for some other pitch, such as A=445 or 456 Hz.
It is possible that some tones could be affected by pads being adjusted too high (or too low). If that were so, only the first open pad or two below the lowest closed pad would be likely candidates for re-adjustment. In other words, pad height adjustments only affect a few "nearby" notes.
Fred
<A HREF="http://www.dreamnetstudios.com/music/mmb/index.htm">MMB</A>
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William Fuller
Date: 1999-08-05 05:43
In reply to Marks comments: As I always use my A barrel on both my clarinets, it works for me to pull the mouthpiece to tune. I usually tune the A clarinet first by pulling the mouthpiece, then switch the barrel and mouthpiece to the Bb and tune that horn by adjusting how far I put the barrel on. This works for me and makes switching from Bb to A quite easy and fast.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Greg Smith
Date: 1999-08-05 14:42
As a mouthpiece maker, I would suspect the mouthpiece assuming all of the troubleshooting done so far has produced unsatisfactory results. Have you tried a lower pithched mouthpiece or any other mouthpiece for that matter?
Greg Smith
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jeff
Date: 1999-08-05 17:45
I jut switched from a Vandoren B45 to a M13Lyre
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Greg
Date: 1999-08-06 02:04
Well it certainly is not the mthpc! M13 Lyre usually play low, especially in the throats.
Greg
*****************************************************
Jeff wrote:
-------------------------------
I jut switched from a Vandoren B45 to a M13Lyre
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 1999-08-06 05:01
Willie wrote:
-------------------------------
I've heard some beginners model clarinets were designed to play a little sharp to compensate for young {weak) embouchures. I don't know this to be absolute fact but I do have a couple of student models in my "pile" that do play sharp thoughout the entire range, especialy the high notes. Anybody else have any knowledge on this?
-------------------------------
I bought a Selmer Bundy Eb soprano clarinet at a pawn shop. This is, of course, a student grade instrument. It had its original mouthpiece and was consistantly sharp across the board. I bought a Vandoren 5RV for it and that brought the pitch down to being in tune.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: www.mytempo.com
Date: 1999-08-06 15:28
Get a 67 barrel, pull out the middle joint also as well as the barrel if needed, and try other mouthpieces.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: www.mytempo.com
Date: 1999-08-06 15:30
Jeff - Greg is "the man" on that topic. He plays in the Chicago Sym. as well as is a top Mouthpiece Maker.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ben
Date: 1999-08-08 15:29
hey i have a barrel that just might work for you. it's a 67mm and was made for me when i had the some problem. e-mail me if you're interested. ben
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
