 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Lindsey
Date: 2002-08-14 22:47
I am auditioning on several pieces for school in the fall, one of them being Eric Whitacre's "October." Anyway, the melody of the piece is very slow and musical. The line unfortunately concentrates a lot on throat tone Bb which, on my horn, is going very flat! (about 30 cents) Well, if any of you have any suggestions on how to raise the pitch I would really appreciate it! Im not sure if it is just the note or if my clarinet needs o be taken to the shop but if any of you have had this problem I would really appreciate your input.
Thanks
Lindsey
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-08-14 23:03
Let me guess - your clarinet might be an R-13?
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-08-15 00:03
Lindsey,
If by "is going flat," you mean that it has been gradually getting flatter over time and has not always been so flat, the problem could be some foreign matter (i.e., crud) in your register tube. Removing the register key and cleaning out the tube might help. (The register key is perhaps the easiest to remove and replace on a clarinet. You can clean the tube by taking a Q-tip and removing most, but not all, of the cotton so that it enters the tube with little resistance. Sometimes, a very tiny amount of oil on the cotton will help dissolve the crud but be sure to wipe out with a clean Q-tip afterward.) If you are not comfortable doing this yourself, it shouldn't cost much at a repair shop.
If the note is chronically flat, it could mean that the register key isn't opening quite far enough. The fix here is to sand a little cork off the key where the thumb presses it. You might want to leave that to a repair tech because taking off too much will cause problems with using the key as a register key.
You can usually improve the pitch of the throat Bb by adding "resonance" fingerings. This topic has been discussed on the board before and you can find recommendations by using the search engine. You should experiment with a variety to find what works best on your clarinet. In my case, I use: R A oxx oox Eb. Others have recommended slightly different combinations. The resonance fingerings can improve the clarity of your tone and improve intonation slightly, but I doubt as much as 30 cents.
Finally, I would encourage you to use the second (from the top) right-hand trill key with your throat A to produce Bb. On most clarinets, it gives a better Bb than the "standard" fingering though it is sometimes awkward in passage work.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: John
Date: 2002-08-15 02:02
October. I love that piece. Our symphonic band played it last year. In addition to the b flats, I love the C that you hold out forever at the very beginning. It's so much fun trying to tune that with the 1st clarinets. Good luck on the audition. I have one coming up too!
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2002-08-15 04:01
Jack, thank you for using the word "crud" in describing foreign material. I do appreciate posters to the BB who use appropriate technical terms!
Regards,
John
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-08-15 11:00
A pipe cleaner is perhaps easier to use than a Q-tip.
I never adjust the key opening by altering the cork; always by bending the key.
The thickness of the cork determines the location of the key (when it is depressed) with respect to the thumb ring key for the convenience of the double task that the thumb has.
There could also be a lint build up in the throat A tone hole. Heavy build up in many small tone holes is often not noticed by players until tone holes are 1/3 blocked!
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-08-15 14:38
Gordon,
I agree that a pipe cleaner should be better to use than a Q-tip. I will tell you though that finding one around here anymore is not a trivial issue. It used to be that you could find them just about everywhere. About the only places I ever see them nowadays are art supply stores (in a variety of colors). Also, I assume (since I haven't been in one in decades) that tobacco stores carry them. But tobacco stores have become extremely scarce, themselves. I guess people have forgotten useful pipe cleaners are. What's in a name, indeed!
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: William
Date: 2002-08-15 15:17
I would also suggest tuning first by playing second line G and pulling the barrel until "in tune." Then, check the third line Bb--if flat, push the barrel in a bit until it can be played in tune, and then lip the other upper joint notes down as needed. BTW, after tuning the G and Bb, then check your "long" third line B--if sharp (normal) pull your middle joint until it can be played in tune. Your clarinet should now be closer to "in tune" with itself and your Bb should be better. Remember, no clarinet is perfect and all notes have to be "favored" at different dynamic levels--the trick is practicing with ta tuner alwasys on and learning your instruments unique tuning characteristics.
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Author: Matt Locker
Date: 2002-08-15 15:29
Jack:
I'm not sure where your "around here" is but in Vermont I found them at WalMart's! They don't leave them out on a shelf though as they apparently consider pipe cleaner's smoking paraphenalia and don't want their customers seeing such horrible things. They were on a shelf hidden next to the very visible racks of cigarettes!! I just had to ask for them.
Good luck.
Matt
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-08-15 20:59
FYI, "crud" is in fact a technical term in the nuclear power industry --- it refers to the combination of fission products and corrosion products generated in a working reactor. How is this related to clarinets? Hopefully it isn't.
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Author: Seamus Kirkpatrick
Date: 2002-08-15 22:08
If it's slow, try the side key Bb. If you play an A then go for the the third key in the bunch on the side where your side Eb is (it's usually listed in fingering charts as a trill key).
It should sound a bit better.
cheers
Seamus Kirkpatrick
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Author: Burt
Date: 2002-08-15 23:54
I have had good results using the method William described, also have found "crud" (not radioactive, I hope) in the holes. I suggest you clean the holes first.
One other possibility: There's an adjustment screw on the A key. If it's too loose, the Ab key won't open enough, and the A and Bb will be too flat.
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Author: Lindsey
Date: 2002-08-16 01:55
thanks, for the input!!! Cleaning it out made a huge difference. It raised the pitch about 20 cents and i think helped the overall tone. The other 10 cents can be fixed with the resonate tones. Thanks everyone!!!
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Author: larry
Date: 2002-08-16 14:40
For more information and discussion of pipecleaners (as well as a comprehensive international listing of pipecleaner retailers, including many online discounters), you should check out the website of the International Pipecleaners Association (IPA): www.pipecleaners.org.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-08-17 16:33
www.pipecleaners.org
"The page cannot be displayed"
Your [Google] search - "international pipecleaners association" - did not match any documents.
Can anybody else get throught to this site?
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Author: Dez
Date: 2002-08-18 12:27
Hey Gordon I think you have been sucked in by American sarcasm!! :p
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-08-18 23:38
:)
Well are you surprised. Here in little Auckland of the antipodes there is a specialist importer of pipe cleaners, in all sorts of types, diameters and quantities. I'm not sure what else he imports.
So I thought he may be a member of "international pipecleaners association", with a web site www.pipecleaners.org.
One advantage in living in a smaller, remote place, providing it is not too small, is that everything one needs/wants seems more accessible. Odd how that works.
Pipe cleaner supplies, engineering plastics, specialized tools, dental equipment supplies, silversmithing supplies, specialist adhesives, sail making materials (I use spinnaker cloth for low lever linkages) - it goes on and on....
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