 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Michael McC.
Date: 2002-09-15 01:28
I know they're a half step off from each other, but physically what is different? Bore size, hole positioning, or what? If you were to get a barrel that was and inch or so longer, would it work, or would other modifications have to be made? Just curious.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ralph G
Date: 2002-09-15 01:40
Bore sizes can vary from model to model, so the A bore size won't necessarily be any different from a Bb than it would from one Bb model to another.
I just got an A clarinet a couple of weeks ago and have played it quite a bit, so I've noticed some differences. Of course, the A is longer than the Bb. You have to stretch your fingers a bit more on the lower joint, but not so much that it's hard to play (I used to own a steel-string acoustic guitar, but when I started noodling on one with nylon strings, the strings were farther apart and I had lots of trouble adjusting; the Bb/A difference isn't that pronounced). It can be more resistant, requiring more air support than the Bb. And the tone is usually darker.
I imagine differences vary from model to model. When I got my used Leblanc LL in, I was prepared for a horn that was cumbersome and heavy as a fence post. I was surprised at how relatively light and sleek it felt. I really don't have any trouble playing it. The R-13 Bb I play feels heavier. But the A does sound more sweet and reserved; I can't imagine really wailing on the thing like I could on the Bb. But it could just be the way I play.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Just me
Date: 2002-09-15 01:43
WOW, a longer barrel on a Bb clarinet will not work because it will be way out of tune. If you pulled out enough to go a half tone lower your throat tones will be terrible, as will everything else. The A clarinet has a smaller bore and usaully uses a slightly smaller barrel but also with a smaller bore. The tone holes are pretty much proportionate to the Bb. You will notice if you get one that the voicing is slightly different in the clarion register because of the smaller bore and register tube size.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Robert
Date: 2002-09-15 08:03
Just me- Are you actually trying to say that an A clarinet has a smaller bore than a B-flat clarinet???
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-09-15 15:25
Quite often A clarinets do have a smaller bore than their "matching" Bb. Two ways to lower the pitch of a clarinet are to increase its length and to reduce the diameter of its bore. A modest reduction in bore size means that the tube need not be lengthened as much. The result is a more comfortable finger spread. (This is why some players tend to find A clarinets less "free blowing" or "stuffier" than their Bb.)
If you search around the archives here and on the Klarinet list, you will find that the way to convert a Bb into an A is not to use a longer barrel but rather to suspend a "string" (probably more likely, a cord or shoelace) down its bore. If you can find the right diameter "string", it actually works but most respondents who have tried it seem to find the result very stuffy. (Fast switches are also probably out of the question, though maybe the ICA could add another competition to its list for Salt Lake City -- "fastest string in the West." ;^) )
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Oakley
Date: 2002-09-15 16:59
There was a fairly lengthy thread on this subject back in February 2001.
Mark Charette dug up the basic formula for the 1st resonant frequency of an air column,
f=v/[4(L+0.4D)]
where v is the local velocity of sound, L the length, and D the diameter.
Quoting the original message,
You can change the key by changing the diameter without changing the length....
The title of the original thread was
Elite A's and Bb's
My apologies to Mark if I've inadvertently misquoted him.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-09-15 17:47
David Oakley wrote:
>
> You can change the key by changing the diameter without
> changing the length....
Of course the tone hole spacing will be wrong (the tone holes change the effective length of the tube) if you wanted to create a scale.
The spacing of the tone holes and the diameter of the bore are intertwingled.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-09-15 18:27
M C - My dict. research confirms your "invention" of an addition to the Eng-US language. Neither the "twin---" nor "tin---" variety of words have [what I think is] your meaning. Should it be pronounced with a twinkle, or a twinge?? Don
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-09-15 20:36
Sure enough, Mark!, TKS, As I like to say, "today is a good one, I learned something new!!" {Never too oldt?] Don
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Terry Horlick
Date: 2002-09-18 03:37
David said Mark's formula was: f=v/[4(L+0.4D)]
Reading this makes it instantly clear there are two ways to lower the pitch of a clarinet: increase the length (L), or <i>increase<i> the bore diameter (D). Decreasing the bore size as Just and Jack mention will actually raise pitch. Remember your junior high math?
IMHO Terry
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-09-18 14:58
Terry,
Snide comments about junior high math aside, can you explain the following empirically observable phenomena, all of which appear to be in direct contradiction to the above quoted formula:
1. If you insert your little finger (or a pencil) in the open of your mouthpiece while playing just on it, the pitch goes down rather than up.
2. The "string in the bore trick" converts a Bb clarinet to an (approximate) A instead of the other way around.
3. Manufacturers make their A clarinets with a smaller bore than their Bb's to reduce the required finger spread.
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
