 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: as9934
Date: 2014-08-21 05:57
In marching band we do something called a hon flash where the brass instruments raise there bell to point a the press/judges box while doing a crescendo. Naturally I thought to do the same thing as I have seen many jazz clarinetists move there instruments all over the place when playing. So I pointed my bell up towards the box. After practice the brass players kept saying I shouldn't do that because clarinet "is not a directional instrument" and "you wont be able to make a good sound" although I thought my sound was fine if I opened my mouth and tilted my head back. The particular note (a high C) sounded just like I had pointed my bell at the ground. Who is right here? Have any of you ever played with your instrument perpendicular or above perpendicular? If so when?
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Wind Ensemble
Buffet E11 clarinet , Vandoren Masters CL6 13 series mouthpiece w/ Pewter M/O Ligature, Vandoren V12 3.5
Yamaha 200ad clarinet, Vandoren B45 mouthpiece, Rovner ligature
Post Edited (2014-08-21 06:01)
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Author: mnhnhyouh
Date: 2014-08-21 06:19
A brass instrument changes pitch by making the brass tube longer or shorter (the keys make the air travel through different length bits of pipe) and then it all comes out the bell.
A clarinet and other woodwind instruments make change the pitch by making the tube longer or shorter by opening holes along the length of the tube, and lots of the sound comes out of there. This is why a microphone below the bell of a clarinet mostly picks up the bass notes, as when all the keys are closed the sound has to escape from the bell alone.
However when higher holes are uncovered much of the sound comes out of the higher holes. If you mean higher C with all the front holes uncovered and the register key open then not that much sound comes out the bell.
Try it with a friend playing high C and move your ear around the clarinet. Then try it with a low E.
Maybe you could do it with a middle C as well, and with that a fair bit of sound should come out of the bell... so you could play that instead?
h
Post Edited (2014-08-21 06:27)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2014-08-21 06:53
If you're familiar with the music of Gustav Mahler, he beat you to this by more than 100 years. His scores often call for the woodwind players to lift their bells into the air (" Schalltrichter in die Höhe"). Orchestral players argue about whether this is any more than a visual effect, whether it actually changes the sound.
What does your band director want? Whether or not your sound is aimed any more directly toward the judges is really immaterial - it isn't (for the reasons Jonathan gave). But it can be a nice visual effect if everyone does it - probably (IMO) a more interesting one from the judges' perspective than only seeing some of the band (the brass players) with their bells up.
Much - some would say most - of what a marching band does is for looks, the appearance of an entire corps moving uniformly to its own music. If it looks good from the stands, it doesn't really matter if it sounds different or not as long as it doesn't make the band sound worse.
Karl
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2014-08-21 10:20
Kinda off topic, but it reminded me of playing in a performance with the Bowling Green U. Symphonic Band of "Trittico" with Nehlybel conducting.
He had the french horns stand on their chairs facing left, their bells pointed at the audience, for the last movement.
I never forgot that.
B.
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Author: Luuk ★2017
Date: 2014-08-21 11:36
My experience is that a clarinet miked from below the bell sounds much brighter than with a microphone pointing at the middle of the instrument, from above.
Maybe 'bells up' doesn't add to your volume (which does with brass, as explained above), but I'm sure it changes your sound and makes it more 'penetrating'. That is why Mahler calls for this.
See for background information http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/clarinetacoustics.html, scroll down to Cut-off frequencies and the following paragaraph, Frequency response and acoustic impedance of the clarinet.
Regards,
Luuk
Philips Symphonic Band
The Netherlands
Post Edited (2014-08-21 15:54)
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Author: mnhnhyouh
Date: 2014-08-21 12:33
@Luuk, thanks for that. I had read some of that before, but didnt understand that part as well as I do now.
h
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2014-08-21 23:24
As several posts in past few years have noted - can anyone actually hear the marching clarinets above all the other instruments.
(And if they can what sort of tone must they be producing!)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-08-22 03:38
>>> can anyone actually hear the marching clarinets above all the other instruments. <<<
Only if they are trilling.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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