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Re: Pitch tendencies?

Author: Shorthand
Date: 2006-02-07 14:51

The other thing that's happening is a phenomon unique to the clarinet called "big 12's". That is two notes one register apart (only distinguished in fingering by the register key) will often be more than a 12th apart (sometimes less). This is often worse for low E / and the corresponding B. As B is used more than E, it is farily normal in some clarinets to design the E a little flat to get the B closer to being in tune.

(Note: is this perhaps a consequence of equi-tempered tuning interfering with the harmonics? As discussed earlier, equi-temper is a geometric series designed around the 2 (octave) harmonic, but when you actually go up a register in the clarinet, its using the 3 harmonic instead.)

The phenomon is unique to clarinets (cylindrical bore), and i think it has to do with the velocity node at the open end and anti-node at the mouthpiece thing, but I don't quite understand it.

The physics of cold instruments being flat has to do with the speed of sound in air as it varies with temperature. Ovbiously a sax has much higher heat conductivity so it reaches equilibrium faster but cools almost instantly whereas a clarinet has significantly greater heat mass and insulates its inner air column much better.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/music/clarinet.html

Post Edited (2006-02-07 15:02)

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