 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2008-03-27 14:27
There are quite a few terms being used on the BBD that everyone seems to know the definitions of, but that I don't, despite being involved with the clarinet for nearly fifty years.
"Grunt" is one of them.
Would someone please define or describe "grunt" for me?
And:
- "Collapsed finger"?
- "Boxy" (as in "boxy" sound)?
- "Wolf tones"?
I feel left out.
B.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2008-03-27 15:11
A "grunt" is when the chalumeau note sounds softly along with a clarion note, even though you have the register key open. For example chalumeau D would sound under clarion A. This is a problem on many Buffet A clarinets and can be solved by putting in a shorter register vent, and in several other ways.
Most people's finger joints don't hyperextend, or bend backward, very much. A finger is said to "collapse" when it bends back at the joint between fingertip and the middle phalanx. This creates instability and excess movement. It's a matter of genetics. Larry Guy gave some exercises to counteract collapse. Go to http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=20&i=289&t=289 and read the section on "Collapsing Joint."
The term "boxy" is like "bright" and "dark" -- it doesn't have a specific meaning, other than "bad" or "I don't like it," and people who try to define it usually disagree with one another. When I use it, I think of a tone that's dull and lacks resonance.
On string instruments, a "wolf" is a specific problem that occurs when a resonant frequency is near but not exactly at the frequency of the note being played, setting up a difference tone that warbles or otherwise interferes with the tone. Wind players have adopted it to describe an unstable note that warbles or squawks easily.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2008-03-27 15:39
A synonym for "grunt" is "subtone". The appearance of subtones is not necessarily an equipment issue but can indicate a need to improve embouchure and/or articulative technique.
Complete agreement with all the rest Ken!
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2008-03-27 19:57
Thanks.
I rejoice, now, that I don't know these terms probably because I've never had these problems myself, nor have any of my students!
Never even encountered them when I was totally immersed in the clarinet world so many decades ago.
Maybe they were called something else then...or not called anything at all. Could be.
(This may sound facetious, but it's not meant to be.)
B.
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2008-03-27 20:33
Ken Shaw wrote:
>> A "grunt" is when the chalumeau note sounds softly along with a clarion note, even though you have the register key open. For example chalumeau D would sound under clarion A. This is a problem on many Buffet A clarinets and can be solved by putting in a shorter register vent, and in several other ways.>>
Ken is usually right about everything, but in this case I have to correct him -- it'd be more like an F than a D, because the register key alters the effective length of the tube.
See:
http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/Klarinet/1998/10/000872.txt
Tony
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