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 Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Dharma 
Date:   2011-11-05 10:10

I've seen lots of places where the anatomy of the clarinet is described OTA certain level of detail. So, the bell, joints, barrel, ligature etc.

But I'm sure there must be names for some of the more detailed parts. For example, I've seen people on here mention the 'crows foot', and I have no ides what this is.

I.ll bet those rings round the holes you put your fingers on have a name. And I think I saw mention of a speaker key?

I've googled, and looked in the few books I have, and none go to this level of detail.

Does anyone know where I can get this information?

Thanks.


-------

-----
A horse is drawn to water, but a pencil must be lead.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: kdk 2017
Date:   2011-11-05 13:02

The "crow's foot" is a sort of slang term, vernacular within the clarinet world, for the two-pointed key that sits under the RH E/B and F#/C# levers so that when you depress either of those keys the F/C key directly above them is also pulled down.

Rings are ... rings. I don't know another name for them. Sometimes they're identified by the finger that presses them (LH thumb, RH 1st finger, etc) or by the note they produce when pressed while closing the hole they surround. They're different from socket rings, which are the metal bands (usually decorated on their surfaces) that go around the ends of the sockets the tenons fit into at the ends the barrel, the bell and the top of the RH (bottom) section, which is also sometimes called the bottom "joint."

Speaker key = register key. Also mistakenly called the octave key because on saxes and oboes opening the register vent(s) actually results in "overblowing" an octave harmonic. The clarinet register key, of course, results in notes a twelfth higher.

As to a detailed diagram or reference for any of these terms, I suspect you'll only run into them accidentally while reading clarinet-related literature or the fingering footnotes of some of the old method books, although if you search through enough method books you might actually find something. Repair books also might be a source, especially for the names for hardware parts - pivot screws, rods, posts, pads (of different materials), etc...

Or ask as you've just done when you find a term you don't recognize.

Karl

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2011-11-05 13:54

Tonehole bushes, chimneys, inserts or raised toneholes describe similar things - toneholes that sit above the joint surface (instead of being countersunk into the joint) and are often flattened on top.

The speaker and left thumb bush (or tube) are usually made of metal and are removeable (screwed or glued in place), whereas the tonehole chimneys for the finger holes are either inserted (and made of wood, ebonite or plastic) and glued permanently in place or they can be machined from the wood itself (integral) and often surrounded by ring keys which is why they need the extra height so the rings don't bottom out against the joint surface (hence the clearances milled around them) which will cause both noise and prevent the pad they operate from closing.

Some clarinets have raised toneholes (which sit above the joint surface) in places other than just the fingerholes - such as a Buffet Tosca which has a raised C#/G# tonehole and the Buffet Elites which have even more.

Tonehole bushing also means a repair procedure which is replacing a tonehole due to it being damaged (if it's been badly chipped or if a joint has split and the crack terminates in or runs through the tonehole) and is done by drilling out the existing tonehole to a reasonable depth, inserting a bush (in ebonite, wood or plastic) and then redrilling the tonehole to the correct diameter and finally recutting the countersunk bedplace (the bevel) so a pad an be seated onto it.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Ken Shaw 2017
Date:   2011-11-05 14:07

The piece with "rings round the holes you put your fingers on" is called a "brille," the French word for eyeglasses, because two rings mounted on a rod resemble glasses (sort of). However, nobody uses the word brille, at least in English. They're just known as rings.

Ken Shaw

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: tictactux 2017
Date:   2011-11-05 15:10

Actually, "Brille" is German. They coined that term because traditional German system clarinets (Alberts, not the modern Oehlers) only had ring pairs, not ring triplets as Boehm instruments do.

"Brille" in French is 3rd person singular for "shine" (as eg the sun does).

--
Ben

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Ken Shaw 2017
Date:   2011-11-05 15:14

Oops. Thanks Ben.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: BobD 
Date:   2011-11-05 15:27

also as in ......."Brillo"

Bob Draznik

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Dharma 
Date:   2011-11-05 22:01

So the squishy bits under the flappy bits with rings round would be be "Brillo Pads"? :))

Maybe you need to be British...

Ahem.

Thanks for the replies so far everyone. I'm just a little OCD when it comes to knowing the names for things. Are there any good repair books available that would go into real detail?

I've tried to look for one on Amazon, but seem out of print?

-----
A horse is drawn to water, but a pencil must be lead.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Elkwoman46 
Date:   2011-11-05 22:16

brille, sounds a lot like a pair of eye glasses, in German.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2011-11-06 11:15

Jack Brymer's book 'The Clarinet' is a good place to start.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Dharma 
Date:   2011-11-06 15:52

Thanks Chris!

-----
A horse is drawn to water, but a pencil must be lead.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Malcolm Martland 
Date:   2011-11-14 11:16

Then there are the "banana keys"!

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: salsacookies 
Date:   2011-11-14 15:03

and pancake keys and whisper keys.

My setup
Leblanc Legacy Bb with grenadilla barrel and bell, B45 w/Optimum lig.



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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2011-11-14 15:38

And feather and kidney keys.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Mike Clarinet 
Date:   2011-11-14 15:40

I've also come across the Left hand E/B and F#/C# keys called Spatula keys, presumably because they resemble spatulas.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2011-11-14 16:14

Knife and fork!

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2011-11-14 16:15

... and saltspoons!

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: sfalexi 
Date:   2011-11-14 18:20

My favorite....the "donut" key...Mmmmmm!

US Army Japan Band

Post Edited (2011-11-14 18:22)

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2011-11-14 20:26

There's a 'croissant key' on Buffet RC bassoons.

All woodwinds have bodies, some have feet, some have heads and some even have butts!

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: gsurosey 
Date:   2011-11-14 21:34

I had a very old Buffet A clarinet many years ago (pre-1910 I think). Donut key, ring on LH3, and all that stuff. I managed to destroy 2 of the raised tone holes in the lower joint (don't ever try to get a stuck swab out with a pencil, d'oh!). I always wondered how that mess got fixed.

----------
Rachel

Clarinet Stash:
Bb/A: Buffet R13
Eb: Bundy
Bass: Royal Global Max

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2011-11-14 21:43

Oh yeah - chimneys! And bushes.

They can be repaired either by filling in the broken section if not too badly chipped or damaged, but if they're too far gone then they'll have to be drilled out and new inserts made, fitted and then profiled (unless they're made to the correct profile before glueing them in).

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Dharma 
Date:   2011-11-14 22:04

Thanks again everyone. So, croisants to start, salted kidneys on pancakes, and donuts to round off. Excellent!

I got Jack Brymers book and read it in two nights. And I rather suspect there are parts of it I'll go back to however long I'm playing!

-----
A horse is drawn to water, but a pencil must be lead.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2011-11-14 22:16

Definitely keep the sections on finger corrections, resonance fingerings and keeping the required RH fingers down when crossing the break bookmarked (and in your mind as well) as they're invaluable. Plus the sections on phrasing.

I've never read this book from cover to cover as a novel would be read (not that I've ever read many novels in my lifetime), but instead I tend to use it as a reference book and read only the sections or paragraphs I want to at any given moment.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: Intimate anatomy...of the clarinet
Author: Dharma 
Date:   2011-11-14 22:38

I'm a reading nut. Actually, though, I didn't read the last section on teaching. There's enough involved in learning for now!

I will read the teaching section eventually, as I'm sure it'll give some good insights into learning.

Some of the sections on phrasing were frankly way beyond me at present, but the alternate and resonant fingerings was fascinating. I think I'll be trying to build some of those in from the start.

Great book.

-----
A horse is drawn to water, but a pencil must be lead.

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