 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-08-09 18:56
First let me say I do not own a pitch detector device like a Korb. For pitch I use a fairly quality made electric piano and a pair of CD players. When I match my pitch to the clarinestists on the CD's that are made to be played along with or with the piano set to neutral. I am a noticably flat when I play the R-13 with a barrel that seems to measure 66.2 with a good caliper (end to end). When I play along with the same CD on my Yamaha I am noticably sharp. I need to pull out about 1mm. The Yamaha barrel seems to measure 66.0 exactly.
The R-13 barrel has the same insignia that the other sections of the instrument have. My repair tech has an R-13 barrel that he said is a 66 and when I stand the two next to each other, his seems a hair shade shorter. My barrel does not say Chardash nor does it have any other distinguishing mark.
I do not have perfect pitch, and as a matter of fact I can't quickly tell whether I'm sharp or flat to a given pitch. I can tell something is off, and then I have to hear a standard held note, and then have to play my note. After that, I humm my note and then I will be able to feel if I have to come up or come down to match the given note.
So being perfectly in tune with a standard A440 is immaterial to me when I play by myself. I'm blissfully ignorant until I start to compare.
Is my R-13 barrel that measures 66.2 mm an oddity? Am I measuring these things correctly? (end to end).
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-08-09 19:50
The standard length barrel with the Buffets has shifted over the years. It was once the standard to get a 65mm barrel. In those days mouthpieces tended to mostly create a "higher pitch" outcome, so you wound up buying an after market barrel of 66 or 67mm. Now Buffet provides a 66mm barral as standard issue and we have a prevalence of mouthpieces that produce a "lower" final pitch. It's all very ironic to me.
....................Paul Aviles
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Author: pewd
Date: 2012-08-09 22:51
You really need a tuner. Then practice long tones with the tuner on until you can play in tune.
@Paul - I have a 1972 R13 - 65mm barrel - dead on in tune with a Vandoren M15. I can't play a modern R13 in tune with the same mouthpiece - go figure.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-08-10 01:22
why is a tuner better than an electric piano? Aren't the newer electrics supposed to have dead on pitch? (A 440). I haven't read the instructions, but I also understand the piano has a pitch change feature and maybe with numeric readout.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2012-08-10 03:22
Garth Libre wrote:
> why is a tuner better than an electric piano? Aren't the newer
> electrics supposed to have dead on pitch? (A 440). I haven't
> read the instructions, but I also understand the piano has a
> pitch change feature and maybe with numeric readout.
>
You also said earlier,
> I do not have perfect pitch, and as a matter of fact I can't
> quickly tell whether I'm sharp or flat to a given pitch. I can
> tell something is off, and then I have to hear a standard held
> note, and then have to play my note. After that, I humm my note
> and then I will be able to feel if I have to come up or come
> down to match the given note.
So, the answer to your first question is that a tuner would bypass any possibility that when you hum the note you may not be reproducing the pitch you played accurately. A tuner will give you a visual representation of your pitch that will show if you are sharp for flat and by how much. It *is* important to learn to tune by ear and not rely on the visual gauge, but that's a process in itself, separate from your trying to make intonation-based decisions about equipment changes, if any.
If you use a smart phone, whether an iPhone or an Android model, there are free tuner apps you can download for it. If not, there are applets for a computer. A basic chromatic Korg or similar unit can be bought for less than $20 in the U.S.
Karl
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