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 Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: ThatPerfectReed 
Date:   2014-05-16 01:53

On this post http://test.woodwind.org/oboe/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=406289&t=406289 I placed a picture of Jessica Phillips playing Eb clarinet.

There appears to be a hole in her bell. Does anyone have any ideas here as to why that seems to be the case?

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: Tom Ridenour 
Date:   2014-05-16 01:56

It's to raise the bell B. Many C clarinets, including the Lyrique, have the same feature.

Ted Ridenour

Ridenour Clarinet Products,
rclarinetproducts.com
sales@ridenourclarinetproducts.com

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: ThatPerfectReed 
Date:   2014-05-16 05:01

Thanks Ted.

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: fskelley 
Date:   2014-05-16 05:27

As I've said on other threads, 1) I hope somewhere there's an acoustic finite element analysis (FEA) computer model of a clarinet that one could use to answer a question like, "Would a hole improve tuning of bell B? Where? How big? Round or square?" ...and not have to destroy 25 bells trying to get it perfect. And 2) I want to work with it on my own computer.

I've been a code developer in mechanical FEA for the past 33 years. Hasn't made me rich, but it's been fun and paid the bills.

Stan in Orlando

EWI 4000S with modifications

Post Edited (2014-05-16 05:31)

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: Johan H Nilsson 
Date:   2014-05-16 14:12

Looking at the picture, I think it is wonderful to let the bell and barrel match your hair color.

A hole in the bell(y) just takes this principle further.

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: Bill Patry 
Date:   2014-05-16 18:17

My daughter studies with Jessica, and has the same (Backun) bell.

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: marcia 
Date:   2014-05-18 03:26

>Looking at the picture, I think it is wonderful to let the bell and barrel match >your hair color.


So....where does that leave the guys with no hair?? [rotate]

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: marcia 
Date:   2014-05-18 03:27

>Looking at the picture, I think it is wonderful to let the bell and barrel match >your hair color.


So....where does that leave the guys with no hair?? [rotate]

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: Dileep Gangolli 
Date:   2014-05-18 09:11

Guys with no hair should play without the bell.

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: fskelley 
Date:   2014-05-18 09:46

...and be man enough to lip bell B into tune anyway.

Stan in Orlando

EWI 4000S with modifications

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: RLarm 
Date:   2014-05-19 05:38

I remember several friends in the late 1970's who had Buffets worked on by Charles Bay. They also had a hole in the bell that Mr. Bay drilled out. One of my former teachers attended Eastman where he was a classmate of Charles Bay, Jim Pyne, Larry Combs, Peter Hadcock and Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr who were all studying with Stanley Hasty. What a glorious time to be at Eastman! He told me a funny story that he wanted to speak to Mrs. Verdehr when she was practicing and she told him"You have exactly 5 minutes in which to talk." He said she usually practiced at least 8 hours a day!

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: Ed Palanker 
Date:   2014-05-19 05:40

I believe it is an extention that Backun makes that fits between the lower joint joint and the bell with a hole in it for tuning purposes. Clark Fobes makes one as well. I was not able to open to actually see the attachment but I believe that's what it is because several people are using one now. Just so you know, I have a hole in my Bb Backun bell for tuning purposes. The tuning B was a bit flat and the hole fixed that problem when lined up properly.

ESP eddiesclarinet.com

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: Tom Ridenour 
Date:   2014-05-19 07:03

It's a pretty common way to raise the bell B. While I can't think of other examples off the top of my head, its on the Lyrique C, I am fairly certain other manufacturers have used it as a standard tuning feature on their clarinets.

Ridenour Clarinet Products,
rclarinetproducts.com
sales@ridenourclarinetproducts.com

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: donald 
Date:   2014-05-19 07:12

Interesting to hear that Backun is now making the bell extention (which makes middle line B and low E emit from a tone hole with resonance from a bore, rather than primarily from the bell). I don't think, however, that this is what JP uses- the photographs I've seen of her all had her just with a Bell that had a vent hole.
Worth noting that the vent hole in the bell has more traditionally been used to sharpen the low E- the vent sharpens both the E AND the B, but theoretically the E gets sharpened more than the B. This can therefore "help" the wide 12ths (though it doesn't really solve the problem, just make it more manageable). This is assuming that the clarinet suffers the common intonation problem of having a sharp B and a flat E, but of course the clarinets Ted R mentions may NOT suffer this problem...
In many German bored clarinets this was essential, especially as the bore stayed much more cylindrical/smaller in the lower joint- often very little flare in the bore until the lowest tone hole.
If (as Ted states above) it is now used to "raise the B", from this we might deduce that increased choke in the bell entrance bore flattens middle line B (this has been my experience). This choke can significantly influence the tone and response of notes further up the instrument (and could be argued that THIS is the most significant feature of custom bells, but I'm sure many would argue with that point). You can experiment with this without buying custom bells- experiment putting a ring of bluetack inside the bell (at the tenon, or in the flare) and you will find it can have all sorts of effect on the tones emitted further up the instrument.
Please, I'm not suggesting this as a permanent customisation (though, this was first suggested to me by a player whose teacher in Germany had changed the bell on his L200 with putty that dried to become permanent).
dn

note- I just looked again at the picture of JP and while it is clear she is not using an extension the bell does look "longer" than a normal E flat bell, so perhaps Backun have incorporated the concept into the bell design, making the extension unnecessary?



Post Edited (2014-05-19 07:18)

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: Tom Ridenour 
Date:   2014-05-19 08:44

Donald,

Your correct regarding the E. It raises both the low E and B....I just failed to mention to E.

Ridenour Clarinet Products,
rclarinetproducts.com
sales@ridenourclarinetproducts.com

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 Re: Jessica Phillips Eb Bell
Author: Wes 
Date:   2014-05-19 09:44

The late Glen Johnston drilled a hole in the bell of my C clarinet and did other tuning measures in about 1955.

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