 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Nzb2018
Date: 2015-07-10 04:00
I was having a conversation with a friend and we both agreed we like a dark clarinet sound. But I noticed something that I thought was pretty interesting. What she considered darker, I considered brighter, and vice versa. So I asked a few other friends about their thoughts and some had my same perception of dark and bright while others did not. Is there really a true "dark" and "bright" clarinet sound?
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-07-10 04:27
Back in the 1950's, the way you could tell whether a music system sounded "hi-fi" was to see whether it had a "high fidelity" emblem on the cabinet.
Need I say that I have been a lifelong skeptic of such stuff (and an occasional participant / victim)?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2015-07-10 04:29)
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Author: ned
Date: 2015-07-10 04:32
Dark and bright are just adjectives that have become common in usage.
If you are speaking of the tone of an instrument, an acoustics expert will know exactly how to describe a particular sound.
Until then I guess ''dark'' and ''bright'' will have to suffice, notwithstanding the different interpretations of these two words.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-07-10 05:13
Nzb2018 wrote:
> Is there really a true
> "dark" and "bright" clarinet sound?
No, as your experience demonstrates.
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2015-07-10 17:43
I had that conversation many years ago with a student of mine that compared my tone as bright and Anthony Gigliotti's tone a dark in a clarinet studio class. After the class stopped laughing out loud, yes they really did, I tried to explain what I thought was the difference in dark, or at least darker, and bright. There are many ways to describe or think of the differences but to me the "dark type" is more mellow, richer, warmer and softer, not in volume. The brighter side is more strident, piercing, forced. That's my opionion of course. I also use comparisons of other instruments. Highs like a piccolo, Eb clarinet etc. sound brighter compared to a bass clarinet, trombone, bassoon because the high resisters just sound brighter than lows do. The upper part of a key board sounds brighter than the lower part of the key board. So in many ways it's a matter of perception. That's my take on it. My favorite tones are somewhere inbetween. I prefer mellow and warm but full and vibrant. There are many terms one can use to describe a clarinet tone. Beautiful or ugly come to mind too. :-).
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2015-07-11 18:20)
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Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2015-07-11 01:01
In reference to carrying power out into the hall: my personal definition of bright is having more of the higher overtones in the sound than a darker sound. Most of my experience is with (french) horns. A horn that sounds dark up close will sound muffy out in the hall, and one that sounds bright up close will carry better and have a nice, mellow sound in the hall. That is because for some reason I can't remember the highs get swallowed first as the sound travels, so a plethora of highs at the source gives a more balanced sound out in the hall. I play a horn that is somewhat bright up close, and have had to play at much less volume than I perceive in order to not totally drown out the darker-up-close horn on my left, played by someone literally twice my size and lung capacity. I would think this entire set of concepts would transfer to any instrument's carrying ability.
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2015-07-11 02:28
So many people seem to want a darker sound. I think the word is misunderstood. A very dark sound would get lost in the mix and sound dull on it's own.
Steve Ocone
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Author: Irwin J
Date: 2015-07-12 00:56
I wonder if many people perceive "dark" clarinet tones primarily as those played in the chalumeau register.
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Author: 2cekce ★2017
Date: 2015-07-12 22:48
I once played in a band where the band leader wanted more 2nds and 3rds
because those parts I think just delivered as she called them the deep and darker tones whereas the 1st part played the high ( brighter ) notes. she often used the phrase I have enough flutes and piccolos I don't need anymore
brightness added to the sound from the clarinets. She is however a brass
player and was always partial to them and didn't care much for woodwinds in
general.
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