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Pads, Fingers, Sound & Plateau key Clarinets

Author: SecondTry
Date: 2022-03-03 18:49

A friend of mine and I have talked for the last few years over her eventual need to switch from a "conventionally made" (soprano) clarinet to one with Plateau keys, if she is going to continue to play, given her advancing arthritis.

Bends in the tips of her fingers from the condition make covering the holes more of a challenge with each passing year.

This situation has resulted in two assumptions on my part, either of which could be wrong.

The first is that Plateau key (soprano) clarinets are easier to play than "conventional" (i.e. not Plateau key) clarinets given that finger placement need not be as precise, and the second assumption being that there is some acoustical benefit to conventional clarinets, beyond, for example, the ability to control a glissando on a conventional clarinet by gradually moving the fingers off the holes (as opposed to solely embouchure changes to effect glissandos.)

Clearly off topic here are, for example, bass clarinets where plateau keys are an anthropomorphic necessity given the size of the instrument and the considerable smaller size of the human hand. My focus is on soprano clarinets where their size doesn't make plateau keys a necessity.

So glissandos like those found in the opening of Rhapsody in Blue notwithstanding, what is the benefit of conventional (soprano) non-Plateau key clarinets over Plateau key ones? Are similar principles in play as to why flutes with open tone holes are found in this instruments more professional models?

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