 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dolson
Date: 2022-09-21 05:22
I’ve been playing on a great old set of buffet r13s since 1979 which were used heavily in professional use for 20 years and then put aside due to pursuing other career interests. I retired five years ago, had them overhauled into mint condition, practiced my head off for two years and now playing in several orchestras and bands having a blast doing so.
I felt it was time to purchase a new set even though these old horns still play fine and have great intonation but who knows for how long?. I’m
Currently playing on a vandoren bd5 mouthpiece which seems remotely similar (very remotely) to my old kaspar Cicero mouthpiece that is way past it’s usable life. Long story short…. After trying a dizzying array of buffet models over the past year (it was so much easier when it was just r13 or rc) I settled on a set of festivals that have a very nice sound and match well with each other plus got a great price for little more than a standard r13 from a very reputable dealer. Perhaps it’s just me being used to compensating for my old horns idiosyncrasies or a combination of that and buffet evolving their models but I have some pitch concerns that seem consistent on both the b and a clarinets. The low e on the a and a bit less so on the b play quite flat compared to my old r13s as well as the b and c above the staff. Any suggestions on how this can be tweaked or fixed?
I was initially excited about the alternate e flat g sharp key on the lower joints but ultimately took it off as I kept hitting it and honestly doesn’t seem necessary. Any suggestions on these questions?
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Author: m1964
Date: 2022-09-21 08:54
The flat low F can be improved by elevating the E/B key pad, although it will require elevation of the F/C pad as well, so the G/D can become slightly sharper.
However, flat low E and F are just the nature of the instrument, regardless of the make. That is why some of the newer more expensive clarinets have low F correction key.
Another consideration is that if the clarinets you are going to buy are dry and had not been played recently, they may slightly change in tuning as they absorb moisture.
So, I would not be concerned so much with tuning if E/B and F/C are the only problematic notes.
I currently play a Festival A clarinet and it is a delightful instrument- easy in response, better projection, more even in tuning and also has more depth in tone, comparing to my previous A clarinet which was a R13 Prestige. Also, my Festival blends very well with the strings. When I played the R13 Prestige, I felt I had to "push" it in order to blend with the strings, not so when playing the Festival.
I did feel that the R13 Prestige had slightly warmer tone/sound in the very low register (low C and below), but the Festival easily won in response, projection and tone depth (and tuning too).
I believe that you will enjoy the Festivals very much. If they have not been played recently you may like them even more after 6 months or so playing.
Post Edited (2022-09-21 20:42)
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