 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ruben
Date: 2026-08-23 17:58
I imagine that full-boehm clarinets are longer than ordinary b-flat clarinets. Does this give them the mellowness of tone of an A clarinet? In that case, why not play full-boehms, even if you still use your usual A clarinet for A parts so as not to have to transpose? I don't know if full-boehms are still being made.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
Post Edited (2026-08-23 18:25)
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Author: farabout
Date: 2026-08-23 18:25
If the full Boehm system were superior, then it would have been a universally accepted standard.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2026-08-23 18:32
No - full Boehm Bb tonehole layout and tonehole sizes are mainly the same as any other Bb clarinet built to low E, but the low E/upper register B issuing from the lowest tonehole on the lower joint instead of directly from the bell is equalised in timbre to the F/C.
A clarinets have a different tonehole layout and different relative sized toneholes compared to their Bb counterparts for the same written notes and even the same pitch notes - in many cases the A version has smaller toneholes compared to the same model Bb. Also the expansion in the lower joint bore will start in different places and be a different taper on full Boehm Bb and regular A clarinets.
Some Buffet Elites (and another more recent Buffet) as well as the Orsi Verdi model clarinet had the longer lower joint with E/B issuing from an open tonehole.
Full Boehms were most popular with Italian players back in the 1900s who used the one full Boehm Bb to play both Bb and sight transpose A parts on, hence the necessity of the low Eb and LH Ab/Eb lever for an A clarinet's low E-A or upper B-E slur (low Eb-Ab/upper Bb-Eb slur on Bb) as well as the articulated C#/G# mechanism for an A clarinet's C-D or G-A trill (B-C#/F#-G# on Bb). The LH forked Eb/Bb mechanism also making many passages easier without having to use the side or cross Eb/Bb keys.
Also the tone of the exact same clarinet will differ widely depending on the player - one player can make it sound like the best chocolate in the world while another player can make it sound like Hershey's.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2026-08-23 18:45)
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Author: CavalliB
Date: 2026-08-24 11:00
I owned two Full-Boehm clarinets a few years back (actually I started on an enhanced Boehm w/o low Eb and bought Full-Boehms by Cl. Meinel after that). The benefits of a enhanced/Full-Boehm are not especially timbre-wise but rather in some specific tones/fingerings and (if one is lucky enough) intonation-wise.
Articulated G# is really something I miss on my Uebel Superior now. And I really liked the forked left hand Eb.
It is all the more surprising, then, that there is a manufacturer that produces both clarinets with the same key spacing: https://www.gerold-klarinetten.at/innovationen/ (The site is in german only)
Quote: "B-flat and A clarinets with identical finger spacing
The extremely comfortable, ergonomic design of GEROLD clarinets forms the foundation for the identical, tactile layout of the key and finger spacing on B-flat and A clarinets.
State-of-the-art CAD design technology, combined with sophisticated, artisanal model-making, was ultimately the key to this groundbreaking innovation in clarinet making.
Switching between B-flat and A clarinets without changing finger positions, without disrupting the playing technique painstakingly honed through practice. Targeted, unadulterated practice on the often-neglected A clarinet.
Certainly an invaluable and liberating relief in everyday, professional clarinet playing!
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)" all rights belong to gerold-klarinetten.at
I wonder if this means an approximation of timbre (and in which direction) as well. Unfortunately I do not have any knowledge on how those horns differ in size.
(Edit: added last paragraph)
"Music is a higher revelation [...] than all wisdom and philosophy."
L. v. Beethoven
Post Edited (2026-08-24 11:04)
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