[Leica] IMG: My friend the clarinetist

[Jim Nichols]

Thanks, Peter.  Having dabbled with the saxophones, clarinet, oboe and 
bassoon in my brief 9-yr career, I know about the tuning requirements, 
but, since this spanned the period from 1942-1951, I was limited by 1) 
Funds and 2) the shortages of the war years.  My frivolous spending was 
usually for a mouthpiece or better reeds.

I realize that the cut and lay of a mouthpiece and the strength of a 
reed can make a big difference in the ease of playing and the tone of a 
saxophone or clarinet.  Likewise, oboe reeds, in a small town setting, 
are hard to come by.  I have trimmed and adjusted reeds many times.

The lengthy corked necks on saxophones make tuning rather easy, though 
my favorite was the Conn alto with the tuning adjustment on the neck.  I 
finally got to use one that belonged to the ROTC band.

What I did not know is that, apparently, the clarinet barrels can be had 
in different lengths.  That would have been handy, but totally unknown 
in my day.

Thanks for the feedback.

Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA

On 8/28/2015 3:00 AM, Peter Klein wrote:
> Jim: Different clarinet mouthpieces and barrels affect the sound quality.
> They can emphasize or de-emphasize various harmonics in the spectrum. It's
> part science, part alchemy and part magical thinking. There are also
> different length barrels as well.  But in a clarinet, tuning is primarily
> done by pulling the mouthpiece and/or barrel in and out of the body of the
> instrument slightly. Bassoonists have a similar preoccupation with bocals
> (aka crooks)--the curved silver tube that goes between the reed and the
> instrument.  We do have different length crooks for tuning, because pulling
> a bocal in and out of the instrument doesn't really work.  And we all
> obsess about reeds. A lot.
>
> --Peter
>
> On Thu, Aug 27, 2015 at 8:19 PM, Jim Nichols <jhnichols at lighttube.net>
> wrote:
>
>> OK, Peter, you have really aroused my curiosity.  I can understand a bunch
>> of reeds or reed blanks, and even an assortment of mouthpieces.  But nine
>> barrels?  Are they in different lengths for tuning?
>>
>> Jim Nichols
>> Tullahoma, TN USA
>>
>>
>> On 8/27/2015 10:08 PM, Peter Klein wrote:
>>
>>> Laurie, talking to Carl:
>>> <
>>> https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/20318923483/in/dateposted-public/>
>>>
>>> Clarinet paraphernalia:
>>> <
>>> https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/20913701886/in/dateposted-public/>
>>>
>>>
>>> Leica MM (v.1) and 50/1.5 Nokton.
>>>
>>> --Peter
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
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>>>
>>>
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