Clarinet why two barrels

In order to tune the clarinet to the other instruments during a performance, the clarinetist will even adjust the instrument during breaks in playing. There are instruments that do not actually have a barrel, but which have a mechanism that performs the same function. For example, the pitch can be adjusted by unscrewing the mouthpiece on a saxophone or the head joint on a recorder or flute. Musical Instrument Guide. The Structure of the Clarinet The modern clarinet.

The mouthpiece of the clarinet Like the saxophone, the clarinet is an instrument in which sound is produced when the player breathes into the mouthpiece, causing the single reed that is fitted to the mouthpiece to vibrate.

What is that bulge under the mouthpiece? The barrel with its central swelling. What does the barrel do? Note before unscrewing the barrel. Note after unscrewing the barrel by about 2 mm. Besides the mouthpiece, the barrel has the greatest effect on playability of any part of the clarinet. A barrel which plays incredibly well on one instrument may not play well with another.

Even though the clarinet barrels I make are practically identical — down to less than half the diameter of a human hair, some will naturally play better than others on certain instruments. Many professionals have a system for choosing mouthpieces, barrels, and bells, and after matching around clarinets and barrels, I have come up with my own system by looking for four distinct characteristics that a barrel should elicit from a clarinet.

First Round: Start by playing an eighth note returning F scale Forte volume, quarter note equals over three octaves. This scale is chosen for its easy key signature and large range. Avoid playing anything besides this scale, and as you are playing, quickly decide if the barrel is a good match or not by evaluating its resonance and focus. If the barrel plays well, set it aside for further comparison.

This process should take less than 20 seconds for each barrel and should move quickly. Resonance: For most players, this is the aspect they will look for when choosing a clarinet barrel. As the scale is played listen to how well each octave resonates. The sound should be equally resonant throughout the range.

Any good barrel will supplement and therefore increase the vibration of the sound of a clarinet. Bass Clarinet The differences are that it has a cylindrical crook between the mouthpiece and the body and the bell is angled.

It produces its sound in the same way as the Clarinet. It is pitched in the key of B-flat, like the B-flat Clarinet, but it sounds one octave deeper. It is notated in treble clef. The A clarinet sounds a semitone lower than the Bb clarinet.

With the B flat clarinet, we would hear a B flat. The notes for clarinetists are already transposed for the correct instrument. Although the A clarinet is 1 cm longer, the two clarinets do not look much different from one another. A soprano clarinet is a clarinet that occupies a higher position, both in pitch and in popularity, than subsequent additions to the family such as the basset horn and bass clarinet. The only instrument of the clarinet family whose name is undisputed and always required is that of the bass clarinet.