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UNDERSTANDING THE MOUTHPIECE INTERIOR
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The mouthpiece interior is made up of two parts: the chamber and the bore. THE BORE The bore of the French clarinet mouthpiece is conical. It has a small diameter where it begins at the bottom of the chamber and flares slightly as it proceeds to the barrel. Bores are usually measured at the bottom dimension, and when someone gives a specific bore measurement he is usually speaking about the opening of the mouthpiece as it enters the barrel. The bore contributes more than any other aspect of the mouthpiece to the overall tuning of the clarinet, in respect to both the clarinet's general THE BORE AND TUNING Large bore mouthpieces cause the clarinet to play generally lower and small bore mouthpieces cause the clarinet to play higher. In addition, large bore mouthpieces cause the throat tones to be lower than THE BORE AND TONE Finally, the bore contributes quite a bit to color, flexibility and resonance. The larger the bore the warmer, deeper and more flexible the tone. The small the bore the brighter and less flexible the tone is. THE CHAMBER The chamber exerts the greatest influence on tone color and tone shape. THE CHAMBER AND TONE COLOR The tone color is controlled two ways: by the total volume of the chamber, and by the baffle shape. The baffle can be a variety of shapes. Here are the basic ones: profile: straight profile: ski slope profile: deep, concave scoop There are a number of variations on this. These three make up the more orthodox types of French clarinet mouthpieces. Here is what their basic effects on tone are: Generally, the straighter and shallower the baffle the more brilliant the tone. The deeper and more concave the baffle the darker and deeper the tone. THE CHAMBER AND TONE SHAPE: THE SIDE WALLS The side walls of the chamber control the shape of the tone. This shape is generally referred to as the focus or concentration of the tone. The narrower the walls the more concentrated and focused the tone. The wider the chamber the more breadth there is in the tone. Side walls are sometime wider at the bottom than the top. These are called "A" frames. They seek to create the best of both worlds: good focus as well as warmth and flexibility. Extremes in baffle width can have negative effects. Too narrow and the mouthpiece lacks needed flexibility. Too wide and the mouthpiece lacks needed center. Baffle width can only be decided upon when all other aspects of the mouthpieces are taken under consideration. How ever these aspects of the chamber might be combined they are ultimately limited by total volume. The chamber cannot combine with the bore to create a total volume that causes the clarinet to play impossibly out of tune, what ever else might be achieved in tone color or flexibility. Thus, the nature of music and the clarinet combine to put limits on the mouthpiece designers creativity and demands on his ingenuity. BORES AND CHAMBERS COMBINED The combination of bore and chamber creates a recipe of tone and tuning. Large bores with deep, concave chambers produce deep, resonant tones. This is always attractive. But this combination also produces a low pitch that must be dealt with if groups play on the high side: 442 Ho. One way of dealing with this (besides retuning the clarinet) is to play a shorter barrel (65mm for Bb). Smaller bore mouthpieces with flatter baffle profiles usually work best with somewhat wider chamber side walls than is usually found in larger bore mouthpieces with concave baffles. They produce a higher pitch and sometimes call for use of a longer barrel (67 or 68mm) to get down to pitch. Inverse taper, Moennig style barrels do not help this style of mouthpiece. The smaller the bore the more cylindrical the barrel bore ought to become. This, in brief, is how the chamber and bore work together to influence tone color, shape and pitch. Bearing these considerations in mind should help the clarinetist to make a more objective, intelligent choice in a well made mouthpiece. |
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