to use Finger tip or not for covering the toneholes ?

[SteveSklar]

Interesting observation I had yesterday with another clarinet player. She was covering the first ring on the right hand with the 2nd part of her finger joint. not the finger tip.

Does anyone else do this ?

[Gandalfe]

Strange. Does she have really small fingers?

[SteveSklar]

i'm not sure. I'll have to check.

[pete]

Well, I was havening a conversation about biometrics the other day and said something like, "It's a lot more difficult to cut off the user's finger, bring it to his office and then break into his computer. This does, however, give new meaning to the term 'hacker'."

On-topic though, it sounds like she wouldn't be able to get that good a seal.

Hey, I'd rather have a plateau clarinet ....

[Gandalfe]

Hey, I'd rather have a plateau clarinet ....Careful what you wish for...

[SteveSklar]

she does seal the tonehole quite well. It works fine for her. i'll have to pay more attention next time. I only noticed because she broke her primary mouthpiece and we were going through the 5 or 6 spare mpcs I had handy

[pete]

Hey, I'd rather have a plateau clarinet ....Careful what you wish for...
You want my address? Send me a few.

[Gandalfe]

I have a very nice Noblet plateau-keyed Bb sop clarinet. It just doesn't compare well to my Buffet R-13 Festival or even my Selmer Paris Silver clarinet. Those instruments have a much nicer sound and action to me.

It does however get a lot of questions when I pull it out. When I explain why anyone would want one, there is even more interest. Since I got this from Steve, I'm not inclined to give it away or buy another one. :mrgreen:

[pete]

Tease.

[saxismyaxe]

My fingers are a tad too thick to attempt anything like that on Clarinet. Same problem with Guitar, I have to use just the very tip of my fingers to avoid hitting another string by accident, even on a wide fret board.

I won't comment on the girth of the rest of me. :lol:

[SOTSDO]

Plateau horns are mostly disliked by clarinet players, but for young girls with slender fingers, people with physical defects, and sloppy sax players who are learning the horn on their own, they are a Godsend. I think that most of the perception of the effect on tone is to the player rather than to the listener (at least in my experience), but I've never seen it scientifically tested.

I don't like them myself, but that's just me. This may partially be due to the only ones commonly available being from the LeBlanc lines.

The first two reasons have some real validity for ownership, the second not so much so. In the end, it's what works that counts.

[pete]

sloppy sax players
Or clarinet players that have become sloppy because they've been playing sax :).

I really think the idea of the plateau is a good one because it "ensures" that all the toneholes have a proper seal, which should = better intonation. That's my theory, at least.

[Ed Svoboda]

Why not just plug some of the keys like people do on open hole flutes?

[pete]

Why not just plug some of the keys like people do on open hole flutes?
Makes me wonder about that.

My sister, as mentioned, is a flute player and she had an open-hole Geminhardt. It had a bunch of "tonehole covers" which were essentially little pieces of plastic/metal with corks.

FWIW, if I had a "closed hole" clarinet, I wouldn't want to take off the covers and I really don't understand why flute players want open hole instruments.

[Ed Svoboda]

Apparently open holed flutes are more popular in the U.S. than Europe . . . or so I've been told. I have found flute to be the most difficult instrument that I have ever tried to play.

[SOTSDO]

You do get some additional projection (minor though it may be) from the open tone hole variety.

Those who have trouble with rings on a horn have never played an open holed alto clarinet or basset horn. After one of those, you have no trouble at all with the smaller instruments.

[SteveSklar]

Terry, I have a hard enough time with an A clarinet much less and open alto.

[tictactux]

Those who have trouble with rings on a horn have never played an open holed alto clarinet
<raises hand>
My Bundy is one hell of a honker. I love it.

(A really nice kind of workout is to play OH alto for half an hour, then continue with a Soprano Eefer)