(no subject)

[verity83]

mbrsart... or whoever else plays... my clarinet's G is reading as an E on my electric tuner thing and I'm wondering if this is normal. The whole scale seems to be lower than it's supposed to be and there is hardly a detectable difference between G and A.

Any thoughts?

I just watched several videos on YouTube of clarinetists who actually know what they are doing and feel I shall never ascend to such levels with my blaring, whiny, breathy attempts.

And my lower lip is sore.

Comments

[mbrsart.livejournal.com]

Ah yes. There's a reason for that.

The clarinet is a Bb instrument. When you play a C, the actual pitch is a Bb. At least, that's how a standard soprano clarinet is supposed to work. The concert E should actually be the F# note; concert pitch is one whole step down from what you play.

Why is the clarinet a Bb instrument, you may ask? That is something I don't have a clear answer for that; I still can't quite understand Wikipedia's article on the subject. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transposing_instrument)

[butterbobbin.livejournal.com]

Hmm... interesting article. Not quite plain to me, either. But good to know that Mr Clarinet is not defective.