The “Key” to Fixing Throat B-flat on the Clarinet

Josiah M. Stocks
Dr. Jesse Krebs, Faculty Mentor

The evolution of the clarinet’s keywork has mostly been focused on two areas: optimizing pitch/timbre and ease of playing. Various innovations over many decades eventually led to the Boehm-system clarinet, which is currently the standard in most of the world. This iteration of the clarinet has existed in its current state since the mid-19th century, and yet it still carries a flaw that has existed since the clarinet’s invention. In this presentation, the discussion will circulate on the issues that plague the register key of the clarinet. Special emphasis will be put on the ergonomics of the key itself, and the poor quality B-flat produced by it. Attempts to fix these issues will be highlighted with a focus on a handful of manufacturers and designers.

Keywords: Music, Clarinet, Clarinet Development, Musicology, Organology, Instrument Acoustics

Topic(s):Music

Presentation Type: Oral Presentation

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA