Wind Instruments Shape

[Enthalpy]

Hi everyone!

A Bb contrabass clarinet to written C has the range of a contrabassoon and the length of a bassoon. Some have a bass clarinet shape, very tall and with very long keys. Others have the compact "paperclip" shape, but they are of metal, which most clarinettists disdain. So here's a contrabass clarinet with bassoon shape.

The aspect is unusual and the U-turn is a bit sharp to ease manufacturing. The other features are advantages:

• Play sitting (rather on the side like a saxophone) or standing. Weight similar to a bassoon.
• Bassoon makers can produce this contrabass clarinet: passive U-turn, bocal with register key.
• The double bore body is naturally stiffer, it's shorter, and of good material.
• The main part is as long as a baritone saxophone. Transmit one movement to the bocal, two to the bell.
• Most keys are short with few overlaps, and plenty of width hosts them.
• The ergonomic hand positions happen to shorten most keys.
• All synchronized covers sit on the same joint.

The notes indicate the sounding height when a hole is open, in octaviated bass clef, noblesse oblige. Following Obukhov, an X notehead means this single note is a semitone higher. The soprano and bass stylized keys shall help the imagination. I suppose an Oehler system is feasible too. The covers' positions along the air column are approximative, and they can move to the side or rear. Double holes are not displayed.

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The hands are at the same height as on a bassoon here. This simplifies the keys. Other contrabass clarinets with the right hand higher are easier to play between the legs when sitting.

Most shafts for the downing bore could sit at the right side, passing below the right hand as on a soprano, with front and side holes. At the rising bore, the covers common to 4L and 4R could sit at the front and side, their shafts sit at the left side and pass below the left hand. I've read 30.5mm bore for a contrabass, so fingers access easily the centreline or the remote bore.

With the left thumb's hole at the rear, the left fore fingers have 100mm free between the covers. 1L moves three covers immediately upstream, 1L 2L 3L 4L move some six immediately downstream. Together with 4R, 4L moves also five covers at the rising bore, nicely spread above and below the left hand. The split holes and keys as register hole and tone hole are as usual on low clarinets, though more register holes would be easy and useful.

Putting at the side 4L's hole that sounds F#/B, the right for fingers have 140mm free between the covers. The holes that sound F/Bb to D/G site across the U-turn, just below their 1R 2R 3R. They could have two pairs of concentric shafts at the right side, one outer pair for the shorter 1R and the F/Bb key, one inner pair for the longer 2R and 3R, and the four covers near the body's centreline. At the 600mm long trill keys, pivoting keys like at a saxophone could be stronger and more accurate. The 4R key to open the sounding C#/F# is local, while the five other 4R keys probably transmit the movement to the 4L equivalents. RTh moves two long keys, supposedly pivoting at the rear, that reach the bell where the movements are synchronized. These two holes can face the easiest direction.

If carrying a tone hole, the U-turn could be wider. It's already better than at most bassoons. The holes for 1R and 2R are farther apart on a soprano so open 1R intonates well with 2R closed, but bass clarinets tend to make streaming noise on that note, so it would be better to double the 1R hole with a second hole and cover near the 2R hole. Maybe a common cover can close two holes, as the right thumb does at the German bassoon.

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The dual bore permits somewhat long tone holes near the centreline. Perhaps they improve a low instrument. Their inclination lets reach closer to the U-turn and rejects the condensation water if any. To make clarinettists comfortable, I'd have the bores side-by-side rather than superimposed.

The wide cylindrical bore and the long ascending metal bocal should alleviate condensation elsewhere, giving freedom to place the tone holes. A waterkey is needed.

The stiff and heavy in-line bell should improve the low notes, like a wooden bell at a bass clarinet. Stowasser's holes let the lowest note and its neighbours sound like the others, while the flare lets distinguish this clarinet from a bassoon.

The bocal might hold in the body like at a saxophone, if it's more convenient or improves the altissimo. Some body materials enable it, or a metal part shall protrude from the body.

I suppose the long shafts can be electroformed for width and stiffness, the bocal and U-turn for easier manufacturing
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French bassoons still use precious wood that clarinettists praise. German system bassoons use lined maple, more easily available for big parts, but not renowned among clarinettists. Big parts are easier with maple. Parts already dried are a worry with any wood. Liquid Crystal Polymer could be excellent, more so with fibre load or if stretched
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while stretching could make PP and polyketone good
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Marc Schaefer, aka Enthalpy

[Enthalpy]

Here's a glimpse at the keys of the contrabass clarinet with bassoon shape.

Nothing accurate nor complete. It's merely the sense that this folding eases the keyworks. Agreed, many designs seem easy until one puts true figures and dimensions.

No rear view, despite the left thumb needs some parts for the written D/G for the register key(s) distinct from the tone hole. The right thumb is easy.

Nothing about the 4L+4R low keys. At least, room is plentiful.

The 500mm 1R trill keys would better be pivoting: robust, accurate.

The two 1L high keys open long holes at the body's centre as this may improve the sound, but a better design should restore their shape that tells "I'm a clarinet".

The 3L trill, the 4L written G#/C# and the 3R trill seem simple but the sketch has no room to show them.

The D/G hole at 1L and LTh could be at the rear, the C/F hole at 1L too. Same complexity, so room can decide.

Some couplings at the key's rest corks are not visible. At some concentric keys, leapfrogs are not shown.

Folding eases 1R 2R 3R despite I doubled two covers: 1R open + 2R closed and 3R open + 4R closed.

Marc Schaefer, aka Enthalpy