Klarinet Archive - Posting 000195.txt from 1994/01

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Does wood accomodate itself to a particular climate?
Date: Thu, 27 Jan 1994 13:05:41 -0500

I live in central California near San Francisco. Most of my playing
is done in this geography. Does the wood of my clarinets accustom
itself to the climate of this geography after some period of time?

Later this year and early next year I will take two tours to areas
of the US that are quite different from the climate here. One will be
to a very humid area. The other, in the dead of winter, to a very cold
area. Sudden changes of temperature and humidity will occur as one gets
on and off a bus into a climate quite different from that of the bus
itself.

How do these factors influence, increase, or decrease the likelyhood of
damage to the instrument?

Should a clarinetist be concerned when s/he gets on a plane in CA in
December and January when the weather is reasonably good, and then flies
to NY where the temperature change can be as much as 50 or more degrees?
Just a few days ago, the temperature here was 70 degrees (F) while New
York was -20 degrees and other parts of the US were even colder. So in
some cases one gets on an airplane and then gets off to a 100 degree
temperature change. Then it is into a car or bus, out of a car or bus,
wait for a bus, etc.

Just how concerned need a player be to working in this kind of temperature-
humidity differential condition?

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
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