Klarinet Archive - Posting 000195.txt from 1994/03

From: Stephen Pirovolikos <STEPHEN@-----.BITNET>
Subj: Re: Stuffy notes
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 23:51:51 -0500

Well, your problem is certainly not unique. If you read a little about the
construction and history of the instrument I'll bet you'll find that on the
early clarinets the tone hole for the C#/G# is supposed to be in the spot
where, on the modern clarinet is a metal ring(or plastic in some cases). It's
right where the upper and lower joint meet. In order to have a clarinet in two
parts that hole has to be placed a little higher and in order to get the right
pitch it has to be made smaller. That's why it sounds stuffy sometimes, you
just have to deal with it. Ask your repairman, maybe a new pad will help?

As for the water track this is also my problem and I was just thinking about
it today as it happened in a rehearsal. I won't say that this idea is correct
but I was thinking that if I turned the barrel on my clarinet (so that the logo
was facing somewhere else but front or back or side) that this might help. I
haven't even tried this yet though. Otherwise I just swab it out like you do,
I was taught to blow the water onto the swab throught the hole to stop it from
coming back so soon.