Klarinet Archive - Posting 000591.txt from 1995/04

From: John Baetens <JSBtens@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: KLARINET Digest - 26 Apr ...
Date: Sat, 29 Apr 1995 17:11:40 -0400

I don't think that streptococic bacteria needs to exist and grow within the
wood of a clarinet to justify the existence of blowout. I would think that,
since wood is an absorbant material, and I would imagine it's obsorbant
properties would effect the tone of the instrument, that when the clarinet
repeatedly gets wet from the saliva some of the saliva would be obsorbed into
the wood. After a period of many years, I would think that the dried residue
(I hope none of you are
eating as you read this) of the saliva would clog up the pores in
the wood, thereby adversely affecting the resonance of the
instrument. Of course, again, there is no proof that this is the
case. But being the owner of a thirty year old clarinet and a 25 year
old acoustic guitar, the guitar seems to sound better as the years
go by and the clarinet sounds worse. I can only attribute this to
the fact that I do not spit into my guitar.