Klarinet Archive - Posting 000263.txt from 1996/08

From: niethamer@-----.EDU
Subj: Re: chirping (was: your mail)
Date: Fri, 9 Aug 1996 13:26:02 -0400

On Fri, 9 Aug 1996, Linda Bakker wrote:

> This might sound strange to some people, but what do I do if the reed I'm
> playing on starts squeaking? I don't mean those big loud squawks; I mean
> when it does a little "squeak" at the beginning of each note you tongue.
> Usually it dissappears by the next time I play/practise, but it's not too
> good when I'm at an orchestra practise and it starts doing it.
> Any ideas?

Fred had a number of good ideas, but if the reed starts chirping *after*
you've played on it for a while, it is *probably* the reed that is
warping. Reeds can dry out on the mpc as they're being played, or
otherwise misbehave due to changing moisture content. Also, if your mpc
table isn't completely flat (and some are not, on purpose!) this change
in moisture could cause a leak in the seal between reed and mpc, and thus
your chirp.

As you warm up your instrument, some pads may swell (if they're not in
first class shape) and create a leak, but in general, this sounds like a
reed/mpc seal chirp, and that's what I'd check first.

At the first opportunity, I'd change reeds. I also *do* flatten the
backs of reeds before putting them away (rub them with the grain on a
piece of plain white paper - backs of Symphony memos are great!) to keep
them from warping quite so much. A good reed case helps this too.

David Niethamer