Klarinet Archive - Posting 000456.txt from 1996/12

From: Nathaniel F Johnson <clarinat@-----.com>
Subj: Re: 2 Q's - Oil and E/B lever
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 20:58:16 -0500

On Sun, 15 Dec 1996 10:56:08 -0500 "Christopher J. Thibeault"
<lespaul@-----.COM> writes:
...>My second question is about my E/B key. It works fine for the
>low
>E, but it has a terrible response when I play the mid-line B. It
>doesn't
>respond right away (it's usually o.k. when slurring, but it is
>absolutely
>terrible for articulations). I have noticed that that when I press
>down the
>key lever, the pad travels a longer distance to close that on some
>other
>clarinets. I have had it bent before, but it only helped a little bit.
>Should I have it bent some more, or possibly use a thicker pad? The
>sluggish
>response makes playing (especially arpeggios) quite difficult. Thanks.
>
>Christopher J. Thibeault
>

Chris,

I would recommend checking the crow's foot on your clarinet.
This is the thing that hangs down from your R.H. C key and goes down
below both the C# and B keys, also on the R.H.. There are a couple of
way to do this. The first is to press down on the B key (either hand's B
key will work, but I would recommend the L.H. one, as it's the one that
seems to give you more trouble) with the same amount of pressure that you
usually use. Then with one finger of the other hand press down lightly
on the R.H. C key (or even better, right on the cup into which the pad
has been affixed). If the pad goes farther down, chances are that you
are not getting a good seal from that pad when playing the note in
question. The other way to check the crow's foot is to see if it is
easier to play that B when someone presses down on the cup that I
mentioned before. If it IS easier, you again probably have a problem
sealing the C tone hole when playing the B. This can be rather difficult
and quite scary to try to fix yourself, but it is a minor procedure for a
qualified repair person. Please post and let me know if this works.
Good luck!

Nathaniel Johnson
Conductor / Clarinettist
All-Around Good Guy
University of Northern Colorado