Klarinet Archive - Posting 000223.txt from 1997/02

From: Nathaniel F Johnson <clarinat@-----.com>
Subj: Clarinet Cracking
Date: Sat, 8 Feb 1997 01:35:20 -0500

On Thu, 6 Feb 1997 21:55:39 EST FROM ME MAN <musicandkeyclub@-----.COM>
writes:
>When I go toNYC and it's really cold, I just make sure that the my
>clarinets are protected enough to prevent rapid temperature change. I
>don't think that it's the cold that cracks the instrument. I read
>somewhere that it is the sudden change in temperature that will cause
>the cracking. Somebody please tell me if I'm wrong.

I think that this is correct. Although moisture freezing inside the horn
can cause a crack, cracking also comes from an object expanding from heat
(or contracting from cold) non-uniformly, that is, the inside
expanding/contracting faster or slower than the
outside. Moral: If your clarinet gets really cold (like if you leave it
in the car overnight as a friend of mine did with hers, which caused it
to crack), make sure you warm it up SLOWLY.

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

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org