Klarinet Archive - Posting 000732.txt from 1997/04

From: "L. BORCHERT" <lborcher@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: swabbing
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 1997 20:07:27 -0400

On Wed, 23 Apr 1997 Jrykorten@-----.com wrote:

> The number of times you swab your clarinet is inversely proportional to the
> useful life of the instrument.
>
> Has anybody else tried rotating the clarinet so the water runs away from the
> trill keys while playing. This does work. (just 10 degrees or so).
>
> Jerry Korten
> NYC
>

I played my first R-13 for about 10 years. The keys were in the
process of wearing down, but there was no measurable change in the bore
itself because of excessive wear. I use it as a backup for my students,
so I just checked it again to make sure. The instrument was worked on by
both Charlie Bay and Tom Ridenour during its most active life with me. I
have also used a silk swab which is very absorbent, but has little
resistance within the bore.
I have heard that you can, over time, wear the inside of the bore
of a mouthpiece down because the swab is compressed into a smaller space.
The window opening also can have sharper edges that the swab may not go
over quite so smoothly.

What do you mean by "rotating the clarinet?" If you keep the
mouthpiece in your mouth at the correct angle and, then, shift the
rotation of the instrument from the barrel joint, it will really change
your hand/finger position. I'm not sure what you are referring to here.

Laroy

Dr. Laroy Borchert
Music Department
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM 88003