Klarinet Archive - Posting 000826.txt from 1997/11

From: Dee Hays <deerich@-----.net>
Subj: Re: top line model for beginner
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 12:43:53 -0500

Dirk Kussin wrote:

> As "hobby player" I have not the time to take the instrument with me
> each time. Also I will have longer breaks in playing (up to 4, 6
> weeks) where I can not play. This means: the clarinet has to be in my
> flat, where it is pretty cold in winter (up to under +5 degrees
> Celsius) and pretty hot in summer (30 degrees Celsius and higher).
>
> I have no expierence if a wooden clarinet is robust enough to overcome
> these conditions. And what about saliva and those things which a
> beginner like me cannot control as good as a professional?
>
> My questions may sound trivial or ridiculous for a person who owns a
> wooden clarinet (for a long time). But I just have no expierence in
> these things. Perhaps I am over-sensitive because of the many cracking
> reports on this list. A wrong impression?
>

These are not trivial or ridiculous issues. It is essential knowledge.
With any wooden clarinet, there is always an inherent risk of cracking.
There is really no way of predicting whether an individual instrument will
crack. It seems that cold weather and dry conditions are the hardest on
clarinets.

I would recommend the following things though:

1. Always be sure to swab it out well when done playing.
2. When the instrument is cold, warm it gradually BEFORE you play on it.
3. If you live in a dry climate, try keeping one of the little humidifier
sponges in the case.
4. In very dry climates or if your home gets very dry indoors in the
winter, bore oil is helpful.

In very hot weather, the pads and corks may shift as sometimes the
adhesive may get soft. But they can be fixed so it is no big deal.

Dee Hays
deerich@-----.net
Canton, SD

   
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