Klarinet Archive - Posting 000039.txt from 1998/01

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Moisture in the clarinet pads
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 1998 10:03:24 -0500

On Fri, 2 Jan 1998, Rgoren wrote:

> Is the difference in temperature the explanation?

I expect the answer to this to be "yes", in combination with
levels of humidity in the playing environment, but I can't offer
a more detailed scientific explanation. Hopefully somebody else
will provide that definitive information.

> How can one prevent such a recurring problem while playing?

There are two ways. One, the more obvious, is simply to swab out
your instrument frequently enough during rests in the music to prevent
the moisture from condensing to such a degree. The frequency with
which you need to swab out depends on the temperature and humidity
of the playing environment. If water accumulates in a tonehole at
any given point during a rehearsal or performance, the only reliable
way of eliminating the problem is, first, to blow the moisture out
of the whole, immediately swab out the instrument, and then continue
to swab out the instrument thereafter at a small enough interval of
time to prevent the moisture from building up again. Using some-
thing like cigarette paper to soak up the moisture is also fine,
and many players use that technique after blowing out the bulk of
the moisture from the hole. Whether you blow the moisture out of
the tonehole or soak it up with paper, you still need to swab out,
or the problem will continue to recur.

The second way of preventing moisture from accumulating in a tone-
hole is to have the bore of your clarinet "painted" by a competent
repair technician. What does (s)he use? Is it simply bore oil?
Hopefully somebody else on the list knows with certainty. Whatever
the substance is, its composition is such that water does not adhere
to it. Thus, wherever the substance is deposited on the bore of the
instrument, accumulated drops of moisture can not flow on or across it.
If a repairman were to apply this substance along the circumference of
the inside of a tonehole, moisture would flow past the tonehole and
continue down the length of the instrument without building up or
causing the unhappy gurgling sound.

> I had been told
> that key pads made of certain materials are better to prevent the retention of
> liquid than others? Is this true? If so, which materials are better?

Some people might suggest that cork pads are better than bladder pads
for preventing the retention of moisture in a tonehole, but I imagine
the truth of the matter is that pad material is irrelevant to the issue.
Moisture is going to accumulate in toneholes regardless of what is
covering that hole. Many people have cork pads placed on all of the
cups which are attached to their trill keys, yet the trill keys con-
tinue to be the main culprit in water build-up. The material of which
the pad is made only affects the longevity of the pad's life, and the
effectiveness to which the pad seals over the tonehole without leaking.

> Since they are professionals, I wonder whether there is something wrong with
> using the paper to absorb the liquid?

Nope, and the practice is quite common among professional players. You
simply haven't seen enough of them using the paper to know that you're
in good company.

Neil