Klarinet Archive - Posting 000061.txt from 1998/01

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: cleaning mouthpieces
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 1998 03:50:32 -0500

On Tue, 30 Dec 1997, Dee Hays wrote:

> Washing the mouthpiece a couple of times a week with room
> temperature water and soap should keep it clean. Of course this assumes that
> you swab it out after each and every use.

I was surprised that nobody responded to this. Maybe it is meant as
a joke and I'm the only one who doesn't realize it? Swabbing out a
hard rubber mouthpiece after every use is a good way to gradually make
a new mouthpiece for yourself. The friction, even with a silk swab,
will slowly erode the inner chamber of the mouthpiece and alter the
geometrical qualities which afforded the mouthpiece its acoustical
identity in the first place. The danger is that the changes which
occur will go unnoticed by the player, because the changes are
gradual and it is impossible for the player to recognize that the
sound and response are being altered infinitesimally each time a swab
is drawn through the chamber. After a year or two of daily swabbing,
the inner dimensions are no longer the same. It's best to keep swabbing
to a minimum, i.e.; once a month, if even that frequently, and never
draw a cloth swab all the way through.