Klarinet Archive - Posting 000082.txt from 1998/02

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fredj@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: plating and mouthplates
Date: Sun, 1 Feb 1998 14:29:28 -0500

See below...

Fred Jacobowitz
Clarinet/Sax Instructor, Peabody Preparatory

On Sun, 1 Feb 1998, Edinger/Gilman wrote:
> enough to affect performance. Esthetics is of some interest too. Any
> opinions on this? Can we take off just a few keys and have them
> replated? Replaced?

The keys will not corrode so much that they break, if that's what
you're worried about. It waould take decades of hard use to wear out the
metal that much. The plating is there to protect the metal from various
things and also to protect skin from whatever might be in the metal and
to make the surface of the metal smoother and more comfortable. With
that in mind, you might want to replate the keys if there is a comfort
factor involved. And yes, a repairman can just take the keys off and
replate them.

>
> One other thing: The first chair clarinet in our community and, a music
> teacher, seems to be wearing a stainless steel "mouthpiece" over his
> front upper teeth when he plays. At first it looked like he was

Sounds like what I use. I have a problem with my bottom teeth (on
which the instrument rests) being pushed backwards at an angle from the
pressure of playing. So I have
a plastic retainer which I use when I play. I'll be that this clarinetist
plays double-lip and has the same problem with his top teeth.

- Fred