Klarinet Archive - Posting 000687.txt from 1998/10

From: George Kidder <gkidder@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Tuning rings
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1998 10:03:52 -0400

Cindy wrote:

>If you are on a budget or need to find tuning rings fast, try standard rubber
>O rings from a hardware or plumbing supply store. I have purchased them as
>much as 1mm thick in a diameter that fits a Bb mouthpiece. Bring your
>mouthpiece with you to make sure you buy the right size ring for your needs.
>Although I have never used a tuning ring between joints or between lower
joint
>and bell, I suppose that could be done. I pay about 40-cents for the low-cost
>"tuning" rings. They're not fancy but they do the trick, especially when I
>play with someone who is perennially flat.

A comment and a question.

Comment: O rings, by definition, have material as broad radially as they
are thick. Therefore, they will not completely fill the gap left when the
joint is pulled out, which (I believe) is the purpose of a tuning ring. If
there is going to be a large gap at the joint anyway, why not just pull the
joint without the ring? But Cindy's idea is a good one, and it may well be
that the hardware store has some washers (broader than they are thick)
which will indeed fill the joint properly. You might look in the faucet
repair parts section - some of those washers are different. Certainly, $6
for two stainless Buffet tuning rings is a bit much.

Question: I have wondered about this one for some time. If an instrument
is sharp, clearly it needs to be lengthened, and the usual way is to pull
one of the top joints, either the one between the MP and the barrel, or the
one between the barrel and the top keyed section. (Linguistic confusion,
because the top keyed section is often called the "top joint".) I have
read somewhere that one should not pull the MP-barrel joint, but I don't
find that it bothers anything to put a tuning ring in there. (Maybe my
technique isn't good enough to notice a difference?) What do others feel
about this? And do others use a tuning ring in the middle joint (between
the two keyed sections) as well?

George

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