Klarinet Archive - Posting 000788.txt from 1999/06

From: GTGallant@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Clarinet Bore changing with use - hence BLOW OUT
Date: Sat, 26 Jun 1999 21:46:34 -0400

In a message dated 99-06-26 20:22:12 EDT, you write:

<< You can run a flap hone with 400 grit paper at 1,000 RPM for 60 seconds in
the bore of a clarinet joint and not be able to measure a diameter
increase. [You will, however, make it nice and shiny.] How a cloth swab
could ever enlarge a clarinet bore is beyond me.

I honestly think somebody is full of it.
>>

Yes!!!!!!!!!! About time somebody made sense of this "swab wears
bore/mouthpiece out" nonsense! It is absolutely absurd to think a cotton
swab could effectively wear away a measurable amount of material - and
contribute to "blowout". Blowout is nothing more than a clarinet legend
passed on among certain teachers. It's amazing how many people blindly agree
with strange, untrue ideas and never question why.

This is not to say that the bore of a wood clarinet cannot change - due to
shrinking/expanding - and have an adverse affect on playability. But...
judging by the species used in modern clarinets (grenadilla, rosewood,
cocobolo) it is highly unlikely any bore change would be drastic enough to
matter. More clarinet "experts" apparently need to read more about wood
technology and stop believing in such myths. Clarinet wood is not magic or
sacred, nor does it adhere to it's own set of scientific analysis.
Grenidilla logs cannot tell if they are a carved totem pole or a musical
instument... I think!

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