Klarinet Archive - Posting 000552.txt from 1999/07

From: "Dodgshun family" <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subj: Re: [kl] re: mail order - local store policy repairs
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 17:57:09 -0400

> >While I think there is a place and a need for band directors to learn
some
> >musical instrument repair, I strongly feel that the major emphasis should
be
> >placed on preventative medicine. A secondary effort should be made to
> learn how
> >to detect and diagnose problems.
> >
> Excellent point! Except in an emergency, that is all that is really
> needed. Actually, all PLAYERS should develop some diagnostic ability,
even
> if they do not dare twist a screwdriver. At least it will save them the
> hassle of trying to discover what is wrong with their technique, setup,
> etc., when the problem was a leaking pad all along!

I am constantly surprised by the number of players I come across (at my
level, which is youth orchestra) who can be completely at sea when the
smallest thing happens to their instrument. I'm capable of finding leaks
and doing minor adjustments if something doesn't feel right, but many of the
other people I play with can't - I had to fix the Eb clarinet for our
principal when she couldn't get a note out of it due to some bad screw
tensioning. I am lucky to have a musical father with a sound mechanical
knowledge, so if anything serious is wrong, it can usually be correctly
fixed for me, and I've learnt the right way to do small things myself. I
have to admit being thrown when the neck on my alto sax became immovable,
but a trumpet playing friend was able to come to my rescue with some slide
grease on that one......right now all my instruments are fine, but I've
managed to put myself out of action by wrenching my right thumb further back
than thumbs are designed to go in a bad snowboarding fall. Due to the
strapping applied by the same trumpet player who fixed my sax, the swelling
and bruising are down, but it's still pretty stiff. Not being able to play
is a slight problem, especially as I have two new pieces to look at. Moral:
always wear wrist guards when you snowboard (principal horn in the youth
orchestra broke his wrist snowboarding while we were on tour, but could
still play as it was his right wrist.....) or be prepared to suffer the
consequences.

Anna

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