Klarinet Archive - Posting 000826.txt from 1999/11

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Fuzzy C#
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 11:16:20 -0500

Hi Beth,

As others have mentioned, crud in the tone hole, a swollen or deformed pad, a
bent key that doesn't open enough are all reasons why the C# might sound
"furry." (Like that word. It is a good description.)

There is one other point that hasn't been mentioned. At best, the C# is not the
best note on a clarinet. Ideally, the size and placement of this tone hole would
be right in the middle of the joint where the two main sections join together.
Some clarinets have it this way. The problem is that it weakens an already weak
spot on the clarinet and having to install a cork around a hole is a bit tricky.
As you could imagine, it would be more likely to leak too, if the cork wasn't
just so.

What the makers do is move the hole higher, and so it won't be so sharp, make it
smaller. Basically, the tone hole is too high and too small to give the best
possible tone. Now, if everything else isn't at its best, this note can quickly
become a problem.

Fixing it shouldn't take a repairman much time, nor cost you a great deal of
money.

Beth G wrote:

> I'm a 9th grade student playing on a LeBlanc Normandy with a Larry Combs
> mouthpiece and a 2 1/2 vandoren reed.
> I've been playing clarinet since late 5th grade. My C sharp (the
> one with three fingers on the left hand and the pinky) sounds all furry.
> Are there any other fingerings for this note or could it be the clarinet
> that's making it sound this way?
>
> Woo, I'll be kicking off my high school marching career on Friday in the
> Christmas parade!
>
> Thanks,
> Beth
>
> I shall corkgrease the world!
>
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