Klarinet Archive - Posting 000383.txt from 2001/02

From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Swabbing
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 11:28:36 -0500

Now, Jonathan, watch what turbulence your question will have stirred up!
Since my answer is directly counter to all you've gotten so far, I can't let
the others go totally unchallenged. So---onward to battle!

I pull the swab from the bell toward the barrel. Without the mouthpiece,
which I wipe out separately (that has started a number of arguments on its
own around here). First, the bell makes a much larger target into which to
drop the weight at the end of the swab's string (or ribbon). Second, the
swab will drop all the way into the bell, allowing more of the string to
come out of the other end for me to grab. Many of the cheap swabs that come
with student clarinets won't even reach beyond the top of the bell if
dropped in from the barrel end. Third, when I swab from the bell to the
barrel, I'm moving the water back where it came from and out, not moving it
down the bore to moisten places that may have been dry to begin with.
Fourth, any undercutting of the tone holes (on a pro-level instrument) is
more likely to have been done on the top side of the hole, leaving more
sharp edges on the bottom (bell) sides of the holes. Dragging water and dirt
toward those edges is more likely to leave deposits there than dragging
toward the more tapered side of an undercut tone hole.

And finally, the answer to your question is that there isn't one. Ask enough
experienced players and you'll get all kinds of answers and reasons to back
them up. This is one case in which you can safely do what seems to work best
for you and to heck with everyone else. Try it both ways. Then _you_ decide.

Karl Krelove.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: William Wright [mailto:Bilwright@-----.net]
> Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2001 9:41 AM
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: Re: [kl] Swabbing
>
>
> <><> Jonathan King wrote:
> When swabbing, is it better to pull the swab from bottom to top or the
> other way around?
>
> From the mouthpiece (which has the smaller diameter) towards the
> bell (which has the larger diameter) because this avoids the possibility
> of getting the swab jammed inside the instrument.
>
> Cheers,
> Bill
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
> Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
> Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
> Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org
>
>
>

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org