Klarinet Archive - Posting 000030.txt from 2001/05

From: "Dee D. Hays" <deehays@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Cracking Clarinets
Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 05:18:29 -0400

----- Original Message -----
From: "Will Cicola" <clarinetguy@-----.net>
Subject: [kl] Cracking Clarinets

> As near as I can tell, this debate seems to be about what causes cracks:
> extreme temperature changes and moisture, or the stress these factors
place
> on already flawed wood. Since we have no real way of telling if and where
> the flaws are on an uncracked horn, does it really make a difference? Of
> course, if this whole arguement is only for curiosity's sake, then my
> entire post sounds pretty stupid... :)

Yes it could make a difference. The former means it can never be solved and
that one will be taking preventative measures that may be futile. i.e. you
keep it out of the cold but then bump it on the stand (just a light bump not
enough to knock it over) and the horn cracks. Flaws can be researched and
possibly corrected to some degree so that future new horns have a reduced
chance of cracking. Of course the manufacturers have to have the motivation
to do this. If it's not cost effective for them, it will never happen.

There is always the chance that someone reading the list has direct access
to one of the manufacturers. If such a person is wedded to the idea that
the root cause is temperature/humidity, the mental perception is that these
are things that we can't do much about so he/she has no reason to bring this
up to the manufacturing community. However if the discussion has succeeded
in getting him/her to consider another possibility, one that could actually
have solutions, that person now has something worth attempting to discuss
with the clarinet makers.

Also knowing the correct cause can help prevent unnecessary guilt feelings.
I.e. the person who "babies" their horn and takes all the precautionary
measures for all environmental element opens his/her case and finds a crack.
Right now this person is going to react "what did I do wrong" and believe
they overlooked something in their care routine. Now they can review their
care routine, find that they did everything right, and be able to say that
this particular horn was simply waiting to crack.

Dee Hays
Michigan

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