Klarinet Archive - Posting 000330.txt from 2003/02

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Bass clarinet question - felts
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 19:40:48 -0500

At 10:52 AM 2/10/2003 -0500, Walter Grabner wrote:
>If you have ever played a bass clarinet, you will notice that the fingers
>of the left hand press down keys that activate another set of keys under
>them. This is necessary because the distance between the tone hole, and
>the size of the tone holes are both too large, even for the biggest set of
>human hands.
>
>Between the "touch pieces" that the fingers actually contact, and the keys
>below, which have the pad cups and pads, you often find felt spacers.
>
>On my own bass clarinet I have replaced these with cork for two reasons:
>
>1. I can adjust the cork thickness almost infinitely. I cannot adjust the
>felt.
>
>2. The felt, over time, had compressed so that pads not under direct
>finger pressure where not sealing perfectly.
>
>My question is, is there a reason that felt was originally used by the
>manufacturer (Buffet)? Is there something I am missing out on here? It
>seems to me that the cork is a much better solution.
>
>Anybody? Clark?

I suspect that the tradeoff is for quietness of the mechanism. Although
cork probably compresses less than felt, it can be a bit noisier.

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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