Klarinet Archive - Posting 000844.txt from 2004/07

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Material influence on sound...one more time
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 17:42:13 -0400

One might propose that the pads in place prior to the
installation of the cork pads (or one of the pads in place, not
likely all) was improperly seated. I don't know if this is true
or not, but only suggest that other factors besides the material
of the cork pad itself could be at fault. Human beings generally
chose the simplest solution, which by Occam's razor is probably
the right one, but every now and then, the simplest solution is
not the right one. And the fact that I cannot think of another
is no reason to conclude that you are correct or incorrect.

I've told this story before, but there was a flute player in New
York who was a brilliant repair person. He swore that he could
take an instrument alleged to be blown out and bring its original
character back. Everyone thought him to be crazy except those
who had the job done. He called it "homogenizing." And he would
never permit anyone to be there when he did his thing. So
everyone concluded that the secret thing that he did was
responsible, and that may have been the case. But before he did
his secret thing, he would tighten up that instrument to a
faretheewell. No leak could have survived his attach. Then,
when it was as tight as a drum he homogenized it. After he died
his secret was revealed. He used his wife's vibrator. No
kidding. I don't know what she was doing when he was
homogenizing but that's another story.

He did my horn and it sound great but I was convinced that there
were no leaks after he repaired it, not that his wife was in a
state of anxiety. Personally, I have always felt that instruments
go south because they develop tiny leaks. Then the player starts
to compensate for this condition without even knowing that s/he
is doing so. And the leak gets worse, and the player compensates
more and more until finally the death spiral collapses. Then
that NY repair person would fix the leak, steal his wife's
vibrator, and we credit our blessings to his wife's honrniness or
absence thereto.

Moral: sometimes it's obvious and sometimes it's obvious, while
other times it's obvious. (Aespo's Fables)

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Christy Erickson [mailto:perickso@-----.net]
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 2:21 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: RE: [kl] Material influence on sound...one more time

>
> Why do you assume that the pads alone are the source of the
"difference"?
> There are a LOT of differences between an R13 and a Noblet.
>
> Forest Aten

Forest, True enough, but the fact is that my Buffets didn't sound
as good
before the cork pads were installed either, so I guess that's the
reference
point that I have from personal experience from which to jump to
that
conclusion. So, do the cork pads really make a difference or is
there some
other factor? My R-13 had been overhauled several times previous
to the
installation of the cork pads, and I know there was definitely an
improvement with the more recent overhaul I had done on it.
Christy
>

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