Klarinet Archive - Posting 000085.txt from 2005/02

From: kurtheisig@-----.net
Subj: Re: [kl] loose barrel rings
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2005 01:47:16 -0500

Perhaps 10 years ago public television aired a show "The Music Tree" about mpingo wood.
The wood was bring harvested in the bush and when cut THE ENDS WERE NOT SEALED!!!!
At the Buffet factory one of the executives made the comment that they could not figure out why they had such a high rate of crackage.

I also remember a dinner I had with Joe Allard in 1976. We were talking about a new shipment of Buffets and how he had turned down an offer of a free one from them. They commented that his was cracked and repaired and he needed a new one. He said that his was repaired and played fine. One of his students was with us and was shocked at Joe's comment--"All clarinets will crack, someday, it is just a matter of when."

Kurt

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Sent: Feb 3, 2005 9:11 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] loose barrel rings

At 10:25 PM 2/3/2005 -0500, Rommel John Miller wrote:
>"If a clarinet wants to crack it will?"
>
>Does the wood from which the clarinet is made have a mind of its own, or
>as is more on the point, the wood of which a clarinet is made is subject
>to the harsh conditions of its environment.
>
>The point therefore is to control the environment in which the wood of the
>clarinet finds itself.
>
>And control can be accomplished with humidifiers, humistats, and good old
>organic bore oil -- namely olive oil.
>
>If properly cared for a clarinet is likely to never crack due to it being
>stressed or overtly dried-out.
>
>And the will of G-D or whatever Supreme Being you may ascribe your faith
>in, has nothing to do with whether the clarinet will crack, only poor
>maintenance.
>
>This comes from a man who has an advanced degree in Philosophy, and is
>struggling to regain his musical prowess and I make no claim to be an
>expert or authority in this matter, but rather a messenger of those who
>are --
>namely Larry Naylor.
>
>Also, a little logic and simple common sense goes a long way.

It is not at all uncommon for instruments to crack REGARDLESS of the best
of care, simply because the wood itself contains internal stresses, and
every piece of wood is different, that cannot be detected at the time of
manufacture. Sometimes they crack even before they are sold! But
otherwise relatively stable pieces of wood can be made to crack with
IMPROPER care. Although manufacturers typically recommend gentle break-in
periods, personally, I recommend playing the He** out of a clarinet right
away. That way, if it DOES crack due to a defective piece of wood, it is
still under warrantee and the affected joint will be replaced!

Bill Hausmann

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

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+------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jan 31 10:25:22 EST 2005 - end of day 10 - 103 donors |
| The 2005 Woodwind.Org Donation Drive is Underway. |
| Please visit http://secure.donax-us.com/donation for more |
| information. Help Keep the List Going! |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org
Sat Jan 29 11:56:46 EST 2005