Klarinet Archive - Posting 000361.txt from 2006/03

From: "Bruce M" <bmcgar@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Rossi quality flaw
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 20:55:13 -0500

Tony Pay wrote:

>What I want to ask is, are you talking about the RH trill keys? Is the key
>whose spring (?) fell off, the one above the RH Eb/Bb side key? If so, was
>it because the spring was damaged, or because the screw was loose (and then
>perhaps lost, or not) -- or what?

Yes, the next one above the RH Eb/Bb side key. The RH side keys used in
playing alternate F# and C# in combination with the first key of the four.
The second from the bell end of the group of four. Brymer designated this
"first finger 5c" on page 97 of the softcover edition of the Menuhin Music
Guide for the clarinet.

This is going to be hard to describe, but I'll give it a shot:

Unlike what I've seen on other clarinets, the spring is a needle spring (not
a leaf spring) set into the body of the clarinet (not on the key itself)
perpendicular to the long axis of the key. The key has a boss (or "nib," or
"protrubrance") on the underside that acts as the lever arm, tiny though it
is.

Think of a cross with one long arm. The long arm is the key, the short arm
is the needle spring. Beneath the axis is this small boss which is grooved
to hold the spring, and set in such a way that the spring provides tension
to keep the key closed.

What happened is that this little boss broke off. Whether it is soldered on
to the key or part of the rest of the key when it was molded is unclear to
me. My guess is that it was part of the key, not soldered on, because it's
so small, because the area exposed when it came off is rough, and because it
just plain doesn't look like a soldering job.

A picture, would be worth all these words, but...

Hope this helps.

B.

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