Klarinet Archive - Posting 000184.txt from 2011/08

From: "Forest Aten" <forestaten@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Rant against a trend in pad work
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:59:27 -0400

Clark's post is interesting in several respects.

1. his observations and comment/opinion about the use of synthetic pads
2. his observation and comment regarding the lack of top quality repair work/general

But....there are several intriguing comments in Clark's post that make the things even more interesting.

I'll start with, "A good pad job should be quiet, have a soft feel and look CLEAN".

I'll start with "quiet and have a soft feel"....

Most of us who have played professionally....and I'll also bet almost all of the top clarinet repair experts, have
experience with cork pad use on the upper joint of the clarinet. There are real advantages. Those advantages are all
related to the problems with condensation in that top joint. Cork doesn't suffer the effects of water like felt pads so
cork pads are going to last much, much longer. They also offer up a much better water management solution/resolution
when water in tone holes becomes a problem during performance.
BUT...one thing a cork pad isn't....is quiet, especially when compared to a viton covered synthetic pad. In addition,
the viton covered, foam synthetic pad will for certain "feel softer" than cork.
The bottom joint pads have a greater diameter than the pads up top. Even the flattest, stiffest felt pad will have a
"softer" surface than a synthetic pad. This may be where Clark wants and gets the "soft feel" he describes as desirable.
I've found that any synthetic pad larger than about 20mm is going to "slap" the tone hole hard enough to be distracting.
Smaller than that....I have no problem with the "noise" or feel. There will always be some "noise" when key work is
being used on traditional woodwind instruments. In my experience, I've found my synthetic pad clarinets to be as quiet
as traditionally padded clarinets, this especially when compared to instruments with cork upper pads installed.

The finished work done by a fine repair person should always be "clean". It really doesn't matter if felt, cork or
synthetics are used. I'm pretty sure that Clark, like most fine repair techs...get very tired of clarinets coming in the
door for repair with previous work that's clearly inferior. It appears that he's seen more clarinets repaired poorly
having synthetic pads installed. I'm pretty sure that's not the pads fault. :-) Clark's work is truly like art. Anyone
having work done by Clark will appreciate his keen eye and standard of work.

Now...the way pads work....

This is pretty complicated stuff and there will always be a great big dose of personal preference involved in deciding
what kind of pad to use on a clarinet. (your clarinet)

First I'll say that I haven't experienced the problems Clark has observed with the synthetic pad clarinets he's worked
on and/or observed. i.e. no creep, no voids, no movement in adhesive. I know his opinion has to be based on clarinets
that have had really bad work done on them...which is a big part of his "rant". My experience with synthetics tell me
that these pads can be installed cleanly and perform flawlessly for many years.

Physics of the sound wave vs air (fluid) moving over the pad....

Something that worried me a bit was Clarks concern about "sharp edges" on the synthetic pads. There's no doubt that the
more acute angles will produce more air turbulence...but in my experience and study, with the low velocity that the
air/fluid travels in the clarinet bore, the advection through that turbulence would have little to no (negligible)
effect on the sound/sound wave...(even as the sound wave passed through the air turbulence over the pad). Perhaps that
sharp edge creates an additional sound related to the turbulence itself (sound of air moving though a space/any
space)....but that sound would be independent of the wave generated by the mouthpiece/reed. Clark notes that in an
effort to reduce/remove the extra "noise" he feels he has to raise the pad...which then results in a sharper note than
is acceptable from the tone hole. (my pad elevation is correctly adjusted for pitch) I haven't noticed this additional
noise on my synthetic padded clarinets. That's not to say it's absent..it's just that at whatever level present, it's
not something that distracts or detracts from my sound or is more noticeable than on a felt pad installation. Both types
of clarinet pad systems will generate "sound" as the air exits the tone hole and passes over the surface of the pad. A
player may like one sound over another....or dislike one sound more than another. There's no "right or wrong"
here....just personal preference. The differences are small but to some they can be a very big and important deal. I
have a ton of respect for Clark's opinion and his observations and comments are greatly appreciated. I suspect that if
Clark and I were to work in an orchestra together....neither of us would know one way or the other what kind of pads the
other was using on their clarinets...unless we asked. :-)

There are other considerations about the material usage. As the wave travels out of the tone hole and over the pad, the
wave will be reflected back off the surface of the pad. There will also be to some small degree absorption of sound
dependent on the porosity and/or texture of the pad surface. On clarinets with cork upper joints, there won't be much
difference in sound between the cork vs. the synthetic pad. On the lower joint though, the felt pads are more porous and
certainly rougher. That's going to lead to more absorption and what goes along with that. The felt pad will be less
reflective than the synthetic pad. Dan Leeson won't like it...but many people might say the synthetic pad produces a
"brighter" sound. (not me Dan...NOT ME!) I personally like the fact that the sound coming from my bottom and top joints
sound more similar. The sound comes off of each pad in a similar way.

.....Then there's the seat in the pad itself. If properly installed, the seat in a synthetic will only be deep enough to
do the job of sealing the tone hole when the pad is closed. A good repair tech can make a huge difference in the way the
clarinet responds by taking the time to get this right. Clark's and Keith's observations about having key work adjusted
correctly is critical. The synthetic pad seat and its relationship to the tone hole edge is very precise and very
critical. That's why these pads seat so well. If key work is loose, things aren't going to work so well. If the clarinet
is set up properly....synthetic pads or not....it's going to play better. This is especially true with synthetic pads.
The legato connections on a well set synthetic clarinet are very, very hard to beat, partly because the pads seal very
tightly when closing and as pads are opened, the shallow seats in the pads allows for very smooth connections.

Just some thoughts...

Forest

> I so rarely post to the Klarinet any more, but I have been seeing a disturbing trend in clarinet
> repair that I want to address. This is the use of synthetic pads for ALL pads on the clarinet.
>
> I want to say first that I am not against the use of synthetic pads entirely- they have a use,
> particularly in the upper joint pads of the bass clarinet. They are probably a good idea for student
> instruments that receive a lot of abuse. But for professional level clarinets I only use them in two
> places: the Ab/Eb pad on the lower joint and the F# ring key pad on the upper joint (opens over the
> throat G tone hole). Synthetic pads are not a good choice for pads that are sprung open.
>
> Here are several reasons. Once synthetic pads are seated they have almost no give at all. In the case
> of the long E/B of the lower joint, this can cause leaks unless the mechanism has absolutely no play
> and the F/C and E/B pads are in perfect synch. Because synthetic pads have almost no "give" or
> "cushion" they slap the tone hole and it is virtually impossible to make a good legato when slurring
> from G/D to E/B. The very crisp edge of the pads create turbulence and noise unless the pad is
> adjusted very high from the tone hole, which changes the pitch (towards sharpness) and creates too
> much distance for facile playing. And finally, most of the synthetic pads I have seen do not have a
> stiff backing, consequently the pad cup must be filled with glue completely (that technique seems to
> escape most repair men) other wise the synthetic pad will eventually creep up into any gaps in the
> glue and will eventually leak.
>
> A good pad job should be quiet, have a soft feel and look CLEAN.
>
> I understand the trend. Synthetic pads are much easier to install than traditional pads and do not
> require the skill or the sensitivity required to "float" a skin or leather pad and the job can be done
> faster.
>
> I am distressed at the lack of artist level repair work in general. I hope that players will start
> looking more carefully at the work they are paying for and demand a higher standard.
>
> Clark W Fobes

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