 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: coasten1
Date: 2004-02-02 18:48
Well, for the most part anyway. I just wanted to share my excitement of overhauling my first clarinet. My coworker played the clarinet many years ago and I found out she had her old clarinet sitting in the gargage. I like to tinker with things. I asked if she would allow me to try and get the clarinet to playing condition again, since all the corks and pads were pretty much deteriorated. The clarinet was more a student model and I really couldn't make it worse than it was.
I bought a clarinet kit from musicmedic.com which gave me the basic equipment I needed. I had to order a few extra pads since the random assortment supplied with the kit didn't meet my needs. Musicmedic also supplied a concise instruction booklet for repair which came in handy. There were a few things I didn't know and some suggestions.
Using my clarinet as a guide, I went throught the whole process of cleaning and polishing the keys, cleaning the rods and posts, seating the pads, gluing on cork and attaching the tenon corks. The only think I didn't monkey with were the springs. I don't have the proper tools to replace those and that is probably where I would do most damage to the clarinet or myself.
After 'fluffing' the pads so they seat right, I was able to make the clarinet play again. It was such a thrill. I know that there may be some tuning adjustments that need to be made with key height, but that is for another day.
I'm thinking my coworker is going to let me take the clarinet since she will never play it again. I hope that is the case. I will talk to my past clarinet teacher and see if she could use a spare clarinet for her students or if she knows someone who wants to play but cannot afford a clarinet.
What an incredible way to further enjoy music by becoming intimate with the mechanics of the instrument.
Tony
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-02-02 19:26
Congrats, Tony, you have found our [not too well kept] secret of success beyond the playing! Enjoy the satisfaction, I recall that a skilled repairer/player in Durango, CO had on his sign "Miracle Worker", its so true. It makes many beginners "stay with it" just to find out "it WAS the horn, not me". I like the "tweaking" to clean-up small problems also. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-02-02 20:13
Congratulations. Just a little food for thought:
"...there may be some tuning adjustments that need to be made with key height, but that is for another day. "
Yes there may be tuning (and or tone) problems on account of certain pads not opening enough, and this could well be because in some areas the pads are too thick, which in turn could be because of the 'fluffing' procedure.
I never use this procedure, but prefer to correct the alignment of the key cups with the tone holes, such that the surface of the pad is in the same plane as the edge of the tone hole while the pad is closed.
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Author: Henry
Date: 2004-02-02 20:47
Tony...I share your enthusiasm! I find the mechanical aspects of woodwinds extremely fascinating. Although strictly an amateur, I have not hesitated in the past to disassemble and successfully reassemble(!) my clarinet and alto sax, for a thorough cleaning, for example. It is very satisfying also to see the improvement that minor adjustments can make, after careful analysis of the situation. I have not gone as far as you have, though, and have not done any repadding on either horn. For that, and more mysterious ailments, I take them to a good tech.
By the way, I have learned a great deal from Gordon(NZ), both on this board and on saxontheweb where he is an even more active contributor. At some point, his teachings (and those of others on this board) may give me the confidence to undertake a few further steps when the need arises. In fact, the profession of instrument tech has a lot of appeal to me!
Henry
Post Edited (2004-02-02 20:56)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-02-02 22:20
Thanks for sharing that with us Tony. As I used to say, "I'm not the painter, I'm the painter's son but I'll do the painting until the painter comes." Yeh, I really used to say that.
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