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Sweaty Hands on Bass

Author: Gardini
Date: 2005-01-25 20:04

Is it totally uncool to put some tape or pads on bass clarint keys? My hands are always wet and my fingers tend to slip on the keys while attempting to play fast passages. It is especially bad with excited nerves and lights during a performance.

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Re: Sweaty Hands on Bass

Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-01-25 20:13

May I suggest a thin coat of clear nail polish (or "Hard as Nails") or similar lacquer-type coating (even a thin coat of clear epoxy) applied to the touch areas of the keys --- this will provide just enough roughness over the nickel plating. I would not recommend tape or pads --- too sticky, and prone to come off at inopportune moments.

My own bass clarinet (a 1950s Kohlert - Winnenden, Germany) has the concave-type key cups (a la Selmer) which I dislike --- I prefer flat keys (a la Leblanc) --- so I have filled the concavities with clear epoxy, just enough to be level with the rims of the cups. Look and feel very much like the mother-or-pearl keys on saxophones, with just the right amount of friction.

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