 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jessica
Date: 2000-12-03 00:45
heya people, I'm new here...
I'm a junior, 17, and have been playing the instrument of the gods (a.k.a clarinet) for six years. About six months ago, I finally got a "real" clarinet (E-13)...before I had played on a plastic Olds, a company I have never heard of anywhere. Of course I sound 300 trillion times better on my E-13, but it has some quirks, and I don't know if it's me or the clarinet...
1. Certain notes sound very clear and resonant, while others sound airy and thin, even notes that are right next to each other. Ex-low E sounds good; low F&G bad;low A, B,&Bb good. I'm beginning to wonder if the problem is with the pads?
2. Low D sounds a little wavery-not airy, just like it can't quite set in.
3. When I play the very high notes, I have to come back a lot in order for them to come out, something I never had to do on my plastic clarinet. This makes it incredibly difficult to play above mezzopiano, and I have to do that pretty often, since I'm 2nd chair top band.
I have to admit that I bought this instrument without trying any others first, just like I did with my mouthpiece (B45). Do I just need to get it overhauled? Any help would be appreciated.
*jEsSiCa*
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Author: Fred
Date: 2000-12-03 02:31
Don't jump to the conclusion that you need an overhaul. It may just need to be adjusted. That's not uncommon . . . even (sometimes especially) for new horns.
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Author: mw
Date: 2000-12-03 04:42
Fred is absolutely correct.
Have you discussed this with your private or public school teacher? They should be your first "port of call". If you don't have a private teacher and/or your public school teacher doesn't take the lead, then by all means call & make an appointment with a knowledgable repair tech in your area.
Make sure you have a tuner available, although the repair person, no doubt, should have one, too. Explain to the repair person what is on your mind. He/She will be happy to listen, its even possible that they can spot a problem just by looking at the horn or seeing/listening to you play it.
Of course, I have never heard a clarinet which was perfect. so yours probably isn't perfect either.
Best of luck & congratulations on your success with your clarinet!
mw
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2000-12-03 09:18
In my experience almost every new clarinet needs adjusting. Fuzzy note problems are most likely solved by increasing the venting (key opening) of the problem areas. (You will find there is no problem with the notes where the first open hole is a ringed tone hole with plenty venting) Of course this needs to be done by a tech who PLAYS the clarinet and therefore understands the expectations of a clarinetist. Other common problemms on new instruments include rings too high above the timber, the lowest and third lowest pads closing tight at the fron but not at the back, and the same problem with the pads associated with RH first finger and LH first and middle fingers. Also the throat Bb is often fuzzy and can be cured with a very thick cork pad (but plenty venting) made into a decapitated cone shape so that the air can vibrate in and out with less turbulence created around the edge of the pad.
Good luck in finding finding a good tech. Your problems with high notes is more likely a matter of getting used to the instrument. It may be a matter of getting OUT of habits you had to develop to make the Olds one work!
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Author: john gibson
Date: 2000-12-03 16:11
I'm having the same trouble with my R-13. Intermittent good sound and bad.
crossing the bridge is sometimes easy, other times I physically have to stop and start at the point the note won't play. Adjustment? Oh, the horn was made in '67.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2000-12-03 18:41
It's a shame, really . . . When we were just learning to play, crossing the bridge was such a hurdle. No one ever told us that getting the B-natural to speak easily depended on a horn that was really in good adjustment. John, get that '67 R-13 (must be a cousin of my 87XXX) to a tech who can breathe life back into that B-natural.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-12-04 17:55
Jessica -
There's an easy way to tell whether the problems is the clarinet or you -- try another instrument. One of your fellow band members should have a Buffet. Just switch mouthpieces and try.
If the other instrument plays evenly, it may be that you have some leaky pads. Take just the upper joint, put your left hand fingers on the holes and block the bore against your the heel of your right hand and suck on the upper end. Then take the lower joint, put your right hand fingers on the holes and the low E key and do the same test. If the joint won't hold a vacuum, you need to have the pads checked at a repair shop.
The unevenness you describe is unusual. Low F, G and A are usually good notes. A repair shop will be able to tell whether some of the tone holds have gotten partly blocked, which is what it sounds like.
Good luck.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Jen
Date: 2000-12-04 22:07
I used to have the same problem a little while ago, and my private teacher told me to support my air and not to breath from my chest. It took a little while getting used to, but I discovered that it really improved my sound and made those airy sounds more full and in tune.
It could be your clarinet but im not really sure. You should try a Buffet B-13 or E-11
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Author: Fred
Date: 2000-12-04 23:52
I agree with Ken about checking the joints for leaks. However, I also like to adopt a weird fingering position on the lower joint utilizing middle, ring, and little finger for the holes, leaving the index finger to close the B/E key meant to be operated with the left hand. I have found that the B/E right hand key will cause the pad to seal even when the B/E left hand key won't. Call me paranoid . . .
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2000-12-05 11:43
Fred you are not paranoid. Maladjustment of the seating of these pads or with linkages almost always shows up as you describe, especially if there is any sloppiness in the pivots.. It is to do with the mechanics of the key set up.
1. When you press the RH E/B key there is a solid linkage to the F/C pad but often quite a flexible linkage through the long rod to the E/B pad. Therefore the F/C pad gets more pressure, therefore more compression with use. So with use the F/C pad seals worse than the E/B pad when playing E/B.
Now, accepting this is the condition of maladjustment, 4 phenomena come into play:
1. When you use your left hand, because you are pushing the E/B 'key' (as opposed to the 'lever' that your finger is touching) UP, there is a slight tendency for flexing of the E/B spatular in a concave manner, so less pressure is transferred to the F/C crowsfoot than when you apply more direct pressure to the spatular with your right hand. Therefore the maladjustment shows up more.
2. Now assume the E/B pivot is 'sloppy'. When you use your RH you push the key down against the pivot screw. This extra travel transfers more pressure to the F/C key, which you want, to compensate for the maladjustment. When you use your LH you actually push the E/B key UP against the pivot screw. This means less travel transferred to the F/C pad, hence an enhanced leak.
3. Using the left hand involves applying pressure to an extra pivot (the E/B LEVER's one) and also to a linkage (to the E/B KEY) which is rather high in friction
All this extra friction with the left hand fingering means that there is less pressure transferred to the pads.
4. The leverage is usually greater anyway for the RH (ie distance from the end of the E/B key's spatular to the pivot axis) than for the left hand (basically the distance from the pivot axis to the link with the E/B lever) so more pressure is exerted on both pads using RH, which again compensates for maladjustment.
Another very common form of maladjustment is as follows: The 'outside' of the pad (ie furthest from the pivot) TRAVELS further than the 'inside'. Therefore the outside gets crushed more, and perhaps does not 'recover' as well as the inside. In time the outside leaks while the inside still closes firmly. Items 3 and 4 above show that more pressure is transferred to both the pads when using the RH. Therefore, with this extra pressure, the RH fiingering is more likely to overcome this maladjustment.
Several other factors may also be significant.
The significance of each of these phenomena will vary from instrumeny to instrument.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2000-12-05 11:58
|Jessica & Ken:
Even if you do the leak test and it is successful there could still be leaks if the bridge key joining the two clarinet sections is bent or maladjusted. In this case when you play any of the low ring keys the associated pad may be prevented from closing properly, and leak. Jessica you can check for this condition by turning the lower section so that the bridge key no longer connects. It will be awkward to play but good diagnostically but only for this particular condition.
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