 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinettefaerie
Date: 2010-04-11 03:33
I play on a Buffet R13 clarinet, manufactured approximately in 1960.
I have been having this issue for approximately a month. For the most part, it was very rare, but about a week ago, it has been much more frequent and noticeable. My throat tones F and F# are wavering a lot. When I really began noticing it while practicing, I first had a friend of mine, who is a graduate assistant, play on it. She had the same issue as me, and said I should have it looked at. I took my clarinet to an instrument repairman. He looked it over, checked to see if everything was sealing okay (which it was), and said he would replace a couple of pads, but he didn't notice anything in particular. There are, for sure, no cracks.
When I got it back, it was still having the wavering/instability issues. I took it to my graduate friend again, and she removed the register key and thumb key, took the internal rings out, and replaced the sealing wax in both.
The wavering isn't as frequent now, but it is still a problem. What's strange, is that it doesn't do it all the time. Sometimes it wavers when I first get it out and it's cold. Other times, it comes up after I've been playing for a while and sounds like water in the keys. It's very unpredictable.
I've tried playing on different mouthpieces on my clarinet, different reeds, and playing on other clarinets with my setup (Kaspar 14 mouthpiece, Vandoren V12 3 reed, Rovner Eddie Daniels II ligature), but I don't have the wavering issue with other clarinets.
Any ideas as to what is going on?
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2010-04-11 06:03
It almost sounds like a loose pad, maybe the fish skin broke away from the pad. Take a look at the E key pad, or replace it and see what happens. Interesting problem.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2010-04-11 13:07
There is not enough venting. I think that the pad below your LH index finger (operated by the ring for the middle finger) is too low. How much clearance does it have? Your repair person should give it more clearance.
It is also possible that the pad clearance is fine, but there is dirt in the holes. However, since you said that you took it to a repair person, the holes are probably (probably, but maybe not) clean.
I suspect that the high B (R T xoolooo) is also a bit stuffy or maybe the pitch is low. Also the low C might be a bit stuffy, too.
Post Edited (2010-04-11 13:10)
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Author: clarinettefaerie
Date: 2010-04-11 15:07
When I first began noticing the issue, I thought it was the E pad. While playing F, I would use my other hand to push it down and make sure that it was sealing correctly, but it didn't fix anything. I know that pad not sealing correctly would affect the throat tone E and clarion B, but neither seem to be wavering or are stuffy. I think that's why my graduate friend thought that it could have been the thumb key not sealing correctly, because that would certainly affect the F, and maybe F# too. I've been listening to all my throat tones extending down to C, and all are very stable compared to the F and F#. Tuning gets a little weird with E, but that's how it is on most clarinets I've played on.
Worst part is, I'm playing the 1st movement of the Saint-Saens Sonata (among other things) for a recital in a couple of weeks.
Nice how the Sonata begins on that throat-tone F...
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2010-04-11 19:48
Fish skin pads are perforated on the edge to allow for changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure. If there is a perforation of some sort in the face of a pad, that could cause a small, inconsistent leak. A possible quick and dirty to check for that would be to take a piece of light weight sandwich bag and pinch it under possible offending pads as you play. If you find one that improves the situation, you should replace that pad (don't overlook the G# and A keys, etc.). As mentioned above, be sure to check the venting (you could have easily bumped something) and be sure the holes are all clean.
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Author: BflatNH
Date: 2010-04-12 11:44
Does the wavering start at the beginning of your playing, or later on?
If later on, perhaps it is water between the joints or between a joint and barrel, or bell, etc. Perhaps even some water under a normally open pad, e.g. the small pad above RH1.
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Author: clarinettefaerie
Date: 2010-04-13 00:40
BartHx, thank you for your suggestion.
I mentioned your suggestion to my graduate friend, and she asked if she could take my clarinet and work on the upper and lower joints for a couple of days. She found that some of the pads were a little sunken and perforated on the upper joint. She replaced them and fixed some of the key holes, and she said it should be better. She's working on the lower joint, and she should be done with it either tomorrow or the day after. Hopefully, that will solve the problem.
In the mean time, she let me borrow her husband (my band director)'s clarinet that he doesn't use anymore... A Leblanc 1960's era L7 clarinet...
If my own clarinet is still acting up, I might go on a hunt for a Leblanc L7 clarinet, tee hee.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-04-13 00:49
The L7 is a very nice instrument. You could do much worse!
You had me going for a second there when you wrote:
"In the mean time, she let me borrow her husband"
Until I read the rest of the sentence. ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
Jeff
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Author: clarinettefaerie
Date: 2010-04-13 02:03
I know! I love how free-blowing it is. It goes from register to register with so much ease, and it's very flexible with different music. I'm not completely sure about the tone... I've never really tested Leblancs, and I'd have to compare it with my own clarinet to really see what it's like. With my Kaspar mouthpiece, it plays beautifully. I should see sometime if my band director would ever consider selling it. I have small hands, and it seems like the keywork is made for someone with smaller hands.
I looked at that after I posted last, and I wondered if anyone would think that, lol. If you really think about it, you might wonder about the age difference between a graduate student and a college band director...
So, really, it's quite funny that you said that. :D
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2010-04-13 04:53
What you describe (saxophone player usually call it burbling I think) is the most common for F# and sometimes F and possibly other notes from an embochure and/or usually a mouthpiece/reed issue, especially a problematic or wrong strength reed. I had this a few times and then with a different reed I couldn't even cause it if I tried.
If it's an issue of dirt in the tone holes then sometimes you can have sort of bird nests at the bottom of tone holes. You have to remove the keys and clean them and sometimes just regular cleaning with brushes won't really remove much.
Post Edited (2010-04-13 07:14)
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