 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: FredR
Date: 2025-03-20 21:02
After 30 years of playing, I'm having an intermittent problem that is becoming more prevalent. My ring finger makes the slightest contact with the F#/B alternate key, and it breaks the pad seal . I lose notes from D5 to B4. I play a Bakun Q which I purchased 3 years ago and just had serviced. Previously I played a Leblanc and I think it first started, to a slight degree, after an overhaul and upgraded pads. I tested my theory with a rubber band around the pad cup and it works. I also have repositioned my thumb rest which helped but not solved.
Is there a technical solution for my problem, key position, different spring or pad?
Thanks for any advice
Fred
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2025-03-20 22:54
The most permanent (and irreversable) fix would be to have the key shaved.
You may want to experiment with different thumb rests. When I used the "Thumb Saddle", it did not help and I finally got a more standard thumb rest cushion that solved my issue.
You may also want to check out the Ton Kooiman thumb rest as well.
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Vandoren BD5 HD 13-series mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren #4 Blue-box reeds
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Author: kdk
Date: 2025-03-20 22:56
The best technical solution is to sit down with your repair tech and show him what's happening. Then let him suggest solutions.
In general the "sliver" keys (RH alt B-F# and LH alt Eb-Bb) keys can be moved out of the way either by simply bending them away from the finger that's hitting them or by thinning the key. Sometimes the keys can be shortened a little so they're less in the way but still accessible.
Your tech will be able to see what's happening in a way that you can't.
Karl
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2025-03-21 03:38
I'll just toss out the idea of re-training your finger position. I recently found a similar issue where my fingers at rest on my right hand (during OPEN notes) started to tend toward settling back down on one or two of the lower joint open holes. That went on for several weeks until I made a concerted effort to hold my fingers UP (at least further away than where they feel like sitting right now). After a week of the "re-training" my fingers stayed away from the tone holes.
For me that's the easiest solution of all rather than changing something mechanical on the horn.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: Burt
Date: 2025-03-21 17:00
Due to a hand problem, I had the same problem with the LEFT sliver key. After many attempts to solve the problem, I finally put a cork under the key to prevent it from opening. Loss of this key is not nearly so bad as loss of the RIGHT sliver key, but you may be able to compensate.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2025-03-21 19:37
Retraining the hand might be the ideal, perfect solution but personally I think that shaping the offending sliver key offers the most practical solution. It's not a difficult process, and if you don't have the skills or confidence to do it yourself then any competent tech should be able to resolve the problem in a few minutes.
Tony F.
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Author: donald
Date: 2025-03-22 14:31
Every year I have at least 1 or 2 students where I will need to bend one of the sliver (banana) keys to allow more room for a finger. Usually on a poorly set up student rental instrument but it's not unheard of to have to do this on more expensive instruments.
One thing that is not well understood is that the clarinet is actually designed so that the left hand fingers should be pointed "downward" slightly (not approaching the clarinet from a right angle but pointing "down the instrument"). One way to find the best hand position is to actually pretend your clarinet is a flute- most people find that if they hold the clarinet as if it were a flute (imagine the barrel is the head joint) your hand will naturally fall into an ideal position.
You think I'm mad? Try it.
When your left hand is in this "pointed down" position the 3rd finger is less likely to hit the Left hand sliver/banana key, your thumb is in a good space for doing what it has to do (the most complex finger actions of any digit) and your left hand little finger is in an ideal space for reaching the 4 or 5 keys IT has to operate.
As Paul writes, you may find it's preferable to change your hand/finger position.
btw I didn't think this up myself, but you can't ask Stanley Hasty or Dave Etheridge about it as they have both passed on.
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Author: m1964
Date: 2025-03-23 00:52
donald wrote:
> ... When your left hand is in this "pointed down" position the 3rd
> finger is less likely to hit the Left hand sliver/banana key,
> your thumb is in a good space for doing what it has to do (the
> most complex finger actions of any digit) and your left hand
> little finger is in an ideal space for reaching the 4 or 5 keys
> IT has to operate.
> As Paul writes, you may find it's preferable to change your
> hand/finger position....
I think the OP has problems with the right hand.
Sometimes, moving/bending a key by 1mm is all that is need to fix the problem.
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Author: donald
Date: 2025-03-23 15:40
Ooops, yes you're correct, the right hand (I just saw "ring finger" and immediately thought wedding ring- on the left, though I suppose that might be different in different parts of the world too).
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Author: crazyclari
Date: 2025-03-24 10:32
I would agree with Donald. It helps as he says in a different way to roll your knuckles towards your nose. This should lay index finger distal joint over the A key, pointing your fingers down to not quite 30 degrees with your thumb pointing up not quite 45 degrees.
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Author: MarkW61
Date: 2025-03-24 14:59
As someone has already mentioned perhaps a small alteration to the key would help. Has the key developed any sloppiness that would mean you are now catching it?
This isn't related particularly to your problem but I remember trying a pair of Eaton international clarinets and I kept catching that same key, when I tried his Elite model there was no problem. This probably had more to do with the Elite being a wide bore instrument but I had never had issues on Buffet clarinets.
I have an issue where I am not placing my right hand pinky finger correctly and am having to consider retraining myself to play again, this was totally my fault as I broke my finger playing football(soccer), proving that contact sports and being a musician is not a good idea!
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Author: crazyclari
Date: 2025-03-25 10:08
Usually I also move up the end of the G# key a mm or two. On the Eb D I do the same and move the tip away from the clarinet a mm or 2
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Author: m1964
Date: 2025-03-26 20:21
crazyclari wrote:
> Usually I also move up the end of the G# key a mm or two.
TheG# throat or C#/G# (lt. pinky) ?
I know a very good tech who on R13s routinely moves left hand banana key away from the middle tone hole because on the older R13s it is easy to hit the left middle finger when pressing the banana key
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2025-03-27 12:34
Because I have square spatulate fingers, I routinely do this to the sliver keys on all my clarinets.
Tony F.
Post Edited (2025-03-27 17:04)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2025-03-28 00:02
Author: kdk
Date: 2025-03-28 00:01
Paul Aviles wrote:
> I'll just toss out the idea of re-training your finger
> position....
>
> For me that's the easiest solution of all rather than changing
> something mechanical on the horn.
>
I would only counter that whether instruments' keys are laid out to fit the designer's hands or some composite/average hand, they can't be designed to fit every player's hands. And players' hands change with time and age. I think that a small mechanical adjustment to the keywork - e.g. bending or thinning a sliver key slightly - is far less disruptive to the player than trying to consciously change something in the hand position. I'm not advocating building key extensions or moving pivot posts and keys as a first resort, but if bending a sliver key out of the way produces an immediate benefit, that seems like a win with little or no cost.
Karl
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2025-03-28 17:44
I tend toward Paul's recommendation to retrain or adapt or improve oneself as a general solution to technical difficulties. It sort of extends to equipment dealings in general. Not that I'll forgo mechanical adjustments to or changes of equipment altogether, but I those tend to be infrequent with me. Others tend more in the other direction, and that's interesting.
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Author: m1964
Date: 2025-03-28 18:48
Philip Caron wrote:
> I tend toward Paul's recommendation to retrain or adapt or
> improve oneself as a general solution to technical
> difficulties. It sort of extends to equipment dealings in
> general. Not that I'll forgo mechanical adjustments to or
> changes of equipment altogether, but I those tend to be
> infrequent with me. Others tend more in the other direction,
> and that's interesting.
Except for the fact that is much more difficult (at least for me) to retrain my fingers than moving some keys.
However, there are keys that cannot be moved, at least not easily, and re-training fingers is the only option.
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Author: crazyclari
Date: 2025-03-29 06:03
Yep I do the same on both sliver keys. If I went to good anthropometric design principles . The design should consider and be suited to the 5to 95 percentile. My hands are at about the 95 percentile. I doubt there are any real design principles despite claima by manufacturers 😬
Simply many designs end up cramped.
Post Edited (2025-04-01 08:47)
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