 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Roys_toys
Date: 2015-09-26 14:36
Hi
I have 5 wood clarinets .. I play the R13 all the time and aim to have a practice day on each of the others at monthly or so intervals to prevent them needing playing in if I let it go too long. But I often forget about my Eb. I also play Tenor, Soprano Saxes and Bass Clarinet (fortunately hard rubber !), so a usage routine is quite time consuming.
But I notice many people here have loads of wood clarinets, which would make this difficult to organise if they worry about it.
I have had no problems with cracks with the clarinets but I did go through some tough times c 10 years back with new E 12s which cracked one after the other ( and where Buffets were great in honouring the warranties)
So... is the need to keep some air/water going through an instrument, and careful playing in again if you let it go too long ... Is this something you subscribe to ? If so, what kind of playing routine ? or is it another myth from clarinetland ?
The wood clarinets are R13 ( new 5 years ago)
B&H 1010 (1980s)
Two B&H Imperials (1970s)
Eb by Schultz (1990s)
Thanks in advance for any advice.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-09-26 16:12
The way I look at it is, "wear is wear." If you play it, you are putting mileage on it. Of course with wood you don't want to stress it by puling it out of the closet after five years and then playing continuously on it for four hours. Treat it like a reed. If it hasn't been used in a long time, start by bore oiling (and key oiling), then only play on it in small spurts at first.
But if you don't really want to play on (or need to play on) a bunch of clarinets, just put them in your closet and forget about them until you do.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-09-26 16:13
I can only tell you that I never play my Eb clarinet unless I have a part to play somewhere (years may pass between those times) and rarely play my extra Bb (that I owned and used before I bought my current Bb in 1972). I play my C clarinets a little more often but not on a schedule. I've never had a problem with the Eb, Bb or the Noblet C (all grenadilla) despite long periods of disuse. The only instrument I have trouble with is a relatively new (2007) rosewood C clarinet that seems to develop binding keys during the winter if I haven't played on it for a while. Of all the instruments I've mentioned, it was also the only one that has ever cracked, which it did very soon after I bought it.
Karl
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-09-27 01:10
I am firmly in the play them regularly camp. I try to practice on a different instrument each day (not forgetting the A clarinet) just to keep them used to a fairly consistent moisture/humidity content.
It also evens out the mechanical wear and tear across the instruments. If anything my "best pair" instruments get the least playing except for rehearsals and performance but even these get played at least twice a week.
I am a believer in oiling, particularly on newish clarinets, however there is no point in constantly oiling a clarinet that is not being used. Just do it before you restart using it.
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