 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tucker ★2017
Date: 2016-09-03 22:32
I've searched the archives about how long is "safe" to leave wooden bass clarinets assembled. I couldn't find a situation which fits mine, so I'm putting this out to my friends on this board.
On weekends while puttering around the house doing the chores, I can get in a lot of practice time.
Is it okay to leave my horn assembled throughout the day while I putter around the house? While I'm doing chores, sometimes I'll sit for just 10 or 15 minutes and work on a certain piece of music.... or sit for 30 or 45 minutes working on another. Doing this throughout the day 6 to 8 times.... I can get in 3+ hours of practice time while doing chores.
Good idea? Bad idea? Oh, when doing this, I'm using a synthetic reed, so that's not an issue. I'd say the horn is assembled for 6-9 hours before I break it down, swab, dry, wipe, etc etc.
Would appreciate any thoughts on this!
Oh.... while it's resting (and I'm working), it's on a stand in a room with no traffic. Won't be knocked over etc etc.
Post Edited (2016-09-03 22:35)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-09-03 23:14
Never leave any clarinet (or any instrument) assembled for any period if it's not being played.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: pewd
Date: 2016-09-04 00:07
> in a room with no traffic.
If no kids or pets are present, then have at it.
Dump the condensation out of the neck, then leave it on a stand.
Swab out and put it away each night.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-09-04 00:11
The sockets will remain wet and that can ultimately cause the tenons to bind or the tenon corks to perish.
So never leave any clarinet assembled for longer than it needs to be which is the time you're actually playing it. Then it's in the case out of harm's way when you're not playing it.
Simple.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-09-04 00:19
As much as I universally respect Chris's input, I have to disagree here. I think "never...for any period" is extreme. I wouldn't leave it assembled overnight. It seems to me the main objection to leaving a clarinet of any size assembled is compression of corks and, possibly, shrinking in a tenon (the middle one on a bass) that could cause the joint to get stuck. I can't see either happening over the course of a few hours in an indoor environment.
I can easily see the advantage of leaving it together after playing for awhile to do other things and coming back to it later. Having to disassemble and reassemble the thing every time I want to pick it up and play it would discourage me from playing it at all after the first session has been interrupted.
I would dry it each time. I wouldn't leave it in the draft of an air blower (heater or AC). You're not leaving it in the path of traffic. I would make sure the room temp isn't too cold (AC in summer or just cold in winter). And of course dry it thoroughly when you put it away at night.
Chris, what could the consequences be if common sense about the room environment is used?
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-09-04 00:31
Never leave anything to chance.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2016-09-04 00:51
Instruments are meant to be used. Common sense and knowledge of the risk/reward trade off is not going to lead everyone to the same conclusion about when to pack up. Should I disassemble my horns if I'm tacet on a couple of numbers in a row? How about during intermission?
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Author: tucker ★2017
Date: 2016-09-04 01:27
For me, the most effective way to learn music (I did this taking piano lessons for a number of years) is to practice a particular passage in small snippets, numerous times in the day. I'd stop at the piano and play through something 15 or 20 times in a given day.
Of course, the horn is a bit different. My personality is such that I cannot sit for more than 45 min or an hours practicing a clarinet. ADAH? Who knows. But I can easily give it 10 to 45 minutes in a day, 6 to 8 times within that day.
I do remove the neck and drop a swab down the bore, but I would not get much practicing in if I had to break it down, swab, etc etc for each session, as Karl mentioned. A bass take a bit more time to assemble/break down than a Bb.
Now if everyone thinks I'm damaging the horn by doing this, I'll have to change my attack.
Appreciate the comments!!!!
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2016-09-04 01:58
Tucker, I think you're fine. Most people can't practice at peak effectiveness for more than 45 minutes to an hour anyway. Practicing 4 hours straight actually means practicing for 45 to 50 minute each of those hours if it's going to be done as well as it should be.
My instruments are set up all day between practicing and teaching. I don't pack them up when I take a dinner break or have a gap in my teaching schedule. My Ridenour Liberitas (hard rubber, not wood) is kept set up all the time in my studio. I do care for it - wiping down the keys, swabbing, wiping the moisture from the tenons and sockets each evening, and rinsing out the mouthpiece before I go home. When I leave it is covered by a pillowcase and kept on a stand under the desk. Nobody else has access to the room. I'm sure I'll have to replace the tenon corks sooner than I would if I was "better" about putting it back in the case, but to me it's worth it. I love being able to walk in and start playing right away.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-09-04 02:25
If you're taceting, you're still playing. You can use that time to mop out and make sure your speaker tube isn't waterlogged.
But if you're planning on having a break for several hours in between practice sessions, then it's safest to put things away instead of being left out on a stand for that time. Have you seen how much airborne dust collects under the keywork on woodwind instruments?
Proper maintenance routine is part and parcel of clarinet playing - so make it part of your routine.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2016-09-04 04:54
Phil,
I leave my Selmer Model 32 and the Ridenour 925e (when I'm playing it) on a stand for most of the week between Monday evening rehearsals. My perspective is that every time you assemble/disassemble a bass, each section is somehow linked to another section. I am very careful with this but am fully aware that bridge, register, and bell linkages can get out of adjustment very easily.
In fact, if I have several gigs during a week, I'll use my long case and keep the upper and lower section assembled until I'm back home for a little while.
So far, no major problems.
HRL
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Author: GBK
Date: 2016-09-04 05:16
I leave my practice A clarinet assembled all the time (I only practice on an A clarinet), although I do dry out the tenons after each playing session.
Replacing a tenon cork is no big deal, and a very small price to pay for the convenience of having the clarinet out and available 24/7.
...GBK
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