 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: John Zarli
Date: 2001-07-03 03:26
I've played saxes for many years & had the wild idea to buy a cheap clarinet and learn. It's an old Henkin, which I repadded with a set of those foam Lavoz pads from WWBW. The clarinet passes every kind of "static" leak test that I can devise. The low notes play fine from a standing start. The problem is that after a few minutes of playing a note like middle D just won't play. I can't figure out if it is me, a too close mpc or reed problem (original stock Henkin mpc with a rico 2 1/2), or if there is some type of regulation issue, such as tired springs, with this clarinet. I get a reasonably good tone, and am not the least bit fatigued after 10 minutes. (somewhat mentally enraged, but I can go back to my Soprano sax and play for hours).
Any and all suggestions welcome, except for the comment about the special labor repair rate for players who attempt their own repairs(g)
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Author: Suzanne
Date: 2001-07-03 03:56
If you put the clarinet down for ten minutes and then pick it up again, is it still not working? If so, sometimes springs can slip out of place. They might be not quite back to the way they used to be after the re-padding. Does the clarinet not play anything at all, or is it just middle D? How new are you to clarinet?, because it could just be that your fingers aren't covering the holes right on that particular note. Or, the register key may not be working right--make sure that spring works. (Same mechanism, basically, as sax.) If you can still put air through the instrument, then it shouldn't be a reed/mouthpiece problem.
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Author: willie
Date: 2001-07-03 04:59
I bought one of those Henkins for my daughter when her Vito got smashed. It turned out to be a pretty good little horn. It had new pads already but didn't speak well in the upper clarion. I greased the corks again and ran a lighter quickly around them to swell the corks then greased them again. Played great. I recorked it later for a permanent fix.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-07-03 05:34
Nothing wrong with doing your own repairs, John. It appears from your statement that you did what you're supposed to do. I've never used LaVoz pads so I don't know if they could be all that critical or not. Some pads, like Norbeck, are really touchy. The horn should sound even if there's a leak - that's the puzzle. Sometimes the tiniest leak can really throw things off but I've never heard of one totally shutting down the way you describe.
Most repair people I know are in fact very helpful to folks who are interested in doing their own maintenance. Maybe a helpful tech wouldn't mind giving your horn a quick check and point out if there is a problem with the pads. I can't imagine springs causing that kind of problem either. Maybe if you could try out some different mpcs and reed strengths you might find a better combination for you than the one you have now. There was another post that mentioned matching the clarinet mpc closely to the sax ones so switching isn't too drastic a change. But then, you don't have trouble going the other way. Sax players usually don't have a problem with pinching the mpc though... I dunno :
- ron b -
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-07-03 13:08
I wonder if the A/D key's pad is closing before the right hand ring key's pad, i.e. poor adjustment of this linkage. This fault shows up as a leak only AFTER assembly.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2001-07-03 14:41
Gordon, I've had that issue come up also. Especially when I have used the middle joint for tuning purposes or slightly offset the bridge arms for comfort. And boy . . . when that pad leaks, don't even THINK about playing a clarion D.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-07-03 15:51
I have seen several causes of non-playing, such as a too-tight set-screw on the A/G# keys, and wear on the key tubes/posts where a pad may seat differently from time to time. A tech can shim these back to proper tightness [lack of knock], I sometimes resort to making a shim out of wax paper, and inserting it between the tube and the lower post as a temp. solution. Of course a leaking [or slightly-broken] pad can wreak havoc!! Sometimes its the reed! Much luck, Don
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Author: Ron W
Date: 2001-07-03 19:42
Funny thing! Exact same thing happened to me last night. I have several clarinets and picked up one I hadn't played in awhile. Ran a chromatic scale, sounded good. Started my accompaniment music. Started on D softly, then, in shock, blew harder and harder, ....nothing! Air passes thru but makes no sound. I believe I tracted it to a leaker under the A key caused possibly by a weak spring and out of adjustment A/G# mechanism. Let us know what you find out.
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Author: ~jerry
Date: 2001-07-04 01:49
What is a middle "D"? Is that the note above the "C" in Mark's notation at the top of this page?
Is the "C4" supposed to be middle "C"?
~ jerry
Still in Clarinet Boot Camp
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-07-04 10:57
Another common problem is with that rather precarious throat A spring and where it contacts the body of the clarinet...
1. There is rust between the spring and the metal 'pad' that it slides along (not on all clarinets), creating high friction so the pad closeds unreliably.
2. High friction between these parts even without rust. Polishing and a drop of oil will correct it.
3. The tip of the spring has cut or worn a tiny groove in the timber that it rubs against. When the key is in the closed position the spring is pushing hard against the minute 'wall' at the end of this groove, so that there is little spring force left for pad closure.
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