 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Sheila-music_lover
Date: 2004-09-14 19:57
For the mouthpiece, but when do I replace it, and why? Also, how often do you recommend putting cork grease on? My clarinet is really coming along, I can play the whole cromatic scale, (without giving way and just playing "air") but I still need the fingering chart for some notes. I read music well, and have for a long time, but I'm working on coordinating the fingerings on the clarinet and the page. I also have my first real lesson tomorrow, so That should be good. I just need some answers to my Qs there. Thanks
Sheila
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2004-09-14 21:14
Always put cork grease on! Reason is that you are stronger than your cork and it will rip from the friction eventually (soon).
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-09-14 22:47
Put cork grease on ONLY when a joint is getting a bit stiff to easily assemble - a bit too 'grippy'. The cork grease is used only to reduce the grip of the cork.
Each piece of cork is different and has different requirements. It has varying hardness, varying resilience, varying amounts of sticky sap deposits, etc.
The grip of the cork depends, in part, on how thick the cork is left when it is first put on the instrument.
It also depends on how much time the instrument spends assembled. If the cork does not have sufficient recovery time between playing, it will lose its resilience and hence its grip.
Some tenon sockets are much more 'grippy than others (because of variations in the surface, and the characteristics of the particular piece of timber)
Plastic or metal tenon sockets are more slippery, so need grease less often.
Different brands of cork grease vary enormously in effectiveness. Most of what is on the market allows a firm, sticky residue to build up, making the joint more DIFFICULT to assemble. It is junk! When this caked-on residue is cleaned off, the joint assembles MORE easily. This deposit also 'claims' space, crushing the cork to premature uselessness! Use either grease from Doctor's Products - http://www.doctorsprod.com/DrsProduct.html - or 'Alisyn'.
Some tenons do just fine without cork grease, for months or years. Greasing them would likely make them far too loose.
If you need to put grease on every time you assemble, then there is definitely something wrong. Either the cork itself is too thick or hard, there is a cakey residue, or your cork grease doesn't work too well.
And BTW, no amount of strength will make a cork fall off if it is properly glued on. The tenon will come out of the socket long before the adhesive fails. A good glue joint is quite a lot stronger than the cork material itself.
Replace your mouthpiece if it is damaged such that the sound is affected, or if you find one that makes your playing more pleasing to you - perhaps on a teacher's recommendation - that is, if you can afford it!
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Author: Sheila-music_lover
Date: 2004-09-15 19:50
no no, not the mouthpiece itself, the cushion, and BTW, thanks for the info!
[ Your next posting on 9/16 was deleted. Do not repost your same question again, in essence "bumping" your thread to the top of the page. If no one responds to your original post, it will scroll off of the first page, as the bulletin board is designed to do - GBK ]
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2004-09-16 23:56
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And BTW, no amount of strength will make a cork fall off if it is properly glued on. The tenon will come out of the socket long before the adhesive fails. A good glue joint is quite a lot stronger than the cork material itself.
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Bottom line:
The Cork will rip if not moisturized enough. Only use a thin layer, but use it every time you assemble the Clarinet. Pretend like the Cork grease costs a small fortune so be very sparing in it's use.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-09-17 00:18
The bottom line for me is that with a single exception, no corks that I have glued on fall off. If depends on the glue used and how it is used.
The ideal recipe for a tenon cork falling off is that it is poorly glued on, COMBINED with the use of a type of cork 'grease' (especially the vaseline-based ones) that softens the particular glue used. Many instrument makers obligingly provide these conditions.
The exception was for a Dolmetsch recorder, which had the timber saturated with paraffin wax. Effectively, I was trying to get glue to stick to wax.
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Author: Sheila-music_lover
Date: 2004-09-19 01:40
I DON"T WANT ANY MORE CORK INFO. (sorry about the caps) I'd like some info on the cushion.
thanks.
Sheila
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2004-09-19 02:03
Sheila-music_lover wrote:
> I DON"T WANT ANY MORE CORK INFO.
Don't read what you don't need, and be glad people provide answers..
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2004-09-20 09:37
"Bottom line:
The Cork will rip if not moisturized enough."
That is absolutely not correct from my experience. I rarely put cork grease. my 4 year old clarinet never has all corks in perfect condition. my 6 year old bass clarinet has all corks in perfect condition. My 13 year old clarinet had 2 out of the 3 corks on it replaced, and that was last year after 12 years of use.
I completely agree with this: "And BTW, no amount of strength will make a cork fall off if it is properly glued on. The tenon will come out of the socket long before the adhesive fails. A good glue joint is quite a lot stronger than the cork material itself."
About the cushion, change it when you think it's not woking anymore. Should be a very long time before that happens.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2004-09-20 10:27
Hi Sheila,
I have one front tooth that is a tad longer than the other (and a bit sharper). The result is there is a large mark on that side of the MP cushion. While I have never gone all the way thorugh the the cushion, I change it when I think the marks nbecome unsightly (6 months??? or so).
HRL
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Author: Sheila-music_lover
Date: 2004-09-27 17:43
Thanks so much, and sorry I sounded mad b4, Sometimes things you type look nastier than you ment them to be! Thanks again guys, I really appreciate it! And BTW, a little update on my clarinet playing, Its really going well, I'm catching up to the level I'm playing at with my flute, which is my goal, so I'm super happy!
Sheila
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