 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Lisa
Date: 2004-10-16 03:30
I'm borrowing a friend's doubling stand, and at last night's dress rehearsal my clarinet got stuck on the peg! I've been using the stand for weeks and this is the first time that's happened. I was trying to grab the clarinet for a quick change and it just wouldn't move until I lifted it up with my right hand under the thumbrest and pulled hard. It has usually come right off by grabbing it by the barrel. Is there anything I can put on the (wooden) cone part of the bottom of the stand peg so that my clarinet doesn't get stuck anymore?
Now these are sax issues that I'm hoping you can help me with. I'm also borrowing same friend's tenor sax that's been in storage for a few years. It plays generally well except:
- High A sounds really stuffy/airy, and Ab and G in that upper register don't always come out well either. (Other notes in that octave are fine.) Is there a quick fix for this, and if not, is it an issue that can easily be resolved by a technician? I can't really miss a dress rehearsal with the excuse that my horn's in the shop.
- From low D on down, those notes don't come out in that lower octave unless I tongue them really hard, and play with just about no embouchure at all. I've borrowed this same horn on other occasions and never had this problem. Again, is there a quick fix I can do myself, or can it be easily adjusted by a technician?
I've reacquainted myself to the tenor sax for long enough now to realize that maybe the problem is with the horn and it's not all me. I used to think that with enough practice I could overcome the above issues. I can't, and my part is very exposed in places that use the above notes.
And if your suggestion is to take it in to be fixed, what words can I use to describe the problems that make it sound like I really do know what I'm talking about??? Based on what I've said, can you tell me which keys may be off-kilter?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-10-16 03:45
Lisa wrote:
> Is there anything I
> can put on the (wooden) cone part of the bottom of the stand
> peg so that my clarinet doesn't get stuck anymore?
Try completely wrapping the wooden peg with a handkerchief or a spare cotton swab.
As for the low notes on the saxophone - even the smallest leak in any one or a number of pads (especially in the upper stack or left hand palm keys) can cause the low notes to be balky and non-responsive. Your tech should be able to do a quick bench test for leaks and if all pads are still serviceable, put the sax into proper play condition.
The venting on the octave key changes from high G to high A. This is another area which can be easily checked by your tech...GBK
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2004-10-16 11:02
Hi,
Just get some of those green felt circles (they come on a card) with the adhesive on that back and put 3 or 4 around the top of the beveled part of the stand that comes in contact with the bell. I have the same problem with one of my Leblanc clarinets and this was my fix.
Looks nice too!
HRL
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-10-17 13:49
As GBK says, your sax needs servicing. Doing a good adjustment job on a sax can be considerably more complicated (and expensive!) than for a clarinet, so make sure your techician is reputable!
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2004-10-17 14:23
Hi Lisa:
I suggest, as a new doubler, that you invest in a good set of pegs and stands for your horns. One bad accident with shoddy pegs can mean a disaster for you and your horns.
You can purchase the famous, and sturdy, Blayman pegs and stands at:
http://blaymanmusic.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv
Save up for a complete set, or have someone buy you a really useful Christmas present!
Good luck.
PS Your horns won't stick on the Blayman vented peg.
Disclaimer: I do not work for, or get any remuneration from the Blayman Stand Company, or any product dealer.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: Ed
Date: 2004-10-17 14:45
I second John's endorsement. The Blayman peg is one of the best investments you can make.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-10-17 16:50
Blayman stands - heavy, rock solid, and tremendously safe. I've used the same ones for almost 30 years. I wouldn't even consider anything else. I have seen more than a few flutes, oboes and clarinets get accidentally toppled over.
Never seen one on a Blayman stand ever go over...GBK
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-10-17 19:08
Well, this is where I chime in about pegs and stands.
I've seen many a stand over many years, and during that time have had little problem with the peg side of the equation. Sticking pegs haven't ever been a problem for me with sopranos (although the one that I like the best for clarinets is a trumpet peg that I acquired in Springfield MO back in the 1960's).
What chaps my ass (to use a Houston area term) is the complete lack of any doubling stands for the baritone player. In all of the time that I've been faced with the problem, I've seen precisely _one_, which was a copy of the one that "slides" down the bottom member to close. (It's the one with the thumbnut on the bottom that locks it all together.) While it was a bit bulky (about four times as heavy as the alto/tenor version of same, it was stable, held the baritone in place well, and had six threaded holes (three per forward extending "side leg") for your flute, soprano, clarinet (and even alto or tenor, with another stand for same screwed into place).
Great idea, and the producer made them for about six years in the 1970's, but he stopped and none were available for sale.
The stands now on the market are socket-less, and too lightly made to add your own. I gave up back in the 1970's and made my own, but it's not a folding one.
Now, what about those baritone Traypak cases?
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