 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-12-10 18:28
My student has an older clarinet, and when she first brought it to her lesson I play tested it and it played fine, needing just some refinements to improve the seating of the pads. But when she brought it for her lesson last week she tried to play it and the lower register wouldn't play. It was as if she was pressing the register key since the clarion notes were coming out. I tested it and it did the same with me as well, and was more resistant than before. We ended up having the lesson with her using my instrument with her mouthpiece and barrel. She said that during the week she had practiced with it and it hadn't done that before.
Any ideas of where to look? They took it to the repairman and he suggested using it more to get it back into playing condition. But that sounds like a lot of you-know-what. Could there be fuzz in an upper tone hole?
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2004-12-10 18:56
Have you checked the Upper-Joint for leaks? It's most likely that the throat G# pad is leaking due to the adjusting screw. Try to unscrew it a little. Of course it might be any other pad/s that is leaking on the UJ or a key cup is knocked out of alignment.
If the UJ plays fine and the Lower-Joint is not responding well then the bridge key is out of adjustment. (Bb/F pad is not sealing)
Vytas Krass
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
Post Edited (2004-12-10 19:01)
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Author: stagehand
Date: 2004-12-10 20:14
My student had the same exact problem with an older instrument. I found out the screw holding the spring on the register key had came loose and was not closing my a micro bit.
I found this the problem by fingering middle C with only the top joint and closing the end and blowing. There was air leaking out the registar key.
Good Luck.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-12-10 20:33
I have a boxwood barrel with a knot in it. Initially, the knothole leaked a little -- so little that when I put a drop of water on the knot, blocked the bottom of the barrel on my palm and blew in the top, just a few bubbles came out. Nevertheless, the low register was unplayable.
A bit of epoxy cured the problem perfectly.
Your student's problem, particularly since you also have it, is almost certainly caused by a small leak at the upper end of the clarinet -- perhaps a pad, perhaps a crack, perhaps a bad tenon cork.
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Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2004-12-11 19:29
I have had this problem on my instrument, a good clarinet from what my repairman told me. In fact, there are SOOOOO many reasons why the lower register may not come out. My problem was that the lowest tone hole cover had gone out of adjustment, that is, it wasn't covering the hole completely. It caused so many problems that by the end of the school year I was barely able to play it. On the other hand, a crack in the upper joint could also be the problem, or like someone said, a problem with the g# throat tone key. Good luck finding it. Maybe finding a reputable repairman to fix it!? Don't mess with it on your own unless you know what your doing! I made that mistake too!
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-12-13 14:05
Thanks for the professional input. These explanations sound a lot more reasonable. The student is monitoring this site so now has some solid information to take to the repairman - although he should have known himself what to look for! We'll see how the repairs turn out.
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Author: Pete
Date: 2004-12-14 01:34
Hopefully, my new video on "Clarinet Inspection and Set Up" will be on line within the next week. Certainly by Christmas. It will be available for free viewing at www.banddirector.com.
This first video will walk you through how to inspect a clarinet to determine what is wrong with it. I suggest you follow the procedure on a regular basis as preventative medicine.
I hope it helps you out.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-12-14 12:16
The first part of diagnosis is to block the end of a section with a cork, finger all the holes shut, and gently squirt a mouthful of air into the instrument. The loss of air from the mouth cavity indicates a leak. Then blow hard. You can almost always trace the biggest of the leaks by hearing air escape, and audibly stopping that escape by pressing the culprit key closed with the other hand.
There are dozens of possible causes of leaks, including 'dead' pads, weak springs, rust on springs or pivots, gummy pivots, and many more..
ONe often-overlooked possibility is if the top side key has been bent at its centre, slightly closer to the body.
Then when you press down the first finger F#, or the thumb key, the lever on the F# that connects to the thumb key touches and slightly lifts the top side key, causing its pad to leak.
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-12-19 03:06
I'm happy to announce that the problem turned out to be the throat G# adjusting screw as was suggested above. This may not be the end of story since it might start leaking in another spot but at least we'll know where else to look next time. Thanks for the input!
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