 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jArius
Date: 2005-02-02 04:30
When you examine a clarinet yourself for potential problems, what exactly do you look for? I have a new grenadilla clarinet and I want to know how to care for it properly. Many sources I've found tell me to examine it regularly, but they don't tell me HOW. I mean, how do I spot a crack before it becomes serious, what's the difference between a crack and a check, and what are some other things I should look for?
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
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Author: VermontJM
Date: 2005-02-02 10:56
I usually just do a bit of looking for loose screws, anything that may have gotten bent, make sure that all the keys and notes work and they are regulated- for instance, that the B/E key is all good. I also look for pads that may be bad, sticky or ripped. I also check to make sure it's clean- I haven't had much of a problem with this, but I know others who get crud buildup in the left hand holes... I occasionally clean the register tube, too.
Good luck.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-02-02 13:15
Volume XXX is at the publisher's now as we speak....
I can't do the subject justice.....however from a practical standpoint you should look over the horn every time you put it together for loose screws.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2005-02-04 13:45
Here are some ideas. Clean the dust off the outside of the clarinet with a soft small brush. Clean the tone holes with a pipe cleaner or soft cloth. Look at the bore of the instrument. Hold it up to a light. Look for cracks that might be going through tone holes. ie from one side to the other side of the tone hole. This concern over cracking is very much to do with humidity and playing instruments in cold temperatures with drafts. Oboes crack much more frequently than clarinets.....I would expect it has something to do with the small bore. Even with oboes it is the top joint that cracks more and that is a smaller bore than the bottom joint. Learn how to test your clarinet for suction. With the mouthpiece and barrel off ...hold the top joint only....covering all the open holes...thumb , 1,2, 3 Suck air out of the instrument while covering the bottom end with your hand....you can add a bit of moisture to your hand to help start thilngs. When suction has been achieved( after a few inhalations) your lips should feel stuck to the clarinet.... then count how many seconds this lasts for...the longer the better. As far as how often should you look at your clarinet....try once a week or once a month. Get suggestions from your repair person. Clarinets generally stay in adjustment longer than flutes, saxophones and oboes but the sooner you can recognize when it's not working right....the better it is for you.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Pete
Date: 2005-02-04 22:14
I have a video you can watch for free that will give you some good ideas on what to look for.
Go to www.banddirector.com and go down to the video section. The first one in a 7 part series is on examining a clarinet.
Hope it helps you out.
Pete
Emerson Musical Instrument Repair
North East Wisconsin Band Instrument Co.
ToneLure Tone Enhancement
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2005-02-04 22:47
I have found that using dry Q-tips to poke around in the tiny places helps get a lot of dust bunnies or hair balls out of your clarinet keys. I have a tiny screwdriver that I use to tighten screws. Then I use a chamois to polish. It looks grand when I'm through. Also kinda relaxing to clean the "beastie" from time to time. Also good idea to clean the mouthpiece with warm water or squirty mist, can't remember the name. That should be done quite often so you don't give yourself a terrible disease. Ha. And if there is a crack happening, you will most certainly notice it right away. Have never figured out a good easy way to clean out the case though, so I just use the vacuum cleaner on it.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-02-05 01:08
You should have if possible a technician take it apart and have a look under the hood. They are the ones who can tell you if the instrument is in great condition, or if it's a couple years off of needing major key work.
The Key's condition are what can be the demise of many a Clarinet. Lets assume that there is no such thing as "blow out", but it's a well known fact that keys do wear out, posts, rods, hinges, etc give way over time - that can be really expensive if major overhaul work is needed and keys need replacing.
Also a technician can tell *a good one that is!* if the Clarinet was maintained properly by others who have worked on it. A Clarinet can be ruined, or at least quite damaged by an amateur repairman.
I write this just coming from a repair tech's studio where I got work done to a Clarinet from the mid 50's that I just bought to sell to a student. I got lucky, but she was telling me the various horror stories and just how lucky I was to have gotten such a good instrument.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-02-05 04:03
Carol...for cleaning loose particles from the case I use the wide packaging version of "Scotch Tape"...or just masking tape.
Bob Draznik
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Author: jArius
Date: 2005-02-05 04:55
Well, my folks are taking a trip to the Big City in a couple days, and they're taking my clarinet with them, taking it to the store I bought it from to get some minor repair work done. Is there anything I should ask the tech to look over while it's there? Luckily the store will do all work for free as long as I keep my finance payments up, so money isn't a problem. Keep in mind that this is a brand-new clarinet, so it shouldn't have any major problems. The only catch is, I won't be there. It's a 4-day trip for my folks, and I have obligations here. It stinks that I won't be able to test it before I take it home, but that's the way it is. I'll just have to leave the tech a note.
FYI, the only problems are that I think a pad is leaking, the keywork is noisy, and the spring tension is out of whack (makes it interesting to try to play  ) It's all just stuff I should have done when I bought it, but didn't know I was supposed to. So is there anything else I should ask the tech to do?
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
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Author: jArius
Date: 2005-02-05 04:57
btw, thanx for all the informative posts.
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2005-02-06 06:35
If the technician is a good one, then he/she will spot many times more things to tweak right than the average player will ever notice. Then the player just notices that it feels/plays better, with a high degree of reliability into the future.
On the other hand, if it is a check that is done under guarantee, there is a high likelihood that the seller's technician is under pressure to skimp in order not to undermining profits on the sale. That, sadly, is one of the realities of life, fed by manufacturers sometimes (often?!) compromising standards in order to keep manufacturing costs to a minimum. Is that too cynical? Unfortunately I keep finding examples of it being a truth.
So choose the technician very carefully - very carefully! - according to reputation, and trust him/her.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-02-06 14:56
I look for anything "untoward" in all categories, much like going to the appropriate Doctor, before the next appointment !, partic of course, any playing problems/faults. jA, whats with Mom's wrath, out grabbing ?for straws? Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: jArius
Date: 2005-02-06 21:49
Don, I'm sorry, but that didn't really make much sense ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif) . What did you mean?
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
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