 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bruno
Date: 2006-07-14 16:18
1. Do you swab from the barrel downward or from the bell upward?
2. Anybody use a chamois swab instead of cotton?
b/
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Author: clarinetsweetheart
Date: 2006-07-14 16:31
I always swab from the barrel downward, back and forth through a piece. If it's been a long practice I normally swab with both my cotton swab and a silk one, to make sure to get any remaining moisture, though this is probably just me being overly anal retentive, as I am wont to do. But I've always swabbed from the barrel downward. The other way seems odd to me, though of course it isn't.
~*Charlotte*~
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Author: susieray
Date: 2006-07-14 17:04
I think this has been discussed on here before, but
anyway.....I run the swab through at least a couple of
times during a two hour rehearsal. I'll pull it though
once from each direction. I use a black silk swab
(one of the Doctor's).
When packing up afterwards I swab the joints
separately (both directions again) and
dry the sockets and tenons with a paper towel.
Sue
PS I also wash the swab with warm soapy water every couple of
weeks so it doesn't get all gross.
Post Edited (2006-07-14 17:08)
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2006-07-14 17:08
I always swab by dropping the swab in the barrel and swabbing UP the horn. I use the BG chamois swab on the Eefer and Bb and they work very well. Going from the big end up gives you much less risk of sticking a swab in the instrument, although I always check to see if therre's any sort of knots in the string prior to moving the swab through the horn. Getting a swab stuck is not a pretty thing! I play oboe in addition to the clarinets and swabbing the oboe has made me paranoid about sticking a swab in the instrument. That top joint on oboe has a tiny bore.
On the bass, alto and bassett horn I use silk swabs (several different brands) and they do an excellent job. For the neck joints I have an old brush type swab that I use although I have used the silk swab on them too.
Hope that's some help.
Eefer guy
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2006-07-14 17:11
I always swab at least twice.. but I drop it down the instrument (through the barrel). I think this is because I don't like spinning my clarinet around, and any excess water that is in the bell I just wipe out.
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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Author: clarinets1
Date: 2006-07-14 18:14
i've read that bell up is best, because instead of dragging moisture down through parts of the clarinet that may not be moist, you are dragging it right back out from the direction it came in. makes sense to me.
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2006-07-14 20:25
My teacher was religious about having her students swab starting at the bell, so I do. It's also easier to get the swab into the clarinet that way because sometimes when you try through the barrel it sort of goes in a circle around the barrel and it takes awhile to actually get it in.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2006-07-14 20:49
Swab the joints individually, not the whole clarinet.
Wipe out the tenon sockets.
Swab both ways in the upper joint so you clean round the speaker tube properly.
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Author: Bruno
Date: 2006-07-14 22:12
I used to swab from bell upward until I read that after playing, the upper joints are the wettest and in order to evenly spread out any moisture that the swab doesn't absorb it's best to drag it downward thru the bore of the horn, so that's what I do. I always clean out the tenons and sockets with a Kleenex after I take the horn apart.
Another thing I do - if I'm going to play again the same day I remove the MP, swab the bore and pull the joints about half way out so they don't freeze (which happened once in my youth and now does not). I use a vertical stand and have sewn a nice bag-like cover from a cotton towel which I slip down over it. (Do the same thing with my trumpet.)
I made a chamois swab on a weighted ribbon and reduced its size until it goes thru w/no problem - use that occasionally.
Another thing I do (being an old boatbuilder) is in addition to waxing the corks, I place a small dab of Micro cork grease on the end grain of the joints and circle my finger around the end of the tenon before assembling the clarinet because that's where the water droplets collect as one plays. It's my feeling that this maintains a more constant moisture content in the grenadilla. I've never had a cracking problem in 35 years. (Hold your breath!)
b/
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Author: BobD
Date: 2006-07-15 13:42
A piece of chamois is good for drying sockets but chamois on a string can give you a bad surprise when it jams and sticks.
Bob Draznik
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Author: William
Date: 2006-07-15 14:53
Bell to barrel at least twice after playing. It is also important to clean the joint sockets. Silk swab (anything but all-black)--no chamois.
And--I know this is controversial--I also swab my Kaspar mouthpiece frequently (but carefully, and removed from the barrel). Just helps to keep the inside clean.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2006-07-15 15:12
FWIW I self-made fake chamois (lint-free window cloth) swabs. The deciding factor re size was whether it would go through a mouthpiece or not - then it would go through everywhere else too.
(And yes, I rinse and swab my mpc too)
--
Ben
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Author: crosswalkph
Date: 2006-07-15 15:31
Does it really matter which way you swab your horn? I mean, seriously, I can't imagine it has any affect. To prove my point....on Bass and Alto I swab from the top, but on Soprano I swab from the bell....I just do. No method to my madness.....why bother with such trifle things?
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Author: CPW
Date: 2006-07-15 16:05
I introduce the swab through the G# key and go down to the bell then up through the upper joint.
Sometimes, when I am lazy, I introduce it through the upper joint third tone hole. That is the one without the ring.
This may take some creative adaptation, but it keeps the upper bore drier and prevents blow out.
.
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.It takes more time, but draws a lot of attention from other players. It also requires special retrievers which are available at http://www.clarinetjokeoftheday.com
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Against the windmills of my mind
The jousting pole splinters
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Author: hans
Date: 2006-07-15 19:42
I used to carry a small air compressor with me to blow out all the tone holes as well the bore, but it gave me tendonitis so I'm back to swabbing...
Bell to barrel (twice) ---> it makes no sense to me to distribute the moisture further (aren't we trying to remove it?) by going from barrel to bell. In addition, the swab is probably more effective in the bottom joint if it has not been compressed first by passing through the smaller diameter of the top joint. Drying the individual joint sockets is essential and I use a small piece of chamois for that.
I haven't found silk to be absorbent enough. A silk swab often exits with free/unabsorbed water drops on it. Cotton seems to work fine, and never gets stuck if it's pulled out to the side opposite the register tube.
I liked Bassie's idea (above) to clean more effectively around the register tube by going in both directions.
Hans
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Author: Markael
Date: 2006-07-15 23:17
William,
About swabbing the mouthpiece:
I used to do that, and I think it caused some wear.
You can use a piccolo swab to clean the mouthpiece. Bend the tip of the swab slightly. Insert it into the end that goes into the barrel so that, when it emerges on the other end, it will be bent outward from the rails. Just push it through far enough to do the job.
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Author: mnhnhyouh
Date: 2006-07-15 23:56
I used to clean the mpc, but not after reading it could cause problems.
For the rest, I swab in both directions on all four sections, barrel, top, bottom and bell. I also get my finger into the tenon joints with the swab between my finger and the wood, to get all the moisture out of there as well.
I use a BG chamois.
As for redistributing the moisture, after an hour of playing it seems to me that I couldnt move moisture to where it isnt already, as it is everywhere.
Maybe I just salivate over my music more than most
h
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Author: Bruno
Date: 2006-07-16 16:39
One reason NOT to swab the joints separately after dismantling the clarinet is the possibility of enlarging and tapering the bore just at the tenons and sockets. In time it WILL happen, however slightly, not a prospect I want to look forward to. So thanks but no thanks to that method.
b/
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2006-07-16 17:06
Bruno wrote:
> In time it WILL happen,
> however slightly, not a prospect I want to look forward to. So
> thanks but no thanks to that method.
A couple of hundred years, perhaps ...
Regular, ordinary out-of-roundness (measurable over a relatively short period of time) far outweighs any bore enlargement from a swab ...
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Author: mnhnhyouh
Date: 2006-07-16 20:58
But isnt the ability of the swab to change the shape of the mouthpiece the reason swabbing it is not recommended?
h
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2006-07-16 23:02
mnhnhyouh wrote:
> But isnt the ability of the swab to change the shape of the
> mouthpiece the reason swabbing it is not recommended?
Most people stop pulling when they feel extreme resistance. A well-designed swap should pass the mouthpiece canal without causing damage.
I'd rather watch out for toothmarks and ligature squeezes.
--
Ben
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Author: libera_clarinet
Date: 2006-07-18 04:07
Here's my method:
Twice from bell to barrel...then...
Twice from barrel to bell
Last time I had my clarinet checked out, the guy told me that I had gunk accumulating by my vent tube, so I take care on those second two pulls to get either side of the vent tube.
As for the mouthpiece, several people have told me never to do it, because of the friction involved can wear the chamber and the rails. However slight the wear may be, it can make a HUGE difference. Think about how much the shape of the mouthpiece chamber affects the sound. Think about how much a minute adjustment to the reed affects the sound. I use a white vinegar solution to clean the mouthpiece every so often.
FWIW, that's my opinion.
-- Matt
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Author: Ed
Date: 2006-07-18 12:12
Does anybody know how Riccardo swabs his horns? Does anybody know what kind of swab Leister uses? Does swabbing one way or another make your tone darker? How often did Marcellus swab? ;-)
Honestly, I think you just swab and be done with it. I am not sure it matters that much. The only thing I can say is that I used to use your basic cotton (Buffet, Vandoren, etc) swabs and go through them pretty regularly and they would sometimes jam or snag on the register tube. I bought a silk swab a number of years ago and it has lasted like iron and has worked great.
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