 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: OboeAtHeart
Date: 2006-10-16 04:21
I have what appears to be a Conn Cavalier metal clarinet - it's plated silver, but most of the plating's worn off the keys. I use this horn for marching band - it plays very well in tune and is very, very loud, except that the throat register runs a little flat. The altissimo range on the horn is extremely easy to play in, but the clarion G, F and E are stuffy. Can anyone tell me where this horn is from or anything about it? I got it for about $20 on ebay, fixed it up and got a case for it and have loved it ever since.
Here's the panic part:
I am currently using an M-15 mouthpiece, inverted Bonade ligature with 4 Vandoren V12s on a traditional Leblanc Concerto.
It was the best setup I'd ever used until about May or so, (the M-15 gave me a much more focused sound then the B45 that I was on, and I have very, very bad asthma - don't have enough air for the mouthpiece) and I've been having difficulty playing and sounding good - I feel like the 4s are too soft, there's not enough resistance and my tone sounds and feels very out of control on them (as if I were using 3s on a B45 again), but I do not have the air support to play on 4 1/2s by a long shot. I have auditions coming up on the 1st of December and am slightly scared because I've lost a lot of the overtones in my tone quality. The horn itself is fine - other people have played on it and remarked that it's in great shape and that there shouldn't be anything wrong.
I'm basically having to fight to play the instrument, and I'm not sure why. There's nothing wrong with it. I've been doing longtones, scales, all the fundamentals, and I don't seem to be getting better. Even my band directors have remarked that I've lost the resonance and overtones on my sound, which is scary, since they're trumpet players.
I double oboe for the concert band and have found the oboe to be much more agreeable, but I don't have the time to get college-ready on oboe in two months. I've only been playing oboe for about three and a half years.
I'm working on the Copland concerto for solo and ensemble this year, and I played Stravinsky's Three Pieces last year. I'm a senior in high school. It has been getting increasingly more difficult to play the clarinet, to the point where I can't get through the Stravinsky anymore.
Help?
*~"The clarinet, though appropriate to the expression of the most poetic ideas and sentiments, is really an epic instrument- the voice of heroic love."~*
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-10-16 14:04
The problems are those that happen with leaks.
The first step is to check the instrument. A repair tech will be able to detect small leaks better than you can, and a really tight instrument is amazingly better than one with even tiny leaks.
The second check is for dings in lay of the mouthpiece. In particular, it's easy to bump a corner of the mouthpiece against a stand and create a leak at the corner. As a quick check, put on your other mouthpiece and find whether it has the same problems.
The third possibility is that your reeds may be warped along the bottom. If you see or can feel an impression of the mouthpiece window, a reed desperately needs flattening, and will benefit even if you can't feel anything. Get a sheet of 400 grit wet-or-dry (black coating) sandpaper, put it on a flat surface, put your fingers on the bark of the reed and sand the bottom flat (until it's evenly shiny).
Another trick is to shave the bottom 1/4" at the butt end, so that it no longer touches the table of the mouthpiece, or cut off 1/4" from the butt with a coping saw or hacksaw.
Finally, the metal clarinet is worth about what you paid for it. There's nothing much you can do about the intonation.
Good luck on the audition.
Ken Shaw
Post Edited (2006-10-16 14:05)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: BobD
Date: 2006-10-16 21:06
Yes, leaks or adjustment of the A/Aflat screw.
Bob Draznik
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 2006-10-17 23:21
On the panic part.
1. How old are your reeds? Maybe you just need new ones.
2. Maybe you are mentally "choking" and that is affecting your ability to play by causing you to lose your air support or "pinch" the reed on the mouthpiece.
3. Or as some have indicated you've developed a minute leak or there is a misadjustment.
On the Cavalier
1. Designed as student grade marching band instrument so probably nickle plated rather that silver plated.
2. Perhaps the tone holes need cleaned (that's my bet)
3. Perhaps the pad for the G# is a little off and needs corrected.
4. Perhaps some keys are out of adjustment.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: OboeAtHeart
Date: 2006-10-18 23:21
Reeds are mostly new - got them about a month ago, broke them 4 at a time, none of them sound good. New fours wear out in about a week of playing for me, and I do alternate them...
*~"The clarinet, though appropriate to the expression of the most poetic ideas and sentiments, is really an epic instrument- the voice of heroic love."~*
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2006-10-19 09:36
In my experience, metal clarinets have a fair bit of a problem where the tone holes are soldered on.
Over many years (galvanic ?) corrosion can eat away at the soldered junctions, allowing them to leak. Any knocks to the instrument can help the soldering to part.
The leaks caused by this condition are difficult to detect. One diagnosis method is to try to force the tone holes off. If they do release, then the soldering was no longer intact.
If this is the problem, then really the only solution is to resolder all the tone holes. Otherwise the heat involved in dealing with each parted one, will almost certainly help to release kits neighbouring ones.
This is a pretty big job.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: OboeAtHeart
Date: 2006-10-19 20:32
Oh my.
*~"The clarinet, though appropriate to the expression of the most poetic ideas and sentiments, is really an epic instrument- the voice of heroic love."~*
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Terrell
Date: 2006-10-19 23:54
If it's a tone hole leak as Gordon pointed out, just use JB Weld.
It's a thick goop that is used on cracked metal and cracked engine parts. It's super stong, would fill a small hole easily, and not heat up the surrounding holes.
Get it at any auto parts store.
I've personally used it on many things.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jim lande
Date: 2006-10-21 00:54
The Conn Cavalier probably was made between 1930 and 1941 and as Dee says, it was designed as a student model. Most were silver plated, not nickel plated, but the plating was very thin. They tend to go for $30 to $70 on eBay, so you did well on price. There were metal clarinets sold as professional models. Search old posts if you want lots of opinions on which models, etc. Your instrument, however, may be great for marching band, camping trips, etc. I think it is unlikely that the chimneys are coming unsoldered, but not impossible. A trip to a competent pro may improve the intonation, etc.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
