 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: geek
Date: 2006-12-20 17:40
A Bass Clarinet problem:
My F# at the top of the first register sounds dead. It's fine when I play it in the alternate fingering (thumb plus side key)... but the single finger F# is pretty muted and needs a lot more air to get anywhere.
In the past when I've had this problem, I've just pryed open the F(thumb) key a little more and that seems to help. But I'm a little more cautious these days about bending my horn out of shape. Suggestions?
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-12-20 17:49
Generally, allowing the thumb key to open more is the best approach. Bending the key is fine if you're careful; or you can thin the cork underneath the thumb key arm; or if that cork is already very thin you can file a shallow 'trough' in the instrument body underneath the key arm (where the corking is) to allow the arm to be slightly inset when open. If these don't work, you may want to enlarge the tonehole; or radius/bevel the rim (bore side as well as outside), or flare the shoulders of the thumb key cavity in the body of the instrument if it's a close fit to the key (as for example on Malerne-made bass clarinets, although this is usually not the cause).
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2006-12-20 18:45
Well, before making merry with the rat tailed files as our David would suggest, I would take a close look at the thumb hole pad. Depending upon age, level of use/abuse, and humidity, the pad on the thumbplate can be damaged enough that the outer surface (the "skin") can be partially cut free.
If this happens, then the tonehole will still seal well (since you exert a lot of pressure with that fat little thumb of yours acting directly on the pad), but as the pad opens from the hole a "flap" of the pad's skin can dangle downward towards the tonehole seat, partially obscuring the hole and thus muffling the tone.
Only after I was 100% certain that the pad was integral (and was seating properly) would I take other measures.
This is the sad voice of experience here. I had a similar problem with the RH 1 finger plateau on my Selmer Model 33 bass. The pad "skin" was partially cut free and dangled enough to cause the muffling but not enough to be seen without taking the key off of the horn.
Everything else was tried to correct the "problem", and it was tried by some repair people who I still consider to be top drawer folks. Only when a spring got hooked free by a cleaning cloth did the key have to come off of the horn's body, and it was at that time that all became clear in an instant. Ten minutes work to seat a new pad, and my long time "stuffy" B natural (when played with the fork fingering) became clean and resonant.
Whenever I hear something go "stuffy", the first thing that I suspect is the tone hole passage, and the second is the pad that closes that passage.
Note that none of this applies to the alto clarinet. If you have a stuffy sounding note on an alto, the appropriate solution is to fix it with an eight pound sledge hammer...
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-12-20 19:04
Except for his Alto comments, I heartily agree with Terry, have had "similar" experiences, E Pluribus Unum [one of many] "venting" problems. D S was just looking beyond these, I guess. Luck, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-12-20 19:22
I simply assumed that "geek" had
looked over and checked out the pad.
A pad skin that's flapping
is certainly sapping
the tone -- and we all know that's bad!
Dr. Souse
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-12-20 20:22
A poet who {might} know it, we do !. Vunderbahr, MC & HNY. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: bahamutofskycon
Date: 2006-12-20 23:36
When I was in high school 8 years ago I played on a bass clarinet that had a stuffy "top" F# but a fine "side" F#. I finally discovered that the tone hole right above where you place your left index finger (the one that operates in conjunction with the index finger key, usually found right under the throat A spatula) wasn't closing all the way.
A couple quarter turns (to make sure you don't overshoot and can keep track of what you've done in case you need to undo) of the screw that connects the two mechanisms until both F# and friend closed properly.
It was F# heaven after that.
Steve Ballas
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-12-21 09:37
To get more venting on the thumb plate, shorten the lever connected to it so it needs to move more to close the pad on the front, but leave the upper lever (connected to the G tonehole pad, under the front A key) the same length.
This means the thumb plate has to move a lot more in relation to the G pad, and therefore more venting.
It's alright on clarinets with a thumb ring as the ring doesn't have to have any venting (but the finger rings do), but on covered hole clarinets as well as altos and basses, you really do need good venting on the thumb plate, so shortening the underlever is by far the most effective manner to achieve this without altering the main action venting.
But when you do shorten the underlever, make sure you smooth the top side and don't leave any sharp edges that will chew through the silencing material on the upper lever - file the end so it curves down slightly, paper it up and burnish to a mirror finish so the action is nice and smooth.
But you will still have to regulate the thumb plate with the main action afterwards, though you will have better venting for the F#.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: geek
Date: 2006-12-22 14:56
thanks all for your help.
my pads are brand new! my horn plays a hell of a lot better than it used to: my two-fingered E used to buzz like a distortion pedal. So I am happy to have one problem instead of dozens.
Cheers
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