 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bubalooy
Date: 2007-06-16 21:20
For the past couple of days, I have trouble making the middle line B speak after playing C sharp. But the strange thing to me is I only have this problem going left hand Csharp to right hand B, not the other way, and I don't have the problem on my A clarinet. Any suggestions as to what might be the problem?
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2007-06-16 23:56
There are quite a few possibilities, a few of which are listed here. I suspect that you have more than one problem, possibly 1 or 2 (below), in conjunction with second problem, 3 - 6 etc. It may well need an experienced eye to identify it, hands on. Problems in this area can be elusive.
1. If there is play in the upper pivot of the E/B key, the behaviour of right and left fingerings will differ considerably.
2. IF the E/B and F/C pads do not line up perfectly with the tone holes just as they begin to close on their tone holes, then it is normal fro left and right E/B to behave slightly differently. The most common problem is that a pad closes on the pivot side of the tone hole before touching the other side. bu kt this normally makes the LEFT fingering less reliable. Your problem could be the opposite.
3. Sometimes a part of (or a cork of) one of these keys near where it is operated by its lever, rubs against the other key. Or in this linkage vicinity a lever rubs against a key.
4. Sometimes an over-large silencer skin does the same.
5. Sometimes a linkage pin on one of the levers is not sufficiently central to the hole it operates in, causing slight binding.
6. Sometimes the E/B or F#/C# key rubs against the arm that leads to the 'crow foot' on the F/C key.
etc
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-06-17 00:03
I assume you play Oehler systems.
The adjusting screw on the lowest pad cup could be out of adjustment - if there's a cork disc covering the adjusting screw tip, it may have compressed or fallen off preventing the lowest pad to close fully.
Tighten the adjusting screw and check the B and C#, but don't overtighten it or you'll lose the C# (xxxE/B|xxx).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2007-06-17 05:11
Sorry Bubalooy, I perhaps erroneously made the assumption that you were playing Boehm system. So some of my comments may not apply, and I cannot comment further without an Oehler system clarinet beside me.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2007-06-17 12:58
Hi Buba - My comment may be similar to Gordon's, applicable to Boehms, perhaps not to Oehlers [will check on my Alberts]. I and some others have found that the Rt L F "reach" is affected by the position [too low] of the thumb-rest and may cause the Rt 3rd finger to not-quite cover its tone hole adequately. So one of our Boehm advices is to put the Rt thumb on top of the TR, if that helps, then consider inverting the TR or going to an adjustable TR, read our "Search" thread-postings for more thoughts. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Bubalooy
Date: 2007-06-17 19:57
Thank you for the tips. I have wondered about the thumb rest myself and think it feels perhaps a bit low. I'll check all these possibilities out. I appreciate being able to get this feedback on this site.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-06-17 20:08
It's most likely the crow's foot that's out of regulation - the RH F/C touch may have bent down (taking the crow's foot with it) so the F/C key pad is too light or doesn't close fully in compaison with the E/B key pad, or the RH E/B touch may have been bent upwards.
Is there a gap (causing double action) between the crow's foot and the RH F#/C# and E/B touch? If there is, that could mean the F/C head has been bent down.
Is there a gap (or double action) only between the RH E/B touch and the crow's foot? That could mean the E/B key has been bent upwards.
Either way, it's easy enough for your tech to sort out by bending the keys back and checking the pads seat correctly. If the silencing material has come off causing the problem, that'll need replacing which is also easy enough for your tech to do.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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