 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Lis
Date: 2000-08-18 01:28
HI. I know that swabs have been the topic of conversation alot, but I have to ask. I ordered a HMA (i think) swab from the Woodwind and Brasswind, the colorful ones that are new for this catalog. It is great!
Does anyone know of other places that you can BUY fancier swabs. I'm tired of plain colors. I know that a girl in selest band had checkered silk swabs a few years ago, but I didn't get to ask where she got them from.
Thanks for any help.
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Author: Sara
Date: 2000-08-18 02:23
I tend to lean toward bolder colors, but as far as my clarinet stuff goes, I try to look at the quality and how well it works for me before I go toward clor, I just got a basic black silk swab, but I'm about to order a new one I'm interested to read the responses of this topic.
Sara
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-08-18 02:47
I made my own. Took a Chamie(?) and cut a 3-4 inche strip and then took my old swab and reused the weight and string. Works great.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-08-18 03:31
I think hygene is more important than looking for swab.
1.Do not put swab inside the case. It is dirty with saliva.
2.Cleanze it often. So,I have two swabs for my clarinet.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-08-18 03:31
I think hygene is more important than looking for swab.
1.Do not put swab inside the case. It is dirty with saliva.
2.Cleanze it often. So,I have two swabs for my clarinet.
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Author: Sara
Date: 2000-08-18 03:47
I perfer silk swabs over chamois ones, they tend to get stuck and the silk you can pull and it somes out easily. i never knew you weren't supposed to put the swab inside the case, my teacher never mentioned it before I'll have to start putting in my accessories pockets instead. Hey you learn something new everyday!
Sara
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Author: Lis
Date: 2000-08-18 05:58
I use silk swabs and they're all of good quality. I have a black, maroon, and purplish one, and now this new one. It's orange with different color flowers on it. I was just wondering if anyone knew where I could get other colors and designes.
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Author: beejay
Date: 2000-08-18 10:53
I make swabs this way. I buy a 12-inch square of Japanese or Indian silk and a pair of large hollow boot laces. I find a small billet of metal (a prong from an electrical prong works fine), and sew it into one of the laces, making sure it is covered with the fabric.I sew the other end of the lace to the silk square. The result: an effective swab that you can have in any color or design that meets your fancy. Following advice on this bulletin board, I stick to silk, but use a chamois swab every once in a while to keep the bore polished. As Hiroshi says, hygiene is important so I make a couple of swabs at a time, and replace with a clean one every few days or so. I do however keep a swab in the case, bundled up inside the clarinet bell.
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-08-18 13:36
I think it was in Pinto book which said he used hollow shoe laces and put a piece of pencil in the end and sewed it up for a weight.
Does silk absore that much mosture?
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-08-18 14:45
I prefer chamois=skin leather swabs, and made my own from instructions-suggestions in Keith Stein's "Art of Clarinetistry". He mentions the effective removal of moisture etc, and the "polishing" of the bore. When I talk with students, I mention these things and stress inserting the swab in the TOP of the upper joint so as be easily removable in case of hanging-up on the tubes in the bore!. I've had no problems by being careful. Don
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Author: William
Date: 2000-08-18 15:25
Two thought on swabs: 1) put your swab in the bell first and then swab the entire clarinet (except the mp); also, wipe your tendons and joints. 2) I like black fabric swabs because it is easier to sneak a swipe during a rest and not attract the attention of the audience that a colorful fancy swab might. But then again, if we did attract more attention, maybe the TV cameras would focus on us during a symphony concert rather than the oboes, flutes or violins all the time.
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-08-18 19:10
If you're buying a piece of silk in the fabric store in order to get a special color, you can also find drapery weights there. The smaller size of the kind that's plastic-covered, with a little plastic loop or tab for sewing onto a cord or into the hem of a curtain, is perfect for the weight on a clarinet swab. The plastic protects the clarinet from scratches. In the notions department, a fabric store also has various types of colored cord that might "go" well with the fabric and look nicer than a bootlace. I've stuck to plain black -- inconspicuous.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-08-18 23:18
Bob Gardner wrote:
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I think it was in Pinto book which said he used hollow shoe laces and put a piece of pencil in the end and sewed it up for a weight.
Does silk absore that much mosture?
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Silk absorbs more poorly than other common materials. Instead, its action is to simply drag the moisture out although it does absorb some. Many people like silk because its "slippery" nature makes it less likely to get stuck. And this characteristic also makes it less like to be balled up and this too leads to less likelihood of it getting stuck.
Personally, I use a nice, soft, absorbant cotton swab. I've never had it get stuck but then I make sure it is not too large (many are) and I make sure that it is smoothed out and not bunched up. A lot of people try to pull a bunched up swab through the horn and that is just about a guaranteed way to get it stuck. In addition, I avoid the "polished" cotton type. They are not absorbant, are too large, and love to get caught on tubes, etc.
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-08-19 00:26
i have never had my Chamois get stuck. Like Don says. start at the top and pull to the bottom. If it is flat to start with you should have no problems. It you start with a ball' then the ball is in your joint.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2000-08-19 19:26
Is it wrong to swab out a mouthpiece if the swab is reasonably small? What is the potential problem?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-08-19 20:01
Fred,
The danger lies in softening the sharp edges on the facing and accidentally scratching the inside or facing.
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Author: Sara
Date: 2000-08-20 03:55
The only thing I've heard about swabing the mouthpiece is when my teacher told me not to use the weighted end, but to take the corner of the silk twist it a little so that you can stick it throught the mouthpiece and pull it back and forth a few times.
Sara
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