 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Robin
Date: 2000-09-07 12:52
I recently got my clarinet overhauled, and in the process, replaced some of the cork on my clarinet with a felt material which, I think, in previous posts by Leila, has been referred to as "book linen". This green material was placed under keys which would strike the body of the clarinet, or other keys or mechanisms without it; mostly on the lower joint of the instrument.
Anyway, after two days of playing, I am impressed with the quietness of the mechanism, except for the RH G#/d# key. If you get your Bohm clarinets out, you will see that this key lands on a pointy bit of metal. This key is already clinking! 2 days of playing has that pointy bit of metal touching the key, having worn through the felt.
Has anyone else discovered this? Is there a thicker felt material that might be used on the this key? I think on this key, cork has a tendency to jab a hole in the same way, or even to stick. What is the ideal hard, but quiet material?
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-09-07 14:03
If you take your clarinet back to the person who worked on it, you can probably get an adjustment made free of charge on that D#/G# sliver key, since the work failed almost immediately. Real book-binder's linen will take incredible abuse, and is stronger than cork, but I wouldn't use it for that key. Aside from the clicking problem, without a fairly thick cushion, that key will open to high on every clarinet I've worked on, and give you a note that's too sharp. To get a thick enough cushion, binder's linen could be built up, layer by layer, into a thickness that would muffle a click, but one thickness certainly wouldn't do it and adding more would be a lot of labor. I use a slice of cork cut long enough to extend down the keytouch a bit. The extra length is not necessary to muffle the click or reduce the key opening height, since only the tip of the keytouch meets the body of the clarinet, but cutting the cork a little bit long makes it easier to handle and stronger. Cut long, say to the middle of the curve in the keytouch, it's got enough of a glue surface to be less likely to fall off, and it's also less likely to chip. That cork is very often missing on used clarinets.
BTW, it's possible to replace that cork without taking the sliver key off, with careful application of a bit of contact cement on a toothpick. I've done it that way on clarinets that otherwise didn't need overhauling. Removing the key is a pain if you're in a hurry, even though the key looks like it's freestanding. Alas, to get the screwdriver in position to remove the rod screw, which for reasons that mystify me has been inserted from the bottom up on every clarinet i've worked on, you have to remove the G#/C# because the keytouch is in the way. To get to the G#/C#, you have to take off the A-ring, which is usually attached to the B-ring, which therefore also has to be loosened; and you also have to take off at least the bottom trill key and sometimes the bottom two. Grrr.... So if you can learn to replace the sliver key cork quickly without taking off the key, it's a useful skill, especially for band directors, I would imagine, since some student is bound to lose that frequent casualty of a cork about ten minutes before a concert.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-09-07 14:50
L and R, are we mixing up key names? G#/D# seems to be less frequently used! Nevertheless, I have gone to using the "sticky" synthetic cork "click-silencers" by Valentino etc [available widely] as a handy-dandy quick fix, even tho the small pieces may be a bit thick. They can take abuse also. Opinions, J Butler?? Don
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Author: Graham Elliott
Date: 2000-09-07 15:31
Not that I've thought about this much, but it seems to me that there is quite a difference between the effect of a key being opened by the finger, and a key falling back to its "parking position" under the force of the spring. In the latter case, the green felt seems ideal, as it is under a uniform, and often light pressure. If it is required to act as a buffer when the key is operated by the finger, as in Robin's example, the pressure is unpredictable and apt to be greater. Also, the finger would appreciate a bit of torque against which to cushion its own power, and my guess is that the cork buffer would be more springy and therefore less harsh and abrupt in stopping the motion of the key. Should help protect against RSI. That's why a big chunk of cork seems so much better on that key than just deadening the noise with a strip of cloth or felt.
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-09-09 09:50
Don Berger wrote:
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L and R, are we mixing up key names? G#/D# seems to be less frequently used! Nevertheless, I have gone to using the "sticky" synthetic cork "click-silencers" by Valentino etc [available widely] as a handy-dandy quick fix, even tho the small pieces may be a bit thick. They can take abuse also. Opinions, J Butler?? Don
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Thanx for the Valentino suggestion. I haven't tried those. Yes, we've been talking about Eb/Ab; I got in the (probably bad) habit of calling the sliver key G#/D# to differentiate it from the crossover mechanism of Ab with A keys higher up on the top joint. Of course, by designating them this way, I can confuse writing about the sliver key with writing about the lower G#.... ;-)
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Author: J. Butler
Date: 2000-09-09 12:29
I'm always trying new things. I've got an order in for some "ultra suede" to place on the key in question. I'll let you know how it goes. I do like using felt on certain keys that contact the clarinet body when possible. I've never tried the book binders linen. Who is your supplier Lelia?
J. Butler
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-09-11 15:58
seems like I see the linen (a lot) under the lower bridge mechanism, e.g. that part which is attached to the lower joint. I have seen it layered there as well. assume that was probably done to tighten the closing of the upper joint's chalumeau D?
BOY all these letters bother me sometimes. Why can't we adopt something like the Langenus numbering system or whatever. That is, something that Mark C. could put up & we could all click on at Sneezy * look at before you could say DUH! ... it sure has helped the word embouchure :>)
mw
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Author: Mark Charette, Webmaster
Date: 2000-09-11 19:27
Mark - I've got a program I'm working on (in java) that would translate a standardized ASCII string to a picture of the keys & vice versa - especially useful in sending stuff around via email & such. Maybe in a month or two ...
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-09-11 22:12
J. Butler wrote:
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I'm always trying new things. I've got an order in for some "ultra suede" to place on the key in question. I'll let you know how it goes. I do like using felt on certain keys that contact the clarinet body when possible. I've never tried the book binders linen. Who is your supplier Lelia?
J. Butler
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Bookbinder's Warehouse
BookMakers International
6001 - 66th Ave., Suite 101
Riverdale, MD 20737
USA
Phone (301)459-3384
fax (301) 459-7629
email Bookmkrs@aol.com
They sell several kinds of fabric by the yard, at prices from $4.90/yd. to $13.50/yd.. The minimum order by mail is $25.00. So it's not really a suitable place to mail order the small quantities a clarinet repair tech needs, but if you find out who rebinds books in your area (ask at the local library, or at a rare book dealer's store), I'll bet that person will be happy to sell you a small amount. Try hobby shops, too.
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-09-12 18:26
Mark C ... could you give us an idea of HOW this would work. Sounds great. Even the great masters used different numbering diagrams, makes it confusing to say the least.
What do you think about a small thumbnail diagram at the entry to Sneezy & one would simply click to enlarge???
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-09-12 19:40
mark weinstein wrote:
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Mark C ... could you give us an idea of HOW this would work. Sounds great. Even the great masters used different numbering diagrams, makes it confusing to say the least.
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It'll be easier to show than explain. Pasting a string of ASCII text into a text box would cause a picture to show the open/closed/half-holed/quarter holed keys, and picking the picture of the keys to be open/closed/half-holed/quarter holed would generate the ASCII text string. The reson to use an ASCII string is to keep thinks similar to the way they're already shown in text format.
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