 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Steven
Date: 2000-09-23 22:30
For the past few days my clarinet has been buzzing. It sounds like a pad is torn, but I can't find any torn ones. The only other things I can think of are a loose rod vibrating or some reed issue. It only happens on certain notes, but the notes on which the clarinet buzzes change on a daily basis - the first day I noticed it, the buzzing mainly happened in the lower register, especially A; today it was mostly in the upper register, G through C. I pick up the buzzing in my right ear. I honestly cannot figure it out. If anyone has had a similar experience, or knows what this is, I would be very grateful for any info. If it matters, I have a Buffet R13 from the early 1980s.
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-09-23 22:57
Have you tested for buzzing with different reeds?
I get buzzing all the time on my bass sax and have had the problem occasionally on other instruments. On bass sax, the culprit is almost always the lyre screw (yes, this monster is set up for marching! -- and no, I never plan to march with it!) or some other screw that's worked loose due to vibration.
But the fact that your buzz is resonating on different notes during different practice sessions makes me wonder if there's a little bit of crud caught in your register key tube or on the inside lip of some other tone hole. Maybe it's lint from a swab or something like that, moving around a little bit (just enough so it resonates on a different pitch) but not clearing out when you swab after practice. See if you can take a good look inside there with a strong light.
Are the corks all sound? What about the tenon rings? A loose tenon ring can resonate against the wood.
Another thing that's prone to resonant buzzing is that adjustment screw on top of the crossover assembly of the front A and Ab keys (top, left hand). If that works too loose, it will buzz like a bee, although usually you'll get awful intonation, too.
Other possibilities for a progressively changing buzz: a split in the reed or a hairline crack in the tip of the mouthpiece. As the crack worsens, the nature of the noise it creates changes.
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Author: Steven
Date: 2000-09-24 02:34
Lelia-
Thanks for all the thoughts! I know it isn't the ligature screw; I've had that problem before, and it was one of the first things I checked. I've also had experences with buzzing adjustment screws, and they all seem pretty tight. I'll check out the tone holes and register key tube. My corks and tenon rings are all sound. I get a tune up for my clarinet every summer. But thank you your thoughts!
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