 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ken Mills
Date: 2008-10-30 18:56
The clarinet case makes one put it into 5 pieces. If you have a special barrel material then leave the mouthpiece on. After playing, wipe off the reed and mpc and put the reed back on. Also do not twist on the body-keys if you leave the bell on, soft palms, huh. But only the Selmer Signature clarinet case can be made to accommodate the instrument length with this way of three pieces.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-10-30 19:03
Always remove the bells, dry the sockets (with a paper towel, etc. - and not the pullthrough) and grease the corks before storing clarinets in cases where the barrel or bell remain on.
I'm really not a fan of cases which keep bells or barrels on, and even less of a fan of cases where they keep the whole instrument assembled as players are less likely to dry the instrument and sockets thoroughly after playing which makes the joints bind on wooden clarinets and compresses the tenon corks resulting in loose tenons.
If you hold the joints in the correct manner during assembly/disassembly then you won't bend any keys.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2008-10-30 19:06)
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Author: William
Date: 2008-10-31 14:38
I also prefer to store my clarinets completely disassembled. Tendon corks last longer and keeping those sockets dry prevents cracks--and just seems more civilized.
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Author: stevesklar
Date: 2008-10-31 15:10
personally I like to disassemble after every use. And as Chris P said to clean each socket from water buildup and swab accordingly.
The top barrel socket is usually the first piece that shows excessive dryness (loss of color from loss of oils, etc) over time. And it is usually the location of more water buildup.
==========
Stephen Sklar
My YouTube Channel of Clarinet Information
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-10-31 15:35
Isn't it remarkable that most expensive sets of clarinets are usually supplied with cases where the bells stay on in the instances where the manufacturer actually supplies the case? (which isn't always the case! Ooh, I did a pun!)
Examples being Selmer Signature and Recital double cases, Buffet double cases and Yamaha Oehler system single and double cases.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: mrn
Date: 2008-10-31 15:42
I have one of those double cases from Buffet where you have to keep the bell on to put both instruments in the case. What I do, though, is keep my Bb in a separate case and take the bell off my A and put where the Bb bell would go in the double case. When I have a rehearsal or performance where I need both instruments, I grease them up really well and put them in the double case with the bells on, but then I put them back in separate cases when I get home.
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2008-10-31 16:04
Dry the sockets after use, esp. the barrel sockets.
If the case is made such that the bell or barrel is stored in the assembled position, match the appropriate parts, then pull them out as much as possible, then store them. Be sure there is enough padding to prevent excess wobbling of the partly-assembled joints.
In the 1960s Buffet's french style double case allowed for separate bells and two wells each for the barrels....wish they still made it that way.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2008-10-31 16:21
> Isn't it remarkable that most expensive sets of clarinets are usually supplied with cases where the bells stay on in the instances where the manufacturer actually supplies the case? (which isn't always the case! Ooh, I did a pun!)
> In the 1960s Buffet's french style double case allowed for separate bells and two wells each for the barrels....wish they still made it that way.
The Henri Selmer (Paris) double case has two barrels each and separate bells.
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Author: blazian
Date: 2008-11-01 02:40
I take my bass clarinet apart so I can fling spit at unsuspecting brass players ![[rotate]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley25.gif) . What can you do about a wooden bass clarinet in a single-body case though? Take it apart, dry it, and put it back together? Or buy a new case?
- Martin
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-11-01 08:40
So long as you dry all the sockets and grease the corks before putting it all back together.
The current Selmer squishy cases have all the joints seperated, but the older (and no doubt very expensive) cases for the Recital and Signature had the bells remain on (and these cases weren't supplied with the clarinets). The older wooden 10S and 10G double case had all the joints seperate.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-11-01 11:08
I wonder. If you leave the clarinet assembled is there liquid IN the sockets?. OR, does the liquid "dump" into the sockets when you disassemble the clarinet?
I can't imagine how anyone could know the answer to the first question, but maybe someone can and I'd like to know how.
I think there's a lot of unfounded concern about corks being degraded by leaving a clarinet assembled. However, I do agree that doing so might cause difficulty when trying to disassemble later. I also think there's a lot of "parroting" concerning water in the sockets causing problems, having to use a separate absorber to remove it and "spoiling" one's silk swab if you clean sockets with it.....etc etc. Why do "we" keep repeating stuff about which we have no actual personal experience?
Bob Draznik
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2008-11-01 11:41
Bob, I regularly get clarinets in for repair where one or more joints are still assembled in the case, the bore is quite dry (from evaporation because condition of bore shows the owner does not regularly pull thru the instrument). When I remove barrel or bell there is usually a pool of water sitting there and again condition of the wood shows this has been the case for many years.
When clarinets are made there is always a very small gap between end of socket and tenon which acts as a magnet for water (capillary attraction) and also inhibits evaporation because area in contact with air is so small.
If you always separate the joints after playing then this water can more readily evaporate although personally I do consider it good practice to wipe socket with a piece of tissue etc (it doesn't actually take much time).
The ability of cork to recover from compression is linked to how long it remains compressed. A few hours are no problem but days/weeks/always is very damaging to corks resilience. I have been recorking tenons for at least 50 years and can tell instantly how well a user has treated there joints.
Incidentally on my pair of 1960 Leblancs I replaced the corks over 25 years ago and they are still in fine condition. Mind you the quality of cork grease is also vital, most commercial grease actually destroys the cork inside 2/3 years. For most of my life I made my own but now happily use the Doctors product.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-11-01 12:11
I've had to work on clarinets where bells have bound solid to the tenon as they've never been removed and water has collected in the joint. Not an easy feat as the cork usually ends up stuck to the inside of the socket and in some cases the glue has failed, but the cork comes loose from the tenon (but remains stuck to the socket) so the bell will turn but won't come off.
But once the joint has been seperated, the cork has usually hardened and the joint is now loose - so after cleaning up and replacing the tenon cork it should once again be a good fit. But only for so long if the owner continues to use a case where the joints remain together and doesn't maintain the joints as they should do. It doesn't take much to maintain tenons and sockets so they're reliable and is better than doing nothing.
Simple things that are important to any woodwind instrument such as tenons and sockets are far too often neglected - every part of an instrument is important and players should be aware that neglect will only backfire, and it's up to the player to understand and knwo how to maintain things. Simple and routine maintanance steps taken throughout will save everyone a lot of hassle.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-11-01 13:19
Bob D. wrote:
"Why do "we" keep repeating stuff about which we have no actual personal experience?"
Maybe for the same reason that "we" change the oil in our cars every few thousand miles. Because maintenence of something we value or hold dear simply makes sense to keep it in good shape.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-11-01 13:33
"Why do "we" keep repeating stuff about which we have no actual personal experience?"
I've had enough previous experience of dealing with frozen joints, so I just want to drum it into everyones' heads that neglect is only going to cost them in the end.
Look after your clarinets and they'll look after you.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-11-01 18:26
I realize you have a lot of personal experience Chris, so my comment was not directed to you....My post did agree about stuck sections.
Thanks Norman for your example based on your personal experience. I had never taken apart a clarinet in which the bore was dry but with liquid still in the sockets.
Bob Draznik
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Author: hans
Date: 2008-11-01 23:19
Attachment: Recital&Case.JPG (64k)
Chris P,
Re: ".....the older (and no doubt very expensive) cases for the Recital and Signature had the bells remain on (and these cases weren't supplied with the clarinets).", ........... apparently that wasn't always true. My 20 year old Recital, which I bought new, came with a Selmer case (picture attached) that allowed for separate storage of all the parts, including the two barrels.
Norman Smale,
20 years of using commercial wax (my guess is that it's petroleum derived paraffin) on my tenon corks has not caused any deterioration whatsoever. Other than some darkening in color, the corks are as good as new. There must be another factor at work if you are seeing corks deteriorate in 2 or 3 years when commercial cork grease is being used conscientiously, because paraffins are not very chemically active. On the other hand, I would expect cork that isn't protected by a film of cork grease to deteriorate visibly in 2 or 3 years.
Hans
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-11-02 00:03
That's the standard Selmer single case (albeit their large single case - there was the smaller single box case without the huge bits compartment) - the double cases made for the Recital and Signature were the ones where the bells stayed on, though as they've been discontinued recently (in favour of the Bam cases) I can't find any photos.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2008-11-02 09:12)
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2008-11-02 11:21
Hans,
you are clearly lucky in Canada that the distributors must be shipping an acceptable grease. Here in UK virtually all the so called cork grease sold (and usually also packed with every new clarinet sold) is a soft substance with a pungent medical/chemical smell and marked "made in USA" regardless of the brand name printed on the tube.
In addition to rotting the cork it also attacks the adhesive and frequently the cork ends up spinning loosely around on the tenon.
Eventually this grease also congeals and can stick the cork to the socket and leave a joint that is almost impossible (and once on an R13 Bell connection actually impossible) to dismantle.
It is also so soft that often far too much gets applied so that most of it gets immediately swept off by the socket and ends up as a sticky mess on the body and frequently half filling the C#/G# tonehole. I've lost count of how many of those I've cleaned out - did one only yesterday.
Chris, I've had a few newish Howarth oboes in recently which have contained some similar looking "grease" with the Howarth name on the tube but "made in USA" !! Once upon a time they used lovely turned wooden tubs containing proper grease. Peter Eaton discovered the Doctor's product years ago and ships that with his instruments and its the only grease I will supply to my customers. (No I have no financial connection with the Doctor - just believe in suppling only good old fashioned quality products and service.)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-11-02 17:20
Years ago some players used lard....which could go rancid. Later, shortening, a lard substitute and oleomargarine were used.....both being vegetable origin products without the rancidity problem.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-11-02 18:14
Howarth still supply turned wooden grease pots (filled with tallow) with pro level oboes, but all the current student models have the lipstick-style cork grease as the cases are designed for them.
When I started at Howarth just over 10 years back, the student oboes were supplied with turned plastic grease pots filled with heavy silicone grease, whereas the pro models had anodised aluminium grease pots filled with tallow.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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