 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2008-11-19 22:38
I've always been rather a "wet" player i.e. get quite a lot of condensation in the bore. With the onset of colder weather (in N hemispere anyway) this condensation is significantly greater. To compensate I tend to pull through at regular intervals during sessions however my main question is are there any studies that show what effect, if any, this moisture build up has on the instrument e.g. pitch/timbre/response ?
My gut feel is that since bores are designed and reamed to dimensions accurate to a thousandth of an inch that anything that changes this dimension would have an effect, but does the layer of moisture actually do this?
I've tried the search route but so far found no prior thread on this.
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Author: Rusty
Date: 2008-11-19 23:57
Can`t speak for the bore but I know any moisture slopping around in the mouthpiece and reed has a major effect on the output sound.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-11-20 00:52
I can't speak to a study but I can tell you from personal experience. I am a "Wet" player too. I swab out constantly, practicing, rehearsing or at concerts other wise I get water in the keys and the pads get wet. I can honestly say that nothing in the way of tone or pitch has ever been affected. I've never noticed any problem in all the years I've been playing professionally. ESP
www.peabody.jhu.edu/457 Listen to a little Mozart, live performance.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-11-20 19:17
>> My gut feel is that since bores are designed and reamed to
>> dimensions accurate to a thousandth of an inch that anything
>> that changes this dimension would have an effect, but does
>> the layer of moisture actually do this?
At least some models of professional clarinets are not made to this accuracy at all. I'm not exactly sure how accurate wood can be cut, but I'm not talking about that, but the reaming process itself.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2008-11-21 22:20
The pitch of the horn depends mostly on the length of the air column. Reducing the bore a few thousandths of an inch with a coating of water can't have much effect on the pitch --or the air column dynamics.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2008-11-22 16:55
Glad to hear from Ed that moisture is no problem professionally, I must admit that at my modest level it's not actually been a real problem although in my imagination? I feel that the response and attack in altissimo always seems happier after I swab.
To claribass I know that in the finest manufacture working with african blackwood it is easily possible to ream to tolerance of a thou, we certainly did when I worked with a leading handmaker of clarinets, can't speak for the mass producers. How long these tolerances hold is partly up to the proper maturing pf the wood (again can't speak for the industry) and partly to the new owner and how the instrument is looked after.
From many measurements of used clarinets I've often found swelling at the critical upper part of the top joint, thats why I firmly believe in oiling at least this part of the bore and the tenon endgrain to reduce the risk.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-11-22 17:00
>> To claribass I know that in the finest manufacture working with african
>> blackwood it is easily possible to ream to tolerance of a thou....
I didn't say it wasn't possible.
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Author: Ryder
Date: 2008-11-22 17:07
From experience I can say, but haven't noticed recently, condensation in the mouthpiece slows response. like i said though, i haven't noticed it recently, so it could have just been my reeds
____________________
Ryder Naymik
San Antonio, Texas
"We pracice the way we want to perform, that way when we perform it's just like we practiced"
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