 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: madboy12
Date: 2010-06-01 02:48
Hello,
I have a HUGE audition and soon and i needto know a good way to clean my mouthpeace. Any good ideas? (ones that work well anyways) The look of your Clarinet to me just says what kind of person you are. Just really need some ideas.
Thanks
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2010-06-01 03:21
Well, how you play really says more, but I'm sure I won't be the last to mention that here...
If you need to clean the outside of "calcium deposits" then get the Doctor's MP cleaner from him at: http://www.doctorsprod.com/store/comersus_listCategories.asp
You should be cleaning the inside of the mouthpiece each time you play with a Qtip or soft cloth anyway. I'm in the camp of "don't use the pull-through swab on the mouthpiece ever" FWIW.
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Author: Chris J
Date: 2010-06-01 06:32
Beware - chemicals or even just hot water can make some mouthpieces change colour.
That said, I have not had a problem with dilute vinegar. Use a white wine glass, narrow enough to put the mouthpiece in and it stays fairly upright.
Put 50% solution (one part vinegar to one part tepid water) in the glass, enough that when you put the mouthpiece in, tip down, the water comes up to, but not onto, the cork. Grease the cork well anyway, just in case.
Leave for 15 minutes and then rub and rinse off and dry. Obviously take any patch off the mouthpiece first.
If there are thick deposits, it might need to be repeated. Any hotter, or any longer, or any stronger solution you may risk discolouration of the piece. If it changes colour anyway - sorry, you were warned!....
Chris
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Author: kdk
Date: 2010-06-01 07:09
I use undiluted vinegar with no bad effects. A shot glass does a good job of holding the mouthpiece up so the cork doesn't get wet and allowing you to use a minimal amount of vinegar.
Karl
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2010-06-01 11:27
Another vote for plain white vinegar. I've used that (approx. 50-50 water and vinegar, at room temperature) on quite a few flea market mouthpieces, some of them in mega-yuck condition. Good results, no damage, no toxicity worries, on both plastic and hard rubber.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Curinfinwe
Date: 2010-06-01 14:51
I've used pure lemon juice without any ill effect. I usually soak it for a couple of hours.
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Author: William
Date: 2010-06-01 14:53
I use straight, undiluted LimeAway (or any similar commercial product) in a shot glass and let my mouthpiece soak--beak down--for two or three minutes. Then I carefully wipe the calcium deposits off with some "quicker picker uper" towelling and then wash with warm soapy water before air drying on a cloth towel. I have used this method on all of my hard rubber mouthpieces for over 30 yrs--Kaspars, Bays, Morgans, Gregorys, etc--and have never failed to remove all that grunge that results from playing without ever having any discoloriaztion of the mouthpiece material. Works also with my metal sax mouthpieces.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2010-06-01 15:49
The series on clarinet auditions (see the thread here) suggests boiling your mouthpiece for a long time --or accelerating the process by using a microwave oven.
(disclaimer: do not try this at home)
Bob Phillips
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2010-06-01 15:49
(Disclaimer - I sell a mouthpiece cleaner)
There are 3 types of grunge that can foul your mouthpiece - the common calcium carbonate white kind, other dried mineral deposits, and dried food particles inside the MP.
Vinegar and lemon juice contain acetic and citric acids respectively which will dissolve the calcium carbonate deposits after 1, 2, or 3 treatments and possibly a little brushing with a soft tooth brush. The LimeAway contains phosphoric acid which does about the same thing. None of them will remove the other mineral deposits that are not carbonates and probably will not remove the dried food deposits inside the mouthpiece without long soaking. Possibly the best method of cleaning is rinsing out your MP after each use with cool water.
A very important caution is not to use hot water on the MP - this is especially true for older Selmer mouthpieces and other older hard rubber mouthpieces because they may turn to the classic shades of green or brown within a short exposure to hot water (the sulphur used in vulcanizing reacts with chemicals in water to form very insoluble brown and green compounds).
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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Author: Plonk
Date: 2010-06-01 19:57
I am curious - why do people frown upon using the pull-through swab on the mp? I've always used mine. I remove the mp first and pull it through very gently, and only so the swab peeps through slightly - I wouldn't try and pull the whole thing through. I use a Vandoren mouthpiece.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-06-01 21:37
Some feel that this will affect the inner bore and chamber of the mouthpiece, or might somehow damage the facing.
Jeff
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Author: William
Date: 2010-06-01 22:19
LOL--I knew a local sax player who decided, after many years of great playing, to clean his mouthpiece, only to discover that in removing all of the built-up gunk, his cool jazz sound was totally ruined--at least, in his own mind. True story...........
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Author: kdk
Date: 2010-06-02 11:42
Was this meant as a reply to Plonk's question about pulling a swab through the mouthpiece, or did you really mean it to refer to Lelia's comment about using vinegar?
Karl
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Author: Tony Beck
Date: 2010-06-02 18:30
Don't boil your MP!!!!!
I've posted this story before, but now might be a good time to do it again.
Back in High School, my MP got to the point where it really needed a cleaning. My brother played trombone and boiled his MP regularly, so I tried it with my nice Selmer. It came out a nasty OD green color and the rails warped. It NEVER played right again. I could have moved to the sax section and nobody would have noticed by the sound.
I vote for the Doctor's cleaner, or 50/50 vinegar/water.
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Author: A Brady
Date: 2010-06-03 18:56
I absolutely concur with the Doctor's recommendation to use cool (never hot) water to clean your mouthpieces. I then gently dry them with a soft cloth or paper towel.
I've been doing this for years (after each playing session whenever possible) and have had no need to resort to any stronger substances, as my mouthpieces stay fresh and clean.
AB
AB
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-06-04 15:57
I've often posted my recommendation on this board before about using vinegar and water. I use 1/3 vinegar but half is fine too. It's easy, it's probably in your home already and it cheap. The question about pulling the swab through has been put on this board before as well. I have always pulled my swab through my mouthpiece after playing. I use a silk swab, always pull it away from the facing and make sure it's fully opened before pulling it through. I've been using my present mouthpiece for almost 20 years now and it plays as good as new. Professional mouthpieces are made out of very hard material and gently pulling a soft swab through it is simply not going to damage it in any way in my opinion. Before the coming of silk swabs I used to just push the swab into the MP to dry the inside but with silk, I don't have a problem. Maybe if I were to do that for a few hundred years I might be a slightly bit concerned but by that time I would probably change mouthpieces anyway. My good reed probably won't last that long either. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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