 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: superson
Date: 2010-09-25 14:38
Hi- I need a bit of technical help.
My clarinet's been a bit dodgy all week- nothing particularly wrong just that it sounds different and has been a bit harder to blow. Today after playing for a while, it suddenly just deteriorated until i couldn't make a sound at all. I changed reeds a few times, took it apart and put it back together, checked screws and springs and keys were okay, pulled a cleaner cloth through it, but nothing obvious was wrong. If I just blowed the mouthpiece and barrel it still made a sound. It sort of fixed itself but then died again soon after.
I'm not a technical person and know nothing about the technical side of clarinets. I was going to take it to repairs anyway because the corks are deteriorating. I just want to know if anyone thinks they know what's wrong or if the corks may be a reason why my clarinet is playing up.
Thanks for any help.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-09-25 15:49
Check the pads on the top joint for any torn ones - the skin can tear leaving a flap hanging away from the pad surface.
And do a blow or suction test (closing off all the fingerholes, blocking off the tenon and blowing/sucking the air out). If it leaks, you'll hear hissing as air passes through any poorly seating or torn pads.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2010-09-25 17:26
I agree with Chris in most details but one:
When doing the blow/suck test on the upper joint, you can hear air hissing out when blowing into the joint, but not often sucking air in.
Suck the air out of the joint, close the top of the joint off with your lips, count out a slow three and release your fingers. If the pads are sealing, you'll hear a nice "pop" when you release.
I completely agree that you have a leak, however.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: kdk
Date: 2010-09-25 17:38
"Today after playing for a while, it suddenly just deteriorated until i couldn't make a sound at all."
Sometimes a regular felt (or other absorbent material) pad with a torn cover can more or less seal at first but will swell as it absorbs moisture. So a slight stuffiness when you first start to practice can reach a disabling level as you continue. As you've already read, there's almost certainly a torn pad somewhere in the upper section, and it's possible that it could, when the clarinet hasn't been played, feel OK in a vacuum test (whether you blow in or suck air out). It's usually fairly easy to see a torn skin covering if you look at the pads carefully. Often you can narrow the exact pad down by noticing carefully which note is the first to feel stuffy. Otherwise, the padded keys can always be removed one by one until you (or a tech) finds the problem pad.
Karl
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Author: superson
Date: 2010-09-25 17:58
Hi- did the test again and I heard the 'pop' sound. Although I often have problems with the key that you press when you go into higher octaves (sorry- not very technical but i don't know what to call it), could that have anything to do with anything. It gets stuck and sometimes doesn't move properly.
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Author: superson
Date: 2010-09-25 18:02
Hi- sorry looked at all the pads with a torch and most look quite worn- so it probably is then. does anyone know how much a repad/recork would cost?
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2010-09-25 18:29
You said: "the corks are deteriorating"
You may have a leak due to the tenon cork. Especially if a piece of cork is missing or torn. Apply 2-3 layers of the "pluming" (teflon) tape on the cork as temporary fix.
Vytas Krass
Clarinet Repair
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2010-09-25 20:29
If when blowing into the clarinet you don't hear a hiss--when sucking the air out and completing the vacuum you do hear a pop: the pads are sealing the way they are supposed to. Don't bother thinking about having them replaced.
KDK suggested that the pads may be changing after having absorbed some moisture: repeat the vacuum tests after you've played for a bit and the situation returns.
Giving Vytas' suggestion a try would be a wise idea.
Good luck! Let us know how things progress!
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2010-09-25 21:17
The suction test will reveal quite bad disrepair, but isn't the most precise way of checking for leaks. A leaky horn may still pass the suction test with flying colors. Take your instrument to a good technician.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2010-09-26 14:08
>>Take your instrument to a good technician.
>>
Yes. The fact that the pads *and* the corks look visibly worn is a strong clue that it's time for a general overhaul. That's no reflection on you. No matter how well we take care of our instruments, pads and corks wear out eventually. I'm in the USA and have no idea what the work might cost in England, but it'll be way less than replacing an instrument that almost certainly doesn't need replacing. Even though I do simple repairs myself, IMHO good technicians are well worth what they charge.
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: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2010-09-26 17:07
From your description of the problem, I think Vytas is right on the money. Some time ago, I bought a used mouthpiece on eBay. It's cork looked to be in very good shape. When I put it on the clarinet it didn't seem loose but it wasn't extremely tight either. The first few times I played it, it played well enough that I decided to use it for a concert. As I was warming up, however, I encountered exactly the symptoms you describe. First the clarinet became a little harder to play, occasional notes cutting out, then it stopped responding altogether. After a momentary panic, I replaced the mouthpiece with my normal one and the clarinet played fine.
The problem was puzzling because, when I would put the mouthpiece on the barrel, I felt some resistance. Also the problem seemed to come and go. The clarinet would play fine for awhile and then stop working. Finally, in some desperation, I tried wrapping the mouthpiece tenon cork with dental floss. Problem found. I replaced the tenon cork. Problem solved.
Since your mouthpiece/barrel play, the problem probably isn't with your mouthpiece cork. But given that you have noted deterioration in your (tenon?) corks, that's where I would suspect the main problem lies. A faulty tenon cork would not show up in the suck and blow tests and might indeed seem to fix itself temporarily. Try Vytas' suggested fix. If you don't have teflon tape, dental floss will work. If you don't have either, try wrapping a strip of paper around the tenon.
Then see a repair tech.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Ian White
Date: 2010-09-26 20:21
I reckon the first thing is to sort the sticking register key - that is most likely the prime cause of your intermittent problem.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-09-26 21:42
The tenon corks are the corks that keep the joints of the clarinet together.
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: Tony F
Date: 2010-09-27 04:22
If the register key is sticking you need to sort that out first, it could be causing confusion as to where the main problem lies. While you have it off the instrument, check the register tube. This is the tube that projects into the bore in the upper part. Sometimes these can clog or become displaced and cause hard-to-find problems. After that, the joint corks are where I would go next.
Tony F.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2010-09-29 05:05
It's possible that the register key just doesn't close completely if it's binding for whatever reason. Also possible that a key is hitting a key, but only sometimes and just barely enough to sometimes work (e.g. a trill key touchpiece barely touching another, most of the time sliding over it, but not always, a problem I found on a clarinet recently).
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Author: Chris J
Date: 2010-09-29 06:24
Nobody has mentioned the G#/A key linkage yet.
Make sure that the A key moves a fraction before it lifts the G# lever - and still does when the problem arises after you have been playing for a while.
If that is the problem, then a simple adjustment of the screw on the A key will solve it
Chris
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Author: superson
Date: 2010-09-29 17:18
Hello everyone- I'm taking the clarinet to a technician sometime in the week, will post when I find out what is wrong.
thankyou all
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Author: superson
Date: 2010-10-02 20:49
Hello everyone- for anyone interested - problem solved- the problem was a couple of dodgy keys I missed which were causing a leak, and a few pads need replacing.
Thankyou all
Post Edited (2010-10-03 16:19)
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-10-02 20:56
It's probably best to take the instrument to the shop once year, just for a general "once over" by the tech.
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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