Author: karlbonner82
Date: 2010-11-02 06:21
(For this topic's purpose, "joint" refers to the corked connections themselves, NOT the pieces of clarinet that are assembled at the connections!)
Over the past several months I have noticed that the notes C and C# in chalumeau, as well as G/G# in the clarion, have some difficulty blending and matching with the notes immediately above and below. In the chalumeau it manifests itself mainly as a mild airy "hiss" while the notes B and below, as well as D and above, have a very clean and solid sound. In the clarion register the G# has a rather hard and thin tone, as opposed to the more brilliant sound from A up to C, and the very rich and sweet notes from F# downward.
Of these four notes, clarion G seems to be the least problematic - its quality is barely distinguishable from F#, and you have to have a moderately good ear to notice at all. But the discrepancy is there, I can definitely tell.
I also noticed that the middle joint is a bit loose/wobbly when assembled. I don't recall having any problems with it actually falling apart in the middle of practice, but the alignment sometimes slips a bit, enough to make trouble with the key mechanism used when playing chalumeau Eb / clarion Bb with the XOOXOO fingering.
I suspect that this may be responsible. If there's a slight leak in the middle joint it would definitely explain the tonal problems with C and G. Also it at least seems that when I apply a fresh and generous quantity of cork grease, the problem isn't quite as bad - precisely what you'd expect if the joint was leaking.
However, there's a complication to this hypothesis. The C#/G# is worse - not what I would expect given that the keyhole for this note is above the joint while that for C/G is below. Could there simultaneously be something wrong with the hole or the pad for C#/G#?
Finally the solution question. What, if anything, could I do to fix or reduce the leak at the joint, if that really is the root of the problem? A pricey repair is off the table, since it would be too costly to justify for an el-cheapo clarinet like mine. I'm thinking something along the lines of a thicker cork that would fit more tightly, or maybe something inside the "female" part of the joint to lower its internal diameter ever so slightly. Suggestions???
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The Clarinet BBoard
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