 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2012-03-05 08:26
I've just finished doing some minor mechanical tweaking on the clarinet of a friend. It was a simple enough fix, the silencing cork had fallen off the crows foot with the obvious result. Talking to him about it I was amazed at his lack of knowledge as to how the clarinet does what it does. He's a very proficient player on several woodwinds, but is completely ignorant of the simple mechanics of how they work. Thinking back, I've met several other players of considerable ability who were unable to perform the simplest repairs or adjustments on their instruments, and who were thrown into confusion and despair by minor problems. This is not universal, but it doesn't appear to be as uncommon as might be thought. Does anyone have any thoughts on this that they'd care to share?
Tony F.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-03-05 09:22
Truer words have not been spoken.
When I was a little wog I was appalled at the number of my peers that couldn't do basic repairs to their bicycles.
Just deal with it............. and charge by the hour !!!!
...................Paul Aviles
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2012-03-05 12:48
When I was in High School (late 1980s), I was taught that we should never, ever try to fix an instrument by ourselves. Bring it to a tech, or you could destroy it! This was (and even remains) conventional wisdom in many quarters.
Because of this, there was a culture of ignorance. Basic things, like a spring too tight down low, necessitated a trip to a tech who would charge quite a bit just to look at the instrument (I was once charged $85 so that a tech could loosen a spring--I'm sure many others have similar stories).
My moment of awakening came when my refurbished Wurlitzers arrived back from Neustadt a couple of years ago. Enclosed in the case was a screwdriver--the case even has a spot for the screwdriver to lodge snugly. Once when I had a problem with slight sluggishness to the Bb speaker mechanism, I asked Charles Stier who I should take it to.
"FIX IT YOURSELF," he said. "That's why they gave you a SCREWDRIVER."
Since then, I've learned to keep my instruments in top playing condition with regular spot checks. If I have a serious problem, I can take it to someone, but for occasional adjustments--spring tension, cleaning a tone hole here or there, or what have you, I do it myself. This is yet another of those basic things (like playing interrupted scales smoothely in Ab or E minor) that clarinetists should be able to do.
I know there are still others out there who have been taught to never even try to fix a spring that has popped off an Ab key...if that happens, the recital is OVER.
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2012-03-05 13:16
Actually some players do far better repairs than some who are supposedly professionals...
A lot of the best repairers are players who started repairing their own instruments.
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2012-03-05 13:25
I could do it all, but unfortunately I was well along in years before I got there . Start early,learn, and do, for the rest of your life.
richard smith
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-03-05 13:47
> Same with cars.......
...or VCR clocks...
--
Ben
Post Edited (2012-03-05 13:47)
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Author: kilo
Date: 2012-03-05 15:05
My clarinet teacher was good about this. We'd have a "shop" lesson every now and then and he'd show me how to replace a worn pad, bend a key or linkage, or adjust a spring.
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2012-03-05 15:10
Eric's post rings a bell. "Take it to a tech, don't try to fix it yourself," was the line I heard over and over again as a kid. Perhaps that was because my clarinet was a one-piece metal rental from the store that outfitted almost every school kid in town.
Well into middle age, when I began playing again, I became fascinated immediately with how the clarinet does what it does and how much care and calibration goes into to keeping it happy. So I bought a $10 clunker online and a Music Medic kit, and while I haven't taken the whole thing apart and put it back together yet (I promised Bob Draznik that that was my goal), I have experimented. And now every little thing that goes wrong with the clarinet I play daily is no longer so much of a mystery. I'm also lucky to have a good tech, who is willing to explain clearly what she's doing..and why.
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Author: Merlin_Williams
Date: 2012-03-05 16:26
Lots of people have no idea of how to observe simple cause and effect relationships. It's a amazing what you can learn by looking.
Jupiter Canada Artist/Clinician
Stratford Shakespeare Festival musician
Woodwind Doubling Channel Creator on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/WoodwindDoubling
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-03-05 17:30
Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
When you have some players that think they know what's wrong but don't know what is actually wrong, then that can lead to all sorts of trouble when they tackle some DIY repair jobs themselves and make things worse.
Wrong type of oil used for the wrong application, wrong size screwdrivers used, too much force or not enough applied when tightening screws, poorly installed pads or wrong size or thickness pads used, key corks too thick or thin or inappropriate density or durability for the purpose, ventings compromised, tenons rounded off through sanding, poor adjustments and regulations, ... then there are those who think they know best and tell their tech how to do their job.
While it's good to have some basic knowledge in how a clarinet works and to diagnose simple problems, provided they have the skill to put it right, then they're best not left alone with a clarinet and a set of Christmas cracker screwdrivers!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Trevor M
Date: 2012-03-05 17:44
"When I was in High School (late 1980s), I was taught that we should never, ever try to fix an instrument by ourselves. Bring it to a tech, or you could destroy it! This was (and even remains) conventional wisdom in many quarters."
Yeah, but you should see the number of instruments messed up by well-meaning but mechanically inept dads. A lot of people, for instance, don't realize that every screw doesn't need to be cranked to its sticking point and krazy glue isn't a suitable replacement for solder. If you want to make a tech shudder, tell them you need to buy a just a couple pads. My other personal favorites have been spray-painting a trombone silver so that it would match the rest of the banda and a sousaphone with a complete Halloween costume stuck in it.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-03-05 17:48
I was in a local music shop where a mother came in demanding to buy a clarinet pad without having the clarinet with her. No idea what she ended up going away with considering she had no idea what size or type was needed - I think she ended up going away with a 17.5mm one, but with around six different size pads being used on a clarinet (and the sizes varying from make to make), who's to know what one she needed. It was one of those 'my daughter's teacher said I need to come here to buy a new pad for her clarinet as you sell them' scenarios, so the teacher was just as in the dark as the pupil and the pupil's mum.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2012-03-05 21:15)
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2012-03-05 17:50
Oh well... people get good at different things. I get frustrated with people who don't have a basic understanding of how to troubleshoot and repair their computers, but then again I've been driving for years and don't have a clue how to fix my car. It depends what you've been taught.
Next time see it as an opportunity to educate your friend, and offer to show him the basics of repair if he gets you a coffee or lunch. I'd surely take you up on such an offer, as I'd love to learn some more advanced repair techniques!
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2012-03-05 18:22
LOL--I guess this puts it into perspective!
Maybe blanket rules aren't so bad, after all...
Chris P,
A agree on everything you wrote too--I'd never attempt most of what you listed, and I don't recommend it. This is probably a good place to thank you for that pull-through advice, though. I was constantly needing to clean out tone holes until I stopped using the pull through to wipe the tenons.
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-03-05 20:11
A basic understanding of the mechanics is a good thing as long as the practitioner has some reasonable mechanical aptitude and plenty of common sense (this is woefully lacking in so many!!) before being letting loose with a screwdriver or similar.
There is a good book published by Haynes on the saxophone and the author Steve Howard is in process of working on a similar book for the clarinet.
If the clarinet book turns out as well as the sax one then I would recommend it to any player with an interest in looking after their instrument. By that I don't mean becoming a repairer but in knowing how to handle the simpler things and when to back off and take it to their tech.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-03-05 20:32
> If the clarinet book turns out as well as the sax one then I would
> recommend it to any player with an interest in looking after their
> instrument. By that I don't mean becoming a repairer but in knowing how to
> handle the simpler things and when to back off and take it to their tech.
My words exactly. "Know thy limits" would be the motto here.
(really looking forward to the Clarinet book)
--
Ben
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-03-05 21:22
Instead of basic mechanical knowledge, more players ideally ought to have some idea of good basic maintenance.
Prevention is always better than cure. While there are many things that the average player won't be able to manage, they can help themselves with a good maintenance regime and that involves not just the cleaning out after playing bit, but also the not subjecting the instrument to sudden changes in temperature. And not leaving them in the car while they're at work is also something I can't stress enough. I don't know how many instruments I've had come to me that are freezing cold that I can't even begin to work on them until they warm up. That applies to all instruments, not just woodwinds.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2012-03-06 12:00
The Haynes book that Norman mentioned is excellent and I'll keep my eyes open for the clarinet one.
Bob Draznik
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Author: BobD
Date: 2012-03-06 12:10
I found many of these comments interesting. People vary in their innate curiosity about how things work. Some of the best instrument players, I'm sure, could care less about maintaining their instruments. But if you are someone who cares and wants to do some of your own work the best thing to do is to buy a "clunker" and proceed to explore it. You will make mistakes and wreck some things but keep this in mind "Experience is the best teacher". In fact, my personal motto is: Experience is the only teacher. We learn from our mistakes not our successes.
I recently decided to replace a spit valve cork on a cornet and learned something about those.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2012-03-06 12:40
Draz,
They call it the water key! Next time I see you, I'll bring you a "goodie bag" of trumpet felts, corks, and a few assorted brass springs.
As a former HS band director I was always using the mouthpiece puller, a lighter to heat pad cups, and my special Feree's Key Bending Pliers.
HRL
PS I have several pad sets, some tubes of clarinet screws, and even some spring hooks.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2012-03-06 13:09
My name is Lelia and I am a tinkeraholic.... I blame my parents. I was born in the Truman administration. The Rosie the Rivitter image seems to have resonated more with them than the conventional wisdom that real men don't teach little girls to use power tools. And my husband is a terrible enabler. Okay, so he's equally addicted and I'm an enabler, too. Neither one of us can keep our hands off something that looks as if it needs work, even if the something is kind of big. (As big as a roached-out 1951 Chevy Fleetliner Deluxe....)
But knowing the limits is good, too. I'm glad I resisted the temptation to monkey around with a bass saxophone I got cheap because the previous owner had dropped it on a concrete garage floor. That old wreck needed serious expertise. If I'd deluded myself I could restore it, I'll bet I'd have made matters worse. Peter Ferrante and Tony Valente (to whom Ferrante contracted the dent-work) did a superb job and I'm glad I went cold-turkey on the tinkering long enough to spend the money. But then I had the money to get the sax restored because I'd kept the cheapskate credentials current by re-padding, re-corking and doing other small repairs on clarinets and smaller saxophones. I just try to make sure DIY doesn't stand for Destroy It Yourself.
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: BobD
Date: 2012-03-07 10:56
@Hank: Hahahaha........"supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." I'll welcome all those small parts....and your company. Where were you when I needed the mouthpiece puller? I had to end up sawing it off and reaming out the end.
Bob Draznik
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Author: crsbryan
Date: 2012-03-07 12:14
Quite a thread. Some thoughts and experiences to share:
As a student, I was always amazed at the other students who had two hands full of keys, but never knew what they did. Let alone how to repair or maintain them. "You mean there's more than one way to play f#?"
I've always been an advocate of simple maintenance for my students. As in, knowing when something is right or not, and knowing what was in their limits to adjust or fix. And reversible quick fixes. For example, a rubber band as a quick fix for a broken spring, or a piece of paper to help a broken or too-thin cork. It'll get you through a show, and your tech won't have a fit when trying to undo your repair. Any of these were followed by "This is temporary. Take it to a repair shop."
As a young assistant band director, I carried some clarinet pads, a lighter, a mouthpiece puller, screwdrivers, rubber bands, self-adhesive cork replacement... A piccolo player had an issue with a missing sliver of cork, and my synthetic self-adhesive was WAY too thick. I ended up using the adhesive section of a post-it, two layers, cut to size. The kids thought I was MacGyver.
And a big thank you, to the unknown technician at the Dallas Brook Mays warehouse. When on Christmas break from college, I desperately needed some repairs on my Alto Sax. A pad needed to be reset, the octave mechanism was out of adjustment, some felts were missing. After calling around to find a tech willing to work on short notice, someone told me to go to the warehouse. Walked right in, asked for the guy, got directions to his work bench. He took a quick look, played it, made several adjustments, reseated the pad, etc. He let me watch, explained everything as he went, found some things I didn't know about, adjusted some other pad heights... Half an hour later, I was thrilled, and asked how much I owed him. "Don't worry about it. I didn't really do anything." I think he appreciated having someone to talk to. And as a student ready to spend the last of his spending money, I appreciate the work for the cost of a conversation. Whoever you are, thank you!
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Author: BobD
Date: 2012-03-07 14:58
just don't leave the rubber band in contact with silver plating too long......
Liked the above about the tech who tossed off a repair job gratis. Life is made more pleasant by that type........
Bob Draznik
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2012-03-07 15:54
When I was a high school kid in the early-mid 80's I took almost all of the keys off my R13. I'm careful and it did not damage anything. I knew enough to keep the screws where I'd find them for the proper places.
What I can't remember is why I did this! I did later take a repair class in grad school, but it only covered the "emergency" type repairs most of which I already knew how to do.
At this point, I rarely do anything to my clarinets because I haven't had big problems. I had my Bb Brannenized in the late 80s. I would love to be able to have that done again, and also my A clarinet was overhauled by Tim Clark. I'd like to have that Brannenized too. If wishes were horses!
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