 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Paula S
Date: 2012-08-14 21:27
Hi All,
I wondered if anyone has ever has such a modification to their clarinet or knows anyone who has?
I have very small hands and find it very difficult to touch the L hand B key without moving my left hand out of optimum position. Obviously this can take my hand off the LH tone holes. I could do with an extension to the long left hand B key by about a quarter of a centimetre. This is not just an issue with my recently acquired 1010s but my F. Arthur Uebels which have much more compact keywork.
I am fine until I have to do lots of very fast passage work or get tired as my LH pinky is at absolute full stretch all of the time.
I have had my thumb rest moved down by about an inch so you can see the extent of my problem.
I think I could also do with having the G sharp/C sharp LH key widening so I can hit it more centrally and keep my LH hand more central.
Apart from buying a Lyons C I can't see any other option ;-)
I was told when I was 13 my hands would grow into the clarinet.......
No such luck!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-08-14 21:57
The LH levers (all of them) can be lengthened relatively easily by cutting them and silver soldering in the required length of nickel silver to bring the touchpieces into a more comfortable position, then tidying it up and hiding the job by having the keys silver plated.
Similarly the C#/G# touchpiece can be widened, but even easier still it can be bent upwards if it's too low for you, or the touchpiece arm lengthened in the same manner as the LH levers.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Paula S
Date: 2012-08-15 07:58
Thanks Chris, that is really useful to know. I might try taping a pad of gauze around the key to lengthen it temporarily and see how it feels. I might then get an idea of whether it impedes me reaching the other keys or not. Once I know what the best position is I will get the key work done as it is something that has always frustrated me.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2012-08-15 12:15
There's an occasional contributor to this BB for whom I've made a similar modification, to two or three of his clarinets. I did it slightly differently though, by adding material to the spatula itself and then blending it in, rather than adding length to the central portion of the key as Chris P. describes (which, now that I think of it, is probably the better solution!).
Post Edited (2012-08-15 14:45)
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