 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Matt_Clarinet
Date: 2013-09-12 11:22
Recently my Clarinet hasn't been playing well, compared to how it usually does. The articulation isn't all that clear, even when I use different sized reeds, and it has become more difficult to tongue fast and clearly. High notes are starting to sound thin, and notes don't always come out properly when I play them.
I've been using my Clarinet for about five years and I don't recall this having happened previously. When I recently had it serviced, the people who did the servicing strongly believed that it was time to upgrade, and that the Clarinet is not really designed to play higher level pieces. We hired a student Clarinet while my other Clarinet was getting serviced and I did not encounter this problem.
Does anyone know what is the most likely cause of this problem, and as my Clarinet was playing perfectly well not long ago, has it just "worn out" or could the cause be something such as a leak or perhaps to do with the reeds?
Thanks
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2013-09-12 12:06
Yes, or some toneholes (notably the register pipe) are clogged with lint from swabbing etc.
I don't really believe this "worn out" myth.
Also, I noticed that during fall and spring my reeds behave a bit erratically at times. (maybe it's the change in the ambient humidity or temperature, or maybe it's me). Got a synthetic reed, just to make sure?
--
Ben
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2013-09-12 12:59
What with the BS and what seems to be at least one leak, maybe time to try a different technician.
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2013-09-12 14:05
Likely cause is lack of expert technician.
richard smith
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Author: pewd
Date: 2013-09-12 16:09
"try a different technician"
yup.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-09-12 16:09
Hi Matt,
After 5 years your clarinet is almost certainly not worn out. It may well need pads or corks, but that is quite normal and constitutes normal wear and tear. It sound as though you have a leak somewhere, or possibly the register tube is partially blocked. Is there any chance that you have damaged your mouthpiece? Have you tried it with other mouthpieces?
With regard to the advice you were given by your tech, I would consider it to be rubbish. There is very little in the clarinet repertoir that cannot be played on a student level instrument in good order. A more expensive instrument might give a bit more precision with regard to intonation or perhaps more options with keying, but that's all. I suspect they are in the business of selling clarinets.
Whereabouts in Melbourne are you? I'm up the hill in Emerald and I'd be quite happy to take a look at your horn. Unless it needs a complete repad I could probably sort it out while you have a cup of coffee.
Tony F.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-09-12 18:31
The problem is almost certainly in the "hardware."
First, make sure your reed is not leaking around the tip, particularly at one of the corners. Move your reed about 1 mm. to check.
Next, check for damage to your mouthpiece by trying another one.
If your mouthpiece is OK, put it on a different clarinet to check for whether yours has leaking pads or other problems.
Ken Shaw
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Author: hgp_atx
Date: 2013-09-13 03:16
If you swab your mouthpiece after every playing session, then you ruined your mouthpiece after 5 years. Also try upgrading reed size by 1/2, your reed could be too soft. Don't swab the mouthpiece.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2013-09-13 04:07
hgp atx,
I refer you to other threads here that refute your unqualified assertion that swabbing ruins mouthpieces.
I suspect that, if the horn isn't leaking and no radical changes in equipment have been made, bad habits have crept in unconsciously. As usual, these types of problems start before the clarinet starts.
B.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2013-09-13 04:07
hgp atx,
I refer you to other threads here that refute your unqualified assertion that swabbing ruins mouthpieces.
I suspect that, if the horn isn't leaking and no radical changes in equipment have been made, bad habits have crept in unconsciously. As usual, these types of problems start before the clarinet starts.
B.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-09-13 04:54
"If you swab your mouthpiece after every playing session, then you ruined your mouthpiece after 5 years. Also try upgrading reed size by 1/2, your reed could be too soft. Don't swab the mouthpiece."
I swab my mouthpiece after every session and I haven't damaged one yet. I'm not sure where you get these ideas.
Tony F.
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Author: Alexis
Date: 2013-09-13 07:20
It does sound like a leak, but mouthpieces also wear out, so it might be worth trying a new one.
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2013-09-13 10:08
out of curiosity: does it happen on all notes? can you test it?
start chromatic from the top and go down to find out where the problem starts. If the issue starts at some note and below, then it is horn, if it sounds bad on all it is mouthpiece or leaks at barrel..
also check joints individually for leaks. Take one joint close all toneholes, put a hand at the bottom and blow on top.
if you can't find obvious leak sometimes it could be bent/worn spring.. valves would open when you apply pressure, esp on low joint. You woudn't think there is much pressure but it would make it sound all fuzzy, esp low clarion/chalumeau
my $.02
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-09-13 10:58
I've seen several mouthpieces damaged and worn out through being swabbed with the pullthrough - either a burr is kicked up at the base of the window or the insides of the side rails were worn and rounded off causing leaks.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Matt_Clarinet
Date: 2013-09-13 12:01
Thanks for the great replies. Since posting before I have checked for leaks, and the Clarinet appears to be holding air (only just).
I've only had the mouthpiece I'm using for about 3-4 months but I have been swabbing it. I hadn't heard that swabbing the mouthpiece could cause damage before, but it seems to be a concern. Does anyone know whether damage could be caused by swabbing in this amount of time?
Post Edited (2013-09-13 12:02)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-09-13 12:18
I think you'll be fine if it's only been a few months, provided you haven't had to use force to get the pullthrough through it.
You can check how well your reed is sealing against your mouthpiece facing by first wetting the reed thoroughly, then fit it to the mouthpiece as normal. Then block the end of the tenon off with your thumb (best lick it to make it airtight) and suck the air from the beak end to create a vacuum inside the mouthpiece and take it out of your mouth once that's done.
The reed should be held tightly closed against the facing by the vacuum created within the mouthpiece and will make a hissing sound until the reed springs open with a definite 'pop'. The longer this vacuum holds the reed closed will determine how well the reed is seating against the mouthpiece facing, so anything less than a couple of seconds (or not at all) means there's a leak.
Also if you've got any reeds with wavy tips, doing this will flatten them out, but they do have to be well soaked first as you can't do this with dry reeds.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-09-13 12:22
It's easy to damage a mouthpiece by banging it against a music stand or chair at just the wrong angle. The corners, where the tip meets the rails, are particularly vulnerable. A tiny ding can bend back the corner, creating a leak.
I've been swabbing my mouthpieces for over 50 years, being careful not to drag the swab over the tip, but to pull it at an angle. I've never seen any wear. However, my nephew, as a beginner, couldn't get a sound out without squeaking. I couldn't either. I looked at the mouthpiece and saw that the light reflection angle changed at one of the corners, meaning that the plastic had been pushed back.
So you really need to try a different mouthpiece.
Also, a well-adjusted instrument should do a lot better than "only just" hold a vacuum. The famous repairman Hans Moennig insisted that any clarinet coming out of his shop had to hold a vacuum for 30 seconds.
So you really need to try a different clarinet.
Ken Shaw
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2013-09-13 13:13
>and the Clarinet appears to be holding air (only just)
what do you mean by that?
is it leaking slowly? or the valves open when you push air down?
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2013-09-13 14:28
I think yanking one of those old-fashioned felt or chamois swabs all the way through the beak end of a mouthpice probably could do damage eventually. Even though I use a silk swab, I prefer to take the reed off, rinse the reed and the mouthpiece under the (cold) tap, blot them dry on a towel and then blot the inside of the mouthpiece mostly-dry with a piece of thin, old flannel I keep in my case. I wrap the cloth around my finger. Someone with thick fingers could roll the fabric up. If I'm away from a running water tap, I just blot the reed and the mouthpiece with either the flannel or the silk swab.
For larger mouthpieces, I use one of those "mouthpiece savers" to do the blotting, but I'd never leave one of those in a mouthpiece because the moisture would never air-dry that way and would attract mold, mildew and possibly small monsters from outer space. Jane Feline that says her between-the-lives mentor, Shadow Cat, R.I.P., tried to convince her they're using dirty clarinet mouthpieces as megaphones to advance their cause for world domination. (It's not working, but they're too stupid to try something new. However, the monsters that get into the damp clarinet itself are another matter entirely.) Then again, Jane thinks Shadow Cat was cracked on the subject of monsters. I don't feel I have sufficient information to take sides.
I agree with a bunch of other humans that the clarinet in question probably has a small leak. And so does that technician.
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: rtmyth
Date: 2013-09-13 15:00
Mps can be damaged by swabs if not carefully done. I preferred cleaning with warm soapy water and soft paper tissues, such as Kleenex. Check your mp with 3X magnification for dings, etc.
richard smith
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2013-09-14 17:38
The mouthpiece thing is fine and dandy, but I don't think an MPC-related problem "evolves" over time. Must be something more subtle than a rail gone south.
Maybe your embouchure has evolved (in whatever direction). Maybe it's that a different facing suits your snout better than say five years ago. Try a different beak.
Maybe the instrument is truly ready for a service. Keys going out of alignment, pads deteriorating...it's the way things go. We don't get any younger, nor do our instruments.
If you can, borrow a different instrument (of whatever class, be it student, intermediate or professional) and see where it takes you.
Maybe it's something in your mind? Are you bored by repertoire? Maybe it isn't the instrument, maybe it's your attitude (don't get me wrong) towards what's on your stand, maybe it's the teacher/director/band/venue you've come to dislike? We all change over time, so do our preferences, what we like, what we're looking forward to. Nothing wrong about that.
Just some random thoughts...
--
Ben
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2013-09-14 18:49
What is the make of your clarinet? Is it a Buffet or a Tskowjen? It does make a difference.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: marcia
Date: 2013-09-14 19:33
>It's easy to damage a mouthpiece by banging it against a music stand or >chair at just the wrong angle.
And what would be the correct angle for banging a mouthpiece? ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
(sorry, couldn't resist)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-09-14 20:04
Oh come on, it's 32.856° - everyone knows that!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2013-09-18 13:00
Doctor's Products' "Black Magic" one is pretty good too.
http://doctorsprod.com/cbuy/black-legend-swab
It needs about 50 grams (2 oz) of pull to get it through my mouthpiece. (I guess it may produce some barely discernable wear after about 50000 pulls.)
Post Edited (2013-09-18 13:13)
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