 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: W
Date: 2013-12-13 12:30
I have recently purchased a selmer signet soloist, and as soon as it came I noticed that to me, the register key was "sprung" higher than on the beginner rental Leblanc vito, and whenever I try to roll my thumb over, usually end up bumping into the side of the key, not depressing it. Is there a way to either adjust the key or any suggestions as to anything I can tack/solder on, making the key easier to reach, maybe something vaguely Ridenour-shaped? Or do I just have to live with it?
Thanks.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2013-12-13 13:01
You can try to carefully bend it a wee bit by pressing the touchpiece end down and then the pad end. Not too much though, so that there is still enough clearance when the register pad is open. You might have to sand the bumper cork under the touchpiece to the bare minimum to get a reasonable compromise.
When unsure, ask your friendly repair person to do that for you. (It is not unusual to return to the shop for minor tweaks some days or weeks after the purchase)
--
Ben
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-12-13 13:02
The touchpiece can be bent down and a thin cork glued to the underside to bring the overall height right down without compromising the venting.
Post a photo of it side on so we can see how high it is in relation to the thumb tube/thumb ring (hold down the LH finger 1 ring to allow the thumb ring to lower) and also how thick the stopper cork is.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-12-13 13:14
First, try changing your left hand position. Finger low C and rotate so that your thumb points more upward. This lets you reach the register key easily.
This is easy to experiment with, but it's more difficult to change the habitual position. Practice while looking at your hand in a mirror, so you can see what the correct position looks like and correct yourself when you go back to the old position.
If this doesn't work, and assuming the metal is German silver, adding a short extension is easy work for any trained repair tech. Most jewelers could do it, too. In either case, bring along a good photo of what you want.
Ken Shaw
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-12-13 20:39
I'm not sure what you mean by "whenever I try to roll my thumb over..." It makes me think of "rolling" my index finger from the top tone hole over to the throat A key - I leave the hole to press the key. The only note you leave the thumb hole to play with the register key open is throat Bb. For any other standard fingerings that involve opening the register vent, the thumb remains over the thumb hole. So if you mean rolling your thumb from side to side, you may have a problem with uncovering the bottom of the thumb hole, regardless of where you hit the register key. Your thumb needs to point at an angle where you can rock the thumb down onto the register key spatula or up off of it. Maybe we're using "roll" and "rock" to mean the same thing. In any case, if you're hitting "the side of the key" instead of the middle, it may be more a problem of where your thumb position points when in the chalumeau or the side-to-side position of the key (instead of its height).
Best thing would be to have someone who knows what he/she is looking at watch while you play and actually see what's happening. Often your own sense of what you're doing isn't accurate, since you can't really see it for yourself. If you have access to a really skilled repair tech, you may have the best of both worlds because he or she will also have a good sense of what can be done to solve the problem.
Of course, you just moved from an entry-level rental instrument to a new upgrade clarinet with differently designed keys. The solution may simply be to play on the Signet for awhile and see if you gradually get used to the new key position and learn to accommodate it. It may even work out to be a better design than the one you're used to.
Karl
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