 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: WN899
Date: 2013-12-16 10:34
Hi Everyone.
I stumbled across this forum while searching for some clarinet information. My Daughter has been playing for many years and has had an R13 since 9th grade. She is now in her 2nd year of College. She takes meticulous care of the instrument and has concerns about temperature fluctuations at the dorm in her school this year. I know the school itself has temperature controlled lockers that she can use, but was wondering if there is a personal version of these units that I can get her. She seems to want here instrument with her and it would help for when she is home as well. Any direction is appreciated.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-12-16 12:11
Since a clarinet is small I suggest just having it wherever SHE is. My rule is, if I'm uncomfortable, so is the clarinet. Having said that, that isn't necessarily true. What you DO want to avoid is having a clarinet in a freezing cold car for hours and then picking it up immediately and blowing body temperature air down the bore............a recipe for cracking! If you allow the instrument to get to ambient temperature there shouldn't be much of an issue, though try to avoid extremes of temperature on either end of the spectrum (a hot, locked car in the middle of the Summer).
................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-12-16 14:49
When my clarinets get cold, as by carrying the case to a rehearsal in winter, when I get where I'm going I open the case, prop the joints up so they are exposed all the way around, and let everything come up to room temperature before I put them together - maybe 10 or 15 minutes. I mess around with reeds for at least that long.
A fuzzy case cover such as from Cavallaro http://coloradocase.com/search.aspx?find=clarinet or Altieri http://www.altieribags.com/ww_clarinet.html will keep things warm for a while. (I have an Altieri.) However, they've become *expensive* (well over $100).
The affordable solution is to wrap the case in a blanket or a down coat and put it in a backpack before you take it outside. Somebody could get (a little bit) rich by sewing Thinsulate or Polartec 300 fabric to a windproof shell and then making a case cover.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2013-12-16 14:54
I agree with Paul. Just don't allow an instrumet to go quickly from one extreme to another. Often, when we would tour some of our instruments that were shipped, my bass clarinet especially, would be very cold when we would arrive at the hall. I would just open my case and let it "air" out for half an hour or so before playing it. Even the clarinets I would carry would often get very cold if I had to walk a long way, so I'd do the same. It isn't the cold or heat, within reason, that hurts a clarinet, it's the quick change. I keep my house at 68 in the winter (at night it goes down to 60) but my studio is about 64-65 during the day because it's at the end of my rancher house. I turn on an electric heater for a few minutes in the room and open my case for a few minutes before playing it or teaching. Never have a problem.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2013-12-16 14:55)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: john4256
Date: 2013-12-16 15:30
How about the other way around? When I am playing outside in the cold, especially at this time of year, the clarinets go from a warm car into the open air! Not too cold over here in the UK but a few degrees above freezing nonetheless. Is there a danger of cracking in this case?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-12-16 15:47
Dear john4256,
Particularly that case !!!!! Because you are blowing air at 97 degrees fahrenheit into a piece of wood that is freezing cold on the outside (eventually).
You need a Greenline clarinet for outdoor use in cold temperatures...........or face the wrath of Mother Nature.
..............Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2013-12-16 16:16
just put a thermometer in your case, instead of the clarinet, then walk from the car to the rehearsal room and check how much the temperature has fallen. With the clarinet inside, that rate may just be half as steep.
Only then you can start worrying about freezing temperatures and the like.
--
Ben
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2013-12-16 22:16
Oil filled electric radiators are inexpensive and have a thermostat.
Steve Ocone
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-12-16 23:06
I would never play a wood clarinet outside in cold weather. A Vito or even a Bundy plays perfectly well with a good mouthpiece.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: acermak
Date: 2013-12-17 16:28
I've noticed though that in cold weather on my resonite alto or plastic B12, the pads start sticking in cooler weather. I'm guessing that isn't all that great for pad longevity. So I don't think playing outside in cold weather is harmless even on plastic clarinets.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-12-17 17:57
I played honor guards at West Point with the temperature below 20 degrees and the wind whistling down from Canada and an Army/Navy game in a blizzard. My Bundy never failed. You keep the pads and rims clean by sliding a new $1 bill between the pad and the rim, pressing firmly and drawing the bill out.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: WN899
Date: 2013-12-17 21:33
Thanks Ken. Two great suggestions. 100.00 case cover is certainly less expensive than a new R13:-)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: WN899
Date: 2013-12-17 21:36
Thanks to all for the posts. I believe I understand a lot better now. For me, as a non-musician, I am trying to do what's best for the instrument in the most practical way possible and it seems as though it is more durable than I am giving it credit for, especially at the level of care it currently receives. Once again, thanks to everyone for taking the time!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Wes
Date: 2013-12-17 23:14
Yes, I recall playing at 15 degrees F in the St. Paul Winter Carnival Parade with a metal clarinet. At the end of the parade, there was ice inside the clarinet!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: saxlite
Date: 2013-12-20 22:08
Wes-
I assume you were playing "Baby, It's Cold Outside"......
Jerry
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
