The Clarinet BBoard

Re: Clarinet Accessories for College?

Author: Jack Kissinger  Date:   2014-08-09 00:45 A few additional thoughts: 1. You may not need a music stand for campus but you might want one if you do any playing off-campus, e.g. at a local church. I'd take one to school if I were you and I'd get something a little more attractive/sturdy than the typical folding wire stand. K&M makes a sturdy folding black stand that is relatively light weight but attractive enough for performances. 2. Consider a stand light. You may find yourself in a venue where the lighting is less than adequate. My preference is the Mighty Bright with nine LED bulbs. It puts out a lot more light than the insect antennae type. (But you're young so your eyes may not need as much light as mine do. ) Of course, unless you are always somewhere that you can plug in, the light will need batteries. If you find yourself using a stand light frequently, you might consider rechargeable NiMH batteries and a charger. 3. Some clothespins may come in handy for outdoor performances. A sturdy water bottle will have uses beyond your music. 4. The small instrument stands that you can pack in your bell take up little space, are lightweight and are easy to carry. They are, however, also easy to knock over. The Blayman stands are sturdy but weigh a ton. I prefer a compromise - the K&M base with pegs for whatever instruments I'm carrying is pretty sturdy without being too heavy. 5 Post-it notes can be useful if you can't/don't want to mark your music directly. 6. If you wear eyeglasses, consider an extra pair to keep in your case/utility bag. 7. My case doesn't have a lot of room for accessories so I carry a (light-weight) utility bag. IMO, the best color is black but that's up to you. Look for something with lots of pockets to help you organize your stuff. 8. And, on the topic of stuff. Be aware that "stuff" happens and, when it does, you may not be able to get to a repair shop so it's a good idea to be prepared to deal with it on your own. You might want to consider acquiring the tools and supplies you need and learning how to make a few emergency repairs: replacing pads, key corks and tenon corks, e.g.. There is a Valentino Clarinet Emergency repair kit but, at $40, I think it's too expensive for what you get. I also don't consider Music Medic's kit a good value for the money. If they had left out the (IMO totally unnecessary) leak light and lowered the price accordingly, I might feel differently. I have a small repair kit that I've put together over time that I would certainly want if I were away from home and often carry in my utility bag. My kit includes: 1. a small screwdriver 2. a spring hook tool (a small crochet hook would also work) 3. an X-acto knife (for cutting cork) 4. a small ruler and a metal straight-edge 5. a small butane lighter 6. a small pair of scissors (mustache/beard scissors are about the right size) 7. a couple of key clamps 8. Q-tips and a couple of cotton balls 9. a small piece of glue gun glue 10. an assortment of Valentino greenback pads -- these are great because you can press them into place without having to use glue and, generally, they are pretty easy to seat, very useful if you have to replace a pad in a hurry 11. an assortment of small (3.5" x 6") pieces of different grades of sandpaper 12. an assortment of (relatively small) pieces of different sizes of sheet cork, including a few tenon corks that I have pre-cut to size 13. an assortment of needle and flat springs (probably not really necessary but I already had them) 14. a small (2" x 2" x 5/8") piece of paraffin (for treating tenon corks to protect them from cork grease) 15. dental floss 16. a small roll of plumber's teflon tape 17. several pieces of self-adhesive paper (I use labels for old computer floppy disks) to make shims for pads, if necessary 18. very small bottles of: a. contact cement b. key oil c. bore oil (Omar Henderson's Bore Doctor) Most of these things are available at supermarkets or local hardware stores. The corks and pads you can get from online instrument repair suppliers like Ferree's tools or JL Smith Co. A set of Valentino pads will run around $20. You can buy less expensive pads but the ease of installing Valentinos is worth the extra money, IMO. Best regards, jnk Post Edited (2014-08-09 00:48)

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