The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

Re: Water in register key?

Author: BartHx
Date: 2015-03-31 19:49

You would not necessarily see anything come out of the speaker tube (register tube) when you clean it. A small amount of lint or dirt could easily be pushed into the bore and taken out by your swab the next time you used it.

Neither the speaker tube nor the thumb tube should be loose. On some instruments they have a mechanical attachment but, traditionally, they are held in place with bees wax. Given how sticky it is, I am currently experimenting with orthodontic wax for the thumb tube of a 90 year old clarinet I am working on.

While the speaker tube extending into the bore of the instrument does tend to prevent water from running down the bore into the hole, that is not its main purpose. As noted above, it has its own problems with condensation. The diameter of the speaker tube and its length into the bore impact the instrument's tone and response. That is why some older Selmers (eg. Centered Tone and Series 9) have the speaker tube held in place by a threaded bushing. That allowed the user to customize the instrument a bit to his/her own liking by easily changing the speaker tube to one of slightly different dimensions.

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics