 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: JennyP
Date: 2015-04-16 23:25
Last year, at the end of the marching band season when temperatures were really getting low, a lot of my clarinet players started to have issues with their keys getting stuck. Is there any way to fix or compensate for this? I tried oiling the stuck keys, but it didn't help.
My two thoughts on what could be happening are that 1) the cold weather is making the instrument contract and throwing the keys out of alignment, or 2) there's gummed up oil in the keys that's getting stiff as the temperatures drop.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-04-17 00:04
Usually, it's the left-hand F/C lever, the right-hand ring keys, and the lower joint E/B key barrel that bind up due to thermal expansion/contraction.
Simply adjust a pivot screw on one end of the binding key barrel to loosen things up and restore functionality.
If you adjust your clarinet's pivot screws so there's no slop in the action at room temperature, they can bind up when temperatures drop. The effect is more pronounced on synthetic-bodied instruments, in my experience.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-04-17 00:17
...and if you need to adjust pivot screws, the preferred screw is the one closest to the top of the joint; leave the lower screw snugged up if possible.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-04-17 01:53
Well, you HOPE for tight pivots but in my experience it is usually (as you surmised) that the instrument contracts making the space between posts smaller. So the longer spaces are more prone to be a problem: the alternate left "C" lever and all the keys of the large pads.
What I do to "prep" for an cold, outside gig (of course we are talking about PLASTIC clarinets) is to place the bottom (and even top joint) into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. Once good and cold, I check ALL the keys for ease of movement. Anything that starts to bind has to be removed and one (or both) end of the key tube is filed down until that key will move freely between the posts with the "fridge test."
..............Paul Aviles
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