 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mommaq
Date: 1999-04-15 15:00
My daughter was in the local county middle school band concert. She plays on a Noblet 45. It was a long weekend spent doing what she likes...and several of the keys now stick a bit.
Can you good folks give us some hints as to what to do to take care of a wooden instrument after long days like these (clean the bore and holes, mouthpiece, etc??)...and what upkeep to keep it going for at least 20 more years. We do use padsavers and the cotton rag pulled through, but that's all we've been told on upkeep.
I (we) REALLY appreciate all the good information you guys and gals give us. The fix-it kit was just the ticket for this concert, too, and we had it on hand, just in case.(didn't need it, thank the Lord!)
I thank you in advance.
mommaq
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Author: George
Date: 1999-04-15 15:37
Sounds like you are cleaning it all right. The sticky keys may reflect a need to oil the bearings.
Get some good light-weight oil (several manufactures market oils just for this purpose) and some way to apply it. I use a small screwdriver (the same size as for the screws on the instrument). Put a small drop of oil on the screwdriver tip, and apply it to each of the bearings in turn, reloading as necessary. Now work the keys - hopefully they won't stick any more. At the very least, you have done something to protect them from wear.
On the other hand, if by "sticky" you mean that the pads stick to the holes and don't come up fast, you need to clean the pads. Try shutting a piece of absorbant paper between pad and hole (gently) and pull it out. This will get rid of moisture, and maybe other crud as well. In an extreme case, you may need to have the pad changed.
Good luck
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-04-15 16:18
Padsavers for clarinets are not generally recommended; many pros think that it ends up keeping the moisture within the instrument and actually near the pads.
I don't use padsavers, and I don't know of any adult player that I've met (and at ClarinetFest I met literally hundreds) who use or recommend padsavers.
YMMV
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-04-15 17:48
I've had slightly tacky sounding key pads after a long session. Usually, the pads are too moist and stick just a little, creating the "tacky" sound when the pads come off the keyholes. The worst offenders for my particular clarinet are the chalemeau C#/clarion G# kepad that's almost right at the middle of the clarinet, right at the mid-joint area (most clarinetists know exactly which keypad this is), and the high chalemeau A/G# keypad set at the top part of the upper joint. I use the absorbent paper or cloth trick which is usually very successful for me.
Since I personally believe that over moist pads are the main cause of this problem, I try to very gently dry off the pads and then I work them again to see if my guess was correct. So far, so good. In over three years of part-time practice sessions and rare amateur holiday performances, I've never had any key mechanical problem. I've never cracked open my bottle of key oil, either. But, that's my clarinet for my own playing conditions. Your clarinet and your situation may be different.
I have to agree with the posting above about going very easy on the key oil. You really won't need very much. Plus, the key oil may ruin a good wood horn if it gets on the wood. That's because the key oil is a petroleum based oil, and it should never be mistaken for the more or less vegetable (in my case sweet almond oil) based bore oil.
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Author: ted
Date: 1999-04-15 18:19
Assuming the pads are sticking to the tone hole ...
As a preventive measure, stay away from softdrinks or anything with sugar before playing. I've been told that the sugar is bad for wooden instruments anyway. Will someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 1999-04-15 18:31
I don't know the effect of sugar on wooden instruments, but it can get things sticky.
However...
Drinking soft drinks before playing should not cause a problem because (1) most of the moisture in your instrument is condensation of moisture in your breath, which does not contain sugar, but is essentially pure water and (2) you should have swallowed everything before playing. So, unless you play with a mouthful of Coke and spit into your instrument, sugar should be no problem.
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-04-16 14:15
I know that I've taken a dive off the deep end on this one, but I'm extremely picky when it comes to hygiene and clarinet playing. I always brush my teeth and thoroughly rinse my mouth before I play my clarinet. I always have done this, even 20 plus years ago in high school when I had a plastic piece of junk for a clarinet. I also take the time to floss and brush before I play my clarinet. Like I said, I've taken a dive off the deep end on this point.
However, my old plastic beater of a horn was still in good shape after 20 years of harsh storage in the attic. The pads were a little old, but the horn was still very playable (within its performance capability, of course). The pads, the keys, and the entire horn were all in very good shape. Now, do you honestly think I'm going to eat very sugary and starchy foods and drink sugared soda pops and then immediately play my one and only $2000 premium pro-grade clarinet? What part of "no" don't you understand?
...and I'm just as picky about cleaning my horn after playing it, too. I'm almost as bad as a Marine cleaning his rifle. It's the same concept. If you want it to work right the next time you use it, clean it NOW! Clean it like your life (or your job in the case of the clarinet) depends on it!
Oh, by the way, a very nice side effect of being so picky about hygiene and clarinet playing is that I have very quick and painless dental check ups. The dentist is losing money on me, big time. So is the clarinet repairman.
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 1999-04-16 21:32
I commend you on your habits. We should all try to do as well.
Although I don't recommend picking up your horn immediately after you've had a mouthful of goo, I just think that it is much more likely to gum up your reed and mouthpiece than your keys. (Personally, I usually avoid soft drinks and candy because I don't have much of a sweet tooth.)
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Author: mommaq
Date: 1999-04-17 00:55
What about a STUDENT in a middle school who has zero amount of time to pack away this instrument after band rehearsal or she will be tossed out of the room, or worse--miss the bus home? Honest, there is no time to adequately take care of instruments in normal school band time...
But she DOESN'T eat gum or drink soda before playing. It got sticky...that is, the key wouldn't release properly when released. Sometimes it worked, others not. I got out some water and a fine toothbrush and q tips and carefully cleaned all round the holes and keys...and now it works much better.
Lots of brown goop/slime around some of the holes. Probably lots of bacteria, too.
All I'm trying to find out is how to clean the instrument without taking keys, etc. apart. We were told by a repairman not to take it apart ourselves, so that's what we're doing so as not to mess it up.
mommaq
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-04-19 15:47
Mommaq:
I was a high school student quite a few years ago, with a rush here and rush there schedule. I still took the time (5 minutes on average) to clean my horn after my practice or class sessions. I never got punished for being slightly tardy to the next class, because the entire school staff knew that I was in the band and that I took time to clean up my horn. They also knew the band director held us until the last possible second, too. I certainly wasn't as picky about cleaning my horn then as I am now. However, I had enough discipline to do the basic procedures so my horn was ready for the next session. I also made it a point to never eat or drink before I played unless I had brushed my teeth. I kept a small travel toothbrush and a small travel tube of toothpaste in my case for a while to remind me of the necessity of personal hygiene before playing my clarinet. And, I used the brush and the paste every time, even if it was a quick once-over. I also kept a pack of sugar-free gum available as a dental hygiene back-up. I kept the gum wrapper in my pocket, so when I disposed of the gum, it was wrapped and placed in a proper trash can.
Yes, there were some tough times when I was with the band and we all had to wait in our 100% wool uniforms under the hot Texas sun with only sugary drinks available. That's when I'd reach for the sugar free gum. I was always amazed at how many "friends" I had when they discovered I had a pack of sugar free gum. However, nowadays the marching bands have gotten much smarter. The bands have adults walking right next to the line with cool water for the kids, especially if they are marching in a parade. The teachers make water much more available to the students during marching band practice sessions, too.
The bottom line is that if the student is disciplined enough and the parents help by providing support as well as a few tricks here and there, the cost of maintaining a musical instrument can almost be eliminated.
Oh by the way, my professional tutor never questions it when I take a minute or two to brush my teeth before the session.
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Author: CeCe
Date: 1999-04-19 20:12
Always swab out the clarinet after playing. you do not want the moisture to sit in the instrument. You should be able to purchase key oil in any music store. For the keys that stick, oil the moving mechanisms. To keep the clarinet in working order for years to come, oil the keys about once a month, and oil the bore once every three months.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-04-20 01:40
CeCe wrote:
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... and oil the bore once every three months.
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You should follow the manufacturer's recommendations AND consult one of your local technicians. Some makers have been impregnating the horns at the factory with oil (Buffet is one) and recommend not oiling. Very dry climates will require a different oiling schedule than very humid ones.
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