 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jim lande
Date: 2016-08-24 02:10
I'm sure a lot of folks have heard about the newly coined bagpipe lung syndrome. Basically, mold and such can accumulate in any wind instrument and your immune system can react. Yes, it can be fatal.
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-37152871
The recommendations are to swab your instrument after every use; disinfect occasionally, and see a doctor if you develop shortness of breath or persistent coughing.
I searched the archives (a bit) and found a lot of information about disinfecting reeds but little on removing or killing mold & such from the instrument. I suspect that it is very easy to damage pads, wood, and possibly even the insides of my metal clarinets. Any recommendations? And especially, what might work in a tenor sax?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-08-24 02:27
Wood and naturally derived bore oils have natural antiseptic properties, so as long as you do the usual routine after playing, you won't have any problem with clarinets.
The problem with bagpipes is the synthetic bag which isn't breathable and bagpipes will collect a lot of condensation from the breath. Unless the player uses a moisture absorption system that is a series of flexible plastic tubes connected to a canister containing silica gel or similar and regularly maintained and allowed to dry out between playing, then there's a very low risk of mildew growing inside the bag.
It's only if the player doesn't do anything between playing and packs up their pipes in the case while still wet will conditions take a turn for the worst. I've smelt some really skanky sets of pipes which were never cleaned out or allowed to air dry in between playing and the inside of the bag was black as was the chanter reed.
So it's the player's own fault for letting thongs get that bad and detrimental to their own health. Next to pipers, brass players are in line when it comes to instrument hygiene.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-08-24 03:51
I've never disinfected an instrument or a reed in 60+ years and haven't yet noticed any untoward result.
However Bagpipes !!!
Perhaps, we should encourage all bagpipers to play mouldy instruments - cut down the decibels.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-08-24 04:31
scroll down...
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2016-08-24 04:32)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-08-24 04:31
Attachment: pipes-done 001.JPG (679k)
I've only ever washed my mouthpieces, but never done anything more drastic than oiling the bore and cleaning out the sockets and toneholes on wooden clarinets. I've washed plastic bodied clarinets in soapy water to clean them as that's possible. But I'd never do anything like that to any wooden instrument.
I recently inherited my great uncle's set of pipes which are nearly 100 years old. I've since restored them with all new bag, bag cover, cords, reeds, rehemped the tenons, refitted the socket and other mountings (both in cellulose and real ivory) as well as fitted a moisture control system and bought a modern High Pitch delrin chanter so they're up to modern spec (orchestral 453Hz - the same as bagpipe A which is 480Hz!). One day I'll start learning them.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2016-08-24 05:02
Some decades ago I heard a story about an album of bagpipe music being mastered backwards, that is- the studio mix tape was threaded in reverse- and nobody noticed until the LP was already in the stores. Great story, but now that we live in an age where even apocryphal myths can be found on Google, I am unable to confirm it. But it is perfectly plausible.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2016-08-24 16:47
A long time ago in Scotland, a man walked into his local pub, where he knew he could find his parish priest. In tears, the man sat down and said to the priest, "Ach, and I must confess to ye, I've done a terrible, terrible thing."
The priest said soothingly, "Now, now," and asked the man, "What have ye done, my son?"
Sobbing, the man managed to blurt out, "I've killed a bagpipe player!"
The priest took both his hands and murmured, "Ye've done the right thing by confessing it. Ye've killed one bagpipe player, is that correct?"
"Aye, one."
"That is indeed a sorry day's work. All right then. Here's what ye must do. I want ye to say ten Hail Marys and then go kill me another."
(You may notice that the name Loban is Scottish....)
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2016-08-24 16:48)
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2016-08-25 15:32
Swabbing out the clarinet should be enough. A wind instrument that has been stored for a while in a damp place is another story. When I get in an instrument that smells like mildew it is an overhaul no matter how good the pads are.
Steve Ocone
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2016-08-25 17:35
After swabbing, I wipe the component sockets out and dry the tenon ends with a facial tissue. If possible, I leave the case open a short while too for air drying. Probably not necessary, but in isolation one's own thoughts dominate.
Question: wouldn't such fungal growths be visible or have an odor? The article I saw on bagpipe lung didn't say, but they tested the victim's instrument in a lab and determined that a) there was a lot of fungus, and b) it was bad for lungs. (One might tend to assume the latter.)
I also wonder if regular smoking would tend to increase one's susceptibility to fungal attacks.
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2016-08-25 18:00
Philip Caron wrote:
> I also wonder if regular smoking would tend to increase one's
> susceptibility to fungal attacks.
Or would protect against it by killing the fungal ;-)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-08-25 19:52
Attachment: pipes 001.JPG (660k)
The fungal growths in bagpipe bags are indeed smelly! It's only when the drones, mouthpipe or chanter are removed you can smell them from the open stocks.
But proper drying out and airing the bag after playing will prevent this. Synthetic bags aren't treated with anything (seasoning) unlike traditional hide bags.
The original bag that same with my great uncle's set was indeed smelly, but it smelt of old leather and seasoning as they hadn't been played for well over fifty years.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-08-25 20:32
Still trying to work out how the subject pertaining to bagpipes got posted on a board dedicated to musical instruments ??
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-08-26 00:49
Clarinets can be classed as instruments of torture when in the wrong hands.
As for pipes, Uilleann pipes, Northumbrian pipes and similar variants can definitely be classed as musical instruments.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: jim lande
Date: 2016-08-26 05:43
The same condition can happen to sax, trombone and possibly other woodwind players. Saxes and trombones have a lot more plumbing than most clarinets. Paperclip harmony clarinets also would be hard to clean. But I don't doubt that fungus can be an issue with other clarinets. I got a bass clarinet on ebay for a student. My tech speculates that it had never been swabbed. In any case, there was a white fungus on the pads and in the chimneys of the upper keys.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-08-26 05:52
I've seen the inside top end of the main body tube and the top coil of a Conn X-bar bari which had a coating of white slime. Made me nearly vomit. I took all the keys off and gave it a good clean as I had to use that bari (before I got my own).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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