 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: billw
Date: 2001-05-31 06:32
why do i always have problems with getting a clean tone out of the left hand b key. I always seem to have to hold the key down far. Any help in getting these pads to sit correctly,
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-05-31 14:01
You may have pad problems and/or key adjustment problems, so it sounds like you need to visit a good repairer who can play it at least reasonably well. Don
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-05-31 16:44
Bill -
As Don says, the problem is almost certainly due to misadjustment of the "crowfoot" lever that runs from the bottom of the right-hand low F key down between the two lower left hand keys and closes the low F key when you press the low E key. This lever is easy to bend and is probably the thing single thing on a clarinet that gets out of adjustment most often. Fortunately, it's very easy for a repair shop to fix. It takes only a minute or two, and the charge should be very low, or even free.
A quick test: Cut a narrow strip (3/16" or 1/4" wide and 2"-3" long) from a piece of cigarette paper. (Every clarinetist should have a pack of these, which you can get in any tobacco store.) If you don't have any cigarette paper, you can use a strip newspaper, but it doesn't work as well.
Slide the end of the strip under the low F pad and press down on, solidly but not too hard, the right-hand low E key. Slide the paper out. Then do the same with the paper under the low E pad. The sliding resistance should be the same for both pads.
You can try to fix things yourself by bending the crowfoot, but it's better to go to a repair shop. Bending the thin lever can weaken it and make it go out of adjustment more easily, and the seating of the pads really needs to be checked from side to side and all the way around.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Ken
Date: 2001-05-31 17:11
Ken is right, and if you're a very physical player and "heavy or ham-handed" like me you can literally bend keys out of adjustment applying too much pressure especially the left and right lower clusters. It's a preferable, quick and inexpensive fix taking your horn to a good repairman.
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