 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-09-01 15:32
Attachment: finger.jpg (218k)
Hi,
I've been playing the B flat clarinet for a few months now and have been really frustrated by squeaks at the top and bottom of the range. But just today I discovered that they are happening because my right fourth finger does not completely cover the hole unless I jam the tip of it right into the hole.
I asked the man in the woodwind shop what to do and he showed me how it ought to be easy, but his finger tips are much bigger than mine.
I wondered if anybody else has this problem and if there is a technological solution? I'm quite tempted to make a latex hat for the end of my finger, but maybe I wouldn't be able to feel the hole so well then?
I attach a photo of my finger tip in case that is useful. LOL!
Thanks!
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2018-09-01 16:13
Some clarinets have a smaller hole. I have sometimes filled in areas of the hole for older customers with arthritis. Also the ring height makes a big difference. Lowering the ring may solve your problem.
Steve Ocone
Post Edited (2018-09-01 16:15)
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Author: Zia
Date: 2018-09-01 18:11
it is possible to have a plateau key fitted to a pad covers the hole, its more common for people with arthritis who maybe can't cover the holes properly and they can be fitted to any of the keys you can't cover properly
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-09-01 19:44
Hi,
Thanks for the replies. :-)
How does a plateau key work? I would be really interested in that because jamming my finger in the hole is causing a lot of wrist pain and that's not a good long term bet really.
Thanks!
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-09-01 19:54
I just tried again and I do think that the ring may be too high. If I hold the ring down flat it's much easier to get my finger to sit properly in the hole. I'm not sure how to correct that.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2018-09-01 20:23
It's a simple adjustment, but not one you should attempt unless you're very sure of what you're doing. There's a lot of interaction between adjustments. Take it to a good tech and they may be able to do it while you're there.
Tony F.
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Author: Zia
Date: 2018-09-01 22:34
you could bet the key adjusted and if you still don't like it get someone to add the plateau key, it works by putting a plate over the ring, like most oboes and like a bass clarinet so rather than your finger sealing the gap a pad sits under the key to cover the hole, its easier if you google "plateau clarinet" to get a better idea of how it works
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Author: kdk
Date: 2018-09-01 23:11
I assume you're talking about your rh ring finger (the one that fingers G3/D5). (I taught strings for a long while and that finger is the 3rd for them - the pinky is 4th.)
One more thing to think about: are you having trouble playing G3 and D5 or does the problem only come up when you have to use your pinky on one of the lever keys). If it's mostly when the pinky is involved, it may be that the position of those rh levers and/or the position of your thumb rest may be a big part of the problem. Reaching your pinky to press those keys may be pulling your ring finger off the hole.
A plateau is, of course, always an option. I've thought about one or two of them myself for some of my own flexibility problems. But the fact that you substitute a pad for your finger becomes one more mechanical issue that needs to be kept in adjustment. There's a reason why clarinets not meant for very small children are open-holed.
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-09-02 02:36
A fairly low cost and reversible solution is to soft solder a brass plate to the RH3 ring key with a hole through the centre the same diameter as the RH3 tonehole or marginally wider and pad the underside of it with the correct thickness cork, leather or thin EVA foam disc so it seats perfectly against the top of the tonehole chimney. Another thing that can help is to machine the disc and have a slightly raised edge to the hole so you can feel it better.
That will raise the level of the RH3 tonehole and effectively turn it into a plain tonehole as it'll be lowered by the other RH fingers. I saw this done to a Normandy clarinet and it was fairly easy for me to revert it back to its ring key form by unsoldering the brass ring and removing the soft solder from the ring key.
A more costly solution is to have a separate/independent fingerplate for RH3, but that will involve adding an extra pillar and recutting the tonehole chimney to turn it into a countersunk tonehole as the fingerplate will be padded like the other keys. It can be linked to the remaining RH ring keys via an adjusting screw, but that will further increase the cost of the conversion.
There have been clarinets built with part covered action which had around three fingerplates (including one for the left thumb)- Vito/Holton offered them and I think Bundy did too. While 'short reach' bassoons and flutes and even some oboes are offered with some fingerplates or fingerplate extensions, somehow clarinets aren't offered in short reach forms when they can be.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2018-09-02 02:42
Adding a plateau pad to ring 3 is rather more complicated than it might sound as on the standard clarinet all the RH rings are connected by a solid shaft, usually mounted between 2 pivot screws.
A RH plateau mechanism requires a hollow shaft with a rod along it's length so that the plateau key can be isolated from the remaining keys and not close when R1 or R2 is pressed.
Yes it can be done but quite a major modification needing a skilled repairman prepared to take it on.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2018-09-02 03:19
"There have been clarinets built with part covered action which had around three fingerplates (including one for the left thumb)- Vito/Holton offered them and I think Bundy did too."
I have a wood Bundy with the covered thumbplate. I also have a plateau Leblanc which I call my arthritis machine.
Tony F.
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-09-02 11:04
Thanks, I hadn't thought about the hole covering every time I cover any of the connected holes. I'll have a think about it all.
I have pins and needles in my hand this morning from trying to jam my finger into the hole, so I'd better do something about it really.
The shop is shut until Tuesday, so I will try a few different solutions here while I wait for them to open again.
Thanks for all of the thoughts. It's really great to know the options.
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2018-09-02 17:47
Some brands of clarinet have larger RH holes. Selmer is the one I've found has the largest. I had a student a number of years ago whose band director made all the clarinets get intermediate horns and she ended up with a nice wooden Selmer. However, when she was in fifth grade, her fingers were just too tiny to make it work! I suggested she switch to a Vito until her fingers got big enough, and it worked great. Not sure how happy her band director was about her having a plastic clarinet while all the others had wooden ones, but, as we all know, all the students don't have to have the exact same setup in order to have a section that can blend well...
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-09-02 18:22
Thanks. I'm not sure if mine is particularly big. I looked in the shop and if anything the holes seemed bigger in the modern instruments. I have one that's about 70 years old. It says JS Albert, Bruxelles on it.
This is it:
http://theitinerantbotanist.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-rebuilt-clarinet.html
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Author: Burt
Date: 2018-09-02 18:52
I agree that the ring adjustment should be tried first.
As a second try, I would fill the part of the tone hole closer to the bell. Making the hole smaller may make it easier to cover. Use modeling clay or a similar material found in office supply stores used for hanging pictures. Too much fill and A3/E5 get stuffy. These materials are easily removable in case you overfill or if the method doesn't work for you.
I've also used this method on the part of the tone hole closer to the mouthpiece to flatten a note which was too sharp.
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-09-02 20:39
Thanks, good idea!
My husband points out that if I get a covered hole there, then I will not be able to play the Rhapsody in Blue solo. If only that was the only reason. LOL!
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2018-09-04 03:45
I thought for a long time that I couldn't play a glissando on my plateau clarinet, but I've discovered that it can be done but using a different technique. With my normal clarinet it's mostly done with the fingers whereas with the plateau clarinet it's mostly done with the embouchure. You need a mouthpiece that allows a lot of flexibility with tone, but it can be done.
Tony F.
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Author: gsurosey
Date: 2018-09-29 07:51
Definitely look into getting the right hand rings lowered. My RH ring finger is the same size as yours (if not a tad smaller). My first year playing was abysmal as I had a ton of trouble playing because, among other small-hands issues, I couldn't cover that hole (I was only in 4th grade and had to grow into the instrument). Even as an adult, I have to make sure that my rings are at heights that allow me to cover the toneholes in the right hand properly. Good luck!
----------
Rachel
Clarinet Stash:
Bb/A: Buffet R13
Eb: Bundy
Bass: Royal Global Max
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2018-10-03 15:57
Here is a used plateau clarinet for sale.
https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/58393383
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Author: Dibbs
Date: 2018-10-03 18:51
Looking at the pictures the R3 rings does look a little high to me and perhaps the pad above the R1 ring is a little too thick as well. The two together would definitely make it difficult to cover the holes properly.
Also you need some cork on the linkage between the two sections (which looks a bit bent too). That needs to be carefully adjusted and interacts with ring and pad heights on both joints so please take it to a good tech and get it set up nicely.
Is there some damage to the C#G# key (the pinky key on the upper joint)? I can't see it properly.
EJ Albert made top quality instruments. It's definitely worth getting it fixed up properly.
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