 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2018-10-23 18:55
There was a closed thread about playing in the cold that I just saw and want to add my comment on why playing in the Cold can also be an issue for the Clarinet:
If a cork is shrunken from the cold, the Instrument won't seal properly and you will squeak a lot. Could be from the Barrel to the body, or Mouthpiece to the Barrel/both.......
Using teflon tape to bridge any gap would eliminate that particular issue. It can also happen when the Clarinet warms up from being cold. I've heard of Clarinets not working all of a sudden when the Clarinet warms up. That would be from expansion of the wood, and the leak starting from that with a cork that is not supple or large enough to seal properly.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-10-23 20:10
I assume you refer to cork pads. Corks as bumpers don't factor into leaks really.
Fortunately any cold weather horn I had used either standard bladder pads or Krause Omni Pads. Neither have a problem with the extreme cold.
Now if you want to talk about extreme heat, I've actually seen and used an R13 Greenline that melted slightly in Baghdad.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Windy Dreamer
Date: 2018-10-23 20:30
Since attempting to play in the cold it seemed that I had lost the ability to play.Squeaks, squawks and unknown color tones have dominated my attempts to practice. The character of tone has been so different that I could not recognize my melodies nor enjoy them.
Suspecting reed failure I made a new one that offered no improvement. For the past few days I suspected that emotional insecurity over the transition from private to public play was the cuase of the problem.
Since reading Davids post I now recognize that the clarinet itself is probably the cause of most new difficulties. My corks are sanded down more than normal.The reason I sand them down excessively is because I have bent keys in the past while struggling against tight corks. Almost every used clarinet I own came with either a cracked bell, barrel or section that I attribute to overly tight corks.I will now definitely teflon tape my Jupiter corks today.
The overall impact of wild temperature and humidity exposure is also torturing the clarinet.The cycles of expansion and contraction may be negatively affecting all of the clarinets many components as they respond to their new found chaos.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-10-23 22:02
Ooooh, misread that!
I guess that that issue doesn't manifest itself too much with synthetic body horns because the barrel and top joint suffer the same amount of contraction. I can't say that I recall the issue with the mouthpiece to the barrel though. I CAN say that since this is a voluntary stance for me now it WILL NEVER be an issue for me again.........warm weather guy.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2018-10-23 22:03
Hi Paul. I believe David was referring to tenon corks. Things do happen to them when they get good and cold. A poster mentioned playing a cold clarinet and having the bell fall off. I once had the bottom tenon cork come unglued on my plastic clarinet when I assembled it for an outdoor Christmas concert at about 10-deg F - the clarinet was already cold. There hadn't been any other noticeable antecedent to that event.
Hi Dreamer. It no doubt is about expansion and contraction. Different materials have different coefficients of thermal expansion, meaning they expand and contract different amounts as temperature changes. Metal probably changes more than wood or plastic, and I'm guessing that (some) plastics or hard rubber change more than wood or cork. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can confirm.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-10-23 22:39
Plastic is by far the most dramatic. My plastic cold weather experiences were with Selmer Signets. At room temperature, my cold prepped horns played, but the action was pretty sloppy.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: Windy Dreamer
Date: 2018-10-24 17:35
After 24 hours of rest from extreme temperature and humidity exposure my Jupiter is now back to normal color and behavior. With added teflon tape I now wonder if it would be beneficial to twist the corked areàs while cold to prevent or combat leakage issues.
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Author: Green Henry
Date: 2018-10-28 11:03
My problem with playing in the cold isn't the clarinet, as far as I can tell. It's my fingers. The flesh in the fingertip seems to lose some elasticity and maybe the skin is also dryer, so I don't make a good seal with the holes and get squeaks and non-notes. The clarinet warms up fairly quickly because of the warm air I'm breathing into it. This is in southern English winter, so above freezing. I don't think I could play at all if it was REALLY cold!
Any ideas for the dry skin? My teacher advised against handcream as likely to get in the works of the instrument.
Post Edited (2018-10-28 11:07)
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2018-10-28 12:47
If you use a good hand cream regularly you may find that the dry skin problem improves. Just don't use it immediately before playing. I remember playing outside on freezing cold Wiltshire winters with snow and black ice all round, so I know where you're coming from.
Tony F.
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Author: Windy Dreamer
Date: 2018-10-28 18:09
I use disposable rubber gloves for shriveled fingers. Pharmacies sell them locally for between $6.00 to $12.00 per hundred. Recently I discovered the value of deep breathing exercices for poor circulation in the extremities. 6 to 10 deep breaths speeds up my pulse and dispels cold sensations in toes and fingers.
Over the past few days I have lost all cofidence for outdoor play.I do not seem able to adapt to different envivoronments.In the past I have only played on the couch in the living room with its stable feedback resonance. Outdoors there is no feedback. Traffic noise seems deafening. Every new environment makes my everyday clarinet seem foreign and unknown.
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