Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-02-10 20:01
........PERFECTLY SCIENTIFIC STUDY
............Thesis: After consuming a McDonalds' #2 Breakfast Meal and downing it with two full glasses of Hawaiian Punch, no amounts of food detritus or Hawaiian Punch will be found down the barrel of a clarinet upon playing until there are rivulets of moisture running out the bell.
..........Materials Used:
o Buffet R13 Greenline Bb clarinet
o Fobes Cicero mouthpiece
o BG Duo ligature
o Legere Signature Soprano Saxophone reed
o McDonalds' #2 Breakfast Meal
o Hawaiian Punch (2) glasses
o Bounty Paper Towels (pure white)
Subject (me) consumed a McDonald's #2 Breakfast Meal and finished off with (2) full glasses of Hawaiian Punch.
Subject immediately grabbed the Bb clarinet and commenced practicing until there were copious amounts of solid streams of moisture rolling down the bore and dripping off the bell of the clarinet. Subject grabbed a Bounty tissue and dabbed the droplets hanging off the bell. The towel had no sign of food residue or pink color.
Subject then disassembled the clarinet to insert a twisted length of fresh white paper towel into various segments. The top section of the bottom joint showed no signs of food particles and was clear moisture (no pink coloration). The top of the top joint showed no signs of food particles and the moisture was clear. The barrel showed no evidence of food particles and the moisture was clear.
The subject (me) then inserted a twisted length of yet another new section of solid white Bounty Paper Towel into the mouthpiece with the Legere reed still attached. Since the plastic reed (Legere Signature Soprano sax reed) is clear, the very end of the twisted length of paper towel could be seen bumping against the underside of the reed. Upon observing the paper towel once withdrawn there was no evidence of food particles at all, however, the very tip of the paper towel that had come in contact with the underside of the reed had turned pink.
Subject concluded by sloshing clear water in mouth and spitting into bathroom sink. The water in the sink was pink.
Conclusion: A modicum of spittle does indeed find itself accumulating upon the underside of the reed (interior to the mouthpiece) while playing. It can be assumed that over a long playing session and over the course of time, there will be a small percentage of whatever can be transported through spittle (NOT solids) will eventually find itself passing through the bore of the clarinet.
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Now, am I worried about that percentage of "stuff" that goes down a clarinet.......no. But that does not mean in any way that I discourage good dental hygiene or the necessary "clean" feeling that some must have before playing. And yes, if you are continually swigging Coke in between phrases as you practice over the course of months and years, you probably will have sticky pads.
...................Paul Aviles
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The Clarinet BBoard
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