Author: Chris P
Date: 2019-12-28 01:05
Assembling, disassembling, mopping out the bore slowly with the pullthrough, drying the sockets with a piece of paper towel, greasing the tenon corks just enough to keep them supple and wiping down the keywork before returning the instrument to its case is all part and parcel of clarinet playing.
Also correct handling of the joints (to avoid bending keys or tearing off key corks) and doing your best to protect it from sudden changes in temperature and humidity are the best things you can do to ensure you get the best from your clarinet. Although at this time of year that last bit can be tricky, but still do your best to protect it.
Keep the mouthpiece clean and don't scrub it with anything abrasive - wash it under cold running water and dry it inside with a piece of paper towel - don't yank your pullthrough through it at lightning speed as that can wear the rails or kick up a burr on plastic mouthpieces. If you choose to keep the reed on the mouthpiece, then that's fine - many players do that and have no trouble, but many will insist in storing your reeds in a reed case (laid on glass or any other flat surface or in their plastic reed holders).
From time to time, clean out the toneholes with a cottom bud (Q-tip) to remove dead skin cells and grease that accumulates in them. Also go around the tenon shoulders to remove any cork grease that's accumulated there.
That's about as much as you the player can do - any further and more involved maintenance should be left to your designated repairer when it goes in to be regularly serviced.
Musical instruments are made to be played. If they're not played, then they just become an expensive ornament.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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