 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2022-11-23 23:26
Being a full-time mother, grandmother and wife (make that with double overtime!), life too often gets in the way of clarinet practice. I have always been very careful with my instruments so as not to put them at risk of swelling/drying or cracking, cleaning them thoroughly before putting them in their case. But I'm cramming for 2 upcoming concerts for which I am not yet serene in my contribution and I need to be able to steal as much time as possible to get it all in my head and fingers
My question is : If I minimally swab out my alto between takes, can I leave it out and assembled all day, or even 2 or 3 days? It's a recent (2002) blackwood Selmer.
I am lucky to have a room to work in where family and cats are not allowed. The temperature and humidity is pretty constant right now, 50% at 19.5C. My alto is a real chore to wipe down to go in the case, especially when I can't be sure that I've got enough time to finish a section before I have to jump up to attend to something or someone. I'd like to be able to just put it down and come back to it in an hour or two but each time I see condensation in the joints when I finally break it down I freak out. I do have an ebonite Linton as a backup (if we have to play in the snow say), but it just isn't the same, the keywork is different and it's basically a crap horn just for transcriptions. Can I take the risk with the Selmer of leaving it out and set up all day ? I really need to practice and all the downtime is making it very hard.
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2022-11-24 00:46
I have exactly this problem when I'm working up to an exam. I'm also a Mum. I am at home all day, so theoretically have time and privacy to practise, but I have constant lengthy interruptions, at random times. If I have to assemble the instrument and dry and disassemble, it gets really hard to fit in any playing.
Back when I did my grade 1 exam, I kept my vintage clarinet assembled on the stand and played it for 10 minutes several times a day. At the end of the two weeks there was a hairline crack in the top of the top joint at the front. It was only 1/2 mm deep, but it did seem like a warning sign.
I always dry my Yamaha now, but I bought a better silk pull-through that is much quicker to use then the old cotton one and I just got much faster at drying.
I still find assembly difficult and time-consuming, mainly because I am only just strong enough to drive the joints together. I can only manage it if I put the bell on first and put the end of the bell flat against my knee and push down on the joints with all my strength and both hands.
I also have a plastic practise clarinet, but it is very different from my wooden one.
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2022-11-24 01:10
your joint corks will get compressed if you leave it out assembled for days on end. get a practice clarinet
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-11-24 01:24
I would humbly submit that the actual time to take apart (or put it together) is just a few seconds. DON'T feel obligated to do thorough deep cleaning of sockets at the end of practice, just take it apart. You don't want a wobbly clarinet.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2022-11-24 02:38
So Paul, if I break it down and lay the parts out on the table but dont do more than a cursory swab will it suffer? The moisture on the pads requires attention after 3 hrs of rehearsal. What about at home where I play 30 min, put it down and come back an hour or 2 later? I am ok to clean thoroughly at the end of the day.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-11-24 06:58
Just taking the horn apart and doing nothing further is far preferable to leaving it together and walking away.
Now I'm curious. What attention do you do to pads after three hours of playing? For me the only necessity is to run the swab down the horn and clear access moisture from the sockets (not "necessary" for the bell of a bass or alto since there is nothing there to expand and contract with presence or lack of moisture).
What do you do to "thoroughly clean at the end of the day?"
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2022-11-24 10:13
Hi Judy,
Paul said to me the other day that's a great idea to just practise fingering without blowing into the clarinet, and I am finding that very helpful.
Apart from getting the fingering right, it's really exposing the weaknesses in my sight reading of timing.
Also in the clarinet and saxophone society magazine this month there was a good article about how to practise when you don't have time. I found it helpful. I could scan an send it if you would like to see. It's this edition: https://www.cassgb.org/magazine/
Jen
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Author: Jarmo Hyvakko
Date: 2022-11-24 14:44
By the way, the fastest way to get your shiny black mouthpiece turn to dull greenish grey is to leave it in sunshine.
Jarmo Hyvakko, Principal Clarinet, Tampere Philharmonic, Finland
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-11-24 19:27
Yup
Those of us who play lots of outdoor gigs no the discoloration of vulcanized rubber far too well.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2022-11-24 20:03
Thanks for the offer Jen, I'd like to see it but can't find an option other than to subscribe, which isn't justified for the playing I do. my email is real.
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2022-11-24 20:11
Something else that bothers me about putting the instrument away several times in a day is that my case (the original from Selmer), while it cradles the horn nicely, blocks the pad on the bell and the lower joint closed. I swab and wipe down the instrument after a 3 hr rehearsal and it is pretty damp so I put powder papers on those pads and then open up the case when I arrive home to allow then to dry a bit more before closing it up for a day. Will this hurt more than help? Nothing is sticking or slow on the instrument so far. If I leave it out between sessions at home it doesn't get as damp but the pads also don't sit jammed shut.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-11-24 22:28
Powder paper sounds interesting........first time I've heard that term.
I guess that is helping the pads not develop "stickiness" and that's a good thing. On a regular Bb I've been told to wedge OPEN the tone holes that develop water in them while playing (LH C#/G#, last two side keys....for example) and that really does help completely dry the tone holes keeping them clearer the next time.
So I guess I am really only saying TAKE IT APART, not necessarily put it back in the case. Looks like you have a decent routine for keeping the instrument in working order.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2022-11-25 00:10
I always leave the case open, but my case allows the keys to sit open too.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-11-25 02:43
Ya know, the Wurlitzer case is made that way. I could never figure out why they did that just to save space. Although a wobbly bell never hit the floor accidentally (not enough gravity to overcome the tenon).
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: StanD
Date: 2022-11-25 06:37
I believe that Yamaha markets powder paper. Comes in approx 1”x 4” strips. Not like the “old days” when one would put a little talcum powder on a small strip of paper, slide it under a pad, gently close the pad and withdraw the strip. Very effective, esp. with saxophone pads. The LH little finger G# (always closed) key was a forever problema on my alto sax.
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Author: donald
Date: 2022-11-25 10:44
I've had a Buffet double case with the bells attached for about 20 years now. The Bb bell DID at one point get a bit looser than usual, but nothing that a routine of taking the bell off every now and again, and applying cork grease, didn't solve. No real problems other than that (in that time I've had about 4 A clarinets with no issues).
Re the OP, I'd say it's not a problem to leave the instrument set up all day IF it's on a stand. But DO put it away at the end of the day's playing. I've had this routine with Bass clarinet many times in the past with no negative side effects (most recently when preparing for an ACO concert where I was doing about 5 hours of Bass playing a day, but spread out over the whole day due to teaching/parenting commitments).
I actually have a Bass clarinet stand that was quite cheap, under $100 NZ$ new, but has worked as well as the super expensive one I used at APO. Mine was by "Hercules" and a friend uses an identical one for Alto clarinet.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2022-11-25 13:21
SecondTry wrote:
> This discussion reminds me of a Buffet dual clarinet case, I'm
> sure Paul remembers, where the bell was attached to the lower
> joint for both the Bb and A instruments, while in the case.
>
> I guess the ideal was to periodically separate the two sections
> and apply cork grease to the lower joint.
I have one of those Buffet cases. I've never had a problem with a compressed or loose-fitting cork. If anything, the bell becomes stuck if I don't grease the lower tenon regularly. One trick is to store the clarinet with the bell pulled out just a little - not enough so it doesn't fit in the case, but enough (an eighth of an inch or so) to give me some room to rock it sideways gently to get it loose if it gets really stuck.
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2022-11-25 20:27
Buffet double cases do have a bit of room to allow the bells to be placed halfway on the tenons which will help preserve some of the tenon corks instead of leaving them fully fitted.
Make part of your playing routine the assembly and disassembly and putting it back in its case after playing as it won't come to any harm there. That gives the tenon corks time to recover as well as allowing the sockets to dry out and always wipe the sockets dry with paper towel after playing - don't use your pullthrough to dry sockets as that'll get grease in the bore and will also cake up the top joint toneholes.
If you choose to play clarinet, you should also choose to do your basic maintenance as part of playing clarinet as it's always for the best.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Slowoldman
Date: 2022-11-26 01:17
In less humid climates and during winter months with dry heat, I would definitely recommend returning the clarinet to its case between playings, the case closed, with humidity added by whichever method you choose; and keeping the case closed until your next session.
Also, as Chris suggests, wipe out the tenon sockets. You don't want to leave things wet, but you also don't want the wood to dry out excessively.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2022-11-26 03:16
With wooden clarinets it's best to remove the bulk of the condensation by mopping out which also evenly distributes the little remaining condensation around the bore rather than leaving one area of the bore or sockets with more moisture than another.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Mikael
Date: 2022-11-30 22:49
I had a fancy G-clarinet in wood ready to go on a stand for a couple of years. The silver plating got tarnished pitch black, and the cork got somewhat compressed. Not a big problem except for the bell, which got a bit wobbly. No worse than an extra helping of cork grease could fix though.
As I see it, the silver plating tarnishing is the main problem with leaving an expensive clarinet out in the open for an extended time (assuming the wood is well aged and not susceptible to cracking!). For this reason I keep all my fancy wood clarinets safely tucked away at all times. Instead I have two cheap Chinese clarinets on a stand for when I just want to grab a clarinet and play. One in A and one in C, both made out of hard rubber and with nickel plated keys.
Owning a cheap "practice clarinet" that you don't have to worry too much about ruining makes a lot of sense. Mine were $215 each:
https://www.gear4music.com/us/en/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Rosedale-Intermediate-A-Clarinet-by-Gear4music/12AB
https://www.gear4music.com/us/en/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Rosedale-Intermediate-C-Clarinet-by-Gear4music/12AA
They are rated as "intermediate" quality, which isn't as much of a lie as you may think. Both instruments are perfectly playable, and could even be used professionally if you only need an A or a C on rare occasions, in case you can't afford "real" instruments. I'm not kidding, cheap Chinese junk is far from junk these days!
If you want something even better to practice on, I'd recommend a Ridenour Lyrique. Costs three times as much, but is still hard rubber and nickel plated, so it still serves well as a "beater".
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2022-12-01 01:58
Don't forget that moths can still eat at your pads. I have an old Buffet Albert System C clarinet (Stamped 'Carl Fisher New York' but it's definitely a Buffet Crampon) that once belonged to my great grandfather that was left assembled on a desk for years... and it's definitely not playable. Had a lot of loose pads, pads with holes in them, etc. I don't have an original case for it, but I do keep it in an old style Buffet case now. That may be an extreme example, but it is what can happen if you leave your clarinet assembled on a desk for years.
Getting back into playing after 20 years.
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Vandoren M15 Profile 88 (non-13) mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren blue-box #3.5 reeds
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