 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: farabout
Date: 2026-08-16 18:51
The horn is Bb plateau Normandy, recently overhauled & regulated by a professional, no leaks (as verified with both light and manometer), no cracks. However, there is an isolated airiness on chalumeau B with the middle finger, and to a lesser extent on A, but not on surrounding notes (BB, B with banana/sliver key, G, #G &c). Any clue would be appreciated.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2026-08-16 19:48
I'm guessing the usual suspects of poor venting, crappy pads that are too thick or bulge in the middle or a combination of all the above. If it was as you said "recently overhauled & regulated by a professional", then they ought to know how to set things up correctly so they're not stuffy.
I've had some so-called 'professionals' say the lower edges of clarinet ring keys shouldn't go above the heights of the chimneys, only that too makes things stuffy. You have to measure the ventings of the pads using a feeler gauge and not go by the relation of keywork to the body of the instrument purely by eye was that changes depending on how you view things.
Poor venting will manifest itself on notes that aren't fully vented - that's notes that issue from a tonehole with one or more closed immediately below it.
These notes are F# with LH1 only, D, B with RH2 only, A and G as they all have a closed tonehole below the tonehole they issue directly from.
Other notes that suffer with poor venting are E, C#, C and B with the chromatic fingering and low F.
Fully vented notes with at least one tonehole open below the one the note issues from are throat Bb with any fingering, throat A, throat G#, open G, F# with the side key fingering, E, Eb with the side key or cross key fingering, C#, C, B with the chromatic fingering, Bb, Ab, F# and low E as that issues directly from the bell.
Set the main action ventings in the RH notes to a minimum of 3mm as anything less than that will cause stuffiness, as well as using pads that remain nice and flat in the centre. I measure the venting of the C/G vent pad (the uppermost one) on the lower joint to set the main action venting.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2026-08-16 21:17
farabout wrote:
> The horn is Bb plateau Normandy, recently overhauled &
> regulated by a professional, no leaks (as verified with both
> light and manometer), no cracks. However, there is an isolated
> airiness on chalumeau B with the middle finger, and to a lesser
> extent on A, but not on surrounding notes (BB, B with
> banana/sliver key, G, #G &c). Any clue would be appreciated.
I don't want to seem simplistic, but were RH 2nd finger B and chalumeau A stuffy before the overhaul, or only since? What about the twelfths? Particularly RH 2 F#?
If it can be done, you temporarily remove the RH stack of plateaus so you can finger RH B without them? I don't know very much about plateau systems, but this might be a way to narrow the problem down to a venting problem related to the covers above and below the B/F# vent or one related to the tone hole design itself.
Karl
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Author: farabout
Date: 2026-08-16 21:30
Karl, the student acquired it after the overhaul, thus the answer to your 1st question is unknown. RE 2nd question: the 12ths are fine; there is no such problem on the coresponding clarion register notes whatsoever, ditto for altissimo. Thanx for the advice.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2026-08-16 22:52
Another thing very often overlooked on plateaux clarinets is the thumbplate underlever/linkage piece which is left too long, so the LH1 only fingering for F# is stuffy as anything as the venting for the thumbplate pad is too low.
Not a problem if it's a ring key as the amount of movement in the thumb ring won't affect the quality of the F# as that issues from the thumb tube unobstructed, but a covered thumbplate needs far more venting for a clear note to speak.
Shortening the thumbplate underlever and reshaping the top side of it to allow the thumbplate more travel will ensure the LH1 only F# fingering speaks cleanly.
As many of the same key pieces are used for both ring key and plateaux models, that shorter thumbplate linkage often gets overlooked and the standard ring key one is fitted. It's not just Vitos, but others too that overlook this important aspect of plateaux models - I've also seen it on Jacques Albert, Selmer, Malerne and others and had to both shorten and reshape it as a result.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: farabout
Date: 2026-08-17 00:02
There's another quirk: changing the mouthpiece helped eliminate the said stuffiness. While the previous and new mouthpieces are of different brands, they share the same tip opening. The reed was the same.
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