 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Diana
Date: 2002-02-17 12:27
My clarinet recently developed a mysterious problem. It's a thirty-year old Martin Freres with a Woodwind G8 mouthpiece and a no-name lig, and I've always been happy with its nice sound and good intonation. I recently had some work done on it: seven new pads on the upper joint (regular pads, not cork), new cork on the middle joint and the mouthpiece because they were wobbling, and the technician levelled some other pads and adjusted some keys while he was at it. Ever since then I have been getting a very high-pitched buzzy sort of sound effect, a unpleasant resonance, with every note throughout the whole range of the instrument. I've spent hours back with the techie as he tried various things but nothing made a difference. He says he can't hear the effect even though I can. My teacher thinks he can hear it but says it's not very noticeable. To me the buzz/resonance is really obvious and seems to be emanating from somewhere near the top of the instrument.
Here's what I've gone through.
- I've tried about ten different reeds, some good ones that I had been using and some brand new out of the box.
- I've tried playing with a different ligature and even a string lig.
- I tried another barrel.
- I tried a couple of other mouthpieces.
- I removed the rubber mouthpiece patch that I normally use.
Without my mouthpiece patch and with other mouthpieces the effect sounded even worse to me.
- The techie palpated all the keywork and rings but couldn't find anything vibrating. He had already tightened everything that was obviously loose.
- He ensured that the register post was clean and firmly secure.
- He taped the bell ring to ensure it didn't vibrate.
- He used some pieces of black electrical tape inside the bell to change the dynamics.
- He put various numbers of small pieces of black electrical tape inside the barrel to change its internal dimensions.
- I haven't had dental work, don't have braces, and wear the same glasses as usual.
Nothing made any difference. It's driving me nuts and putting me off playing. I tried playing my teacher's clarinet using my mouthpiece and didn't hear the sound. I'm positive that I'm not deluded and that I haven't talked myself into hearing this. Sorry this got so long! Does anyone have suggestions?
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Author: J M
Date: 2002-02-17 16:36
Sounds as if you need to take your instrument to another technician and see what he/she says, that would drive me nuts as well!
J
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-02-17 18:19
It sounds like you have had quite a bit of analysis to no avail !! Does "palpitate" include a close check on all pads?. I'd suggest that a broken "skin" on a pad, a large one perhaps, could cause your buzz. LUCK, Don
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Author: Lawrence
Date: 2002-02-17 22:54
Diana,
You say the buzz occurs on every note. Try to determine which section is causing the problem by removing each section, starting with the bell. Play test and if the buzz remains, then remove the lower section and test again. This should help isolate the section causing the buzz. Rap the offending section with your knuckles and listen for anything loose. Play test and use your free hand to touch each part, trying to determine what's vibrating. This should narrow down the effort.
Lawrence
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2002-02-18 08:42
i'd look at the screws that hold "flat springs" in place- esp given that the buzzing gets louder without the mouthpiece patch on. These can be loose, but sometimes even if they seem to be tight the spring moves under the screw (screw not going far enough in, screw wrong size for the screw hole, spring thinner than previous one, general mis-match).... sometimes putting grease under the screw stops a buzzing.
just some more ideas for you. Pads also sound like a good possibility.
nzdonald
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-02-18 10:18
Flat spring screws are unlikely to buzz because they always have the spring pushing on them.
However over the length of a flat spring it should be clear of all parts of the key unless it is a long one (register key) when it may be acceptable for it to press FIRMLY against the pivot tube aat all times. Sometimes, especially with a register key, the spring just touches the pivot tube and buzzes against it. This is unlikely to be your cause because pressing the key would either stop or start it.
Needle springs can buzz against the key body or pivot tube, part way along the spring.
I once worked on a buzziing instrument and eventually found a tiny hole, about 0.2 mm diameter, right through the body. I suppose it was caused by a borer of some sort. Initiaklly it may have been filled with the black goo the makers sometimes put on the surface.
If it is this it should be detectable with a blowing leak test. If there is a leak but its location cannot be found then as a last resort put a cork in the end of a section, fill it with water, apply firm but not execessive blowing pressure for a while (to fill the leak with water), empty out the water, and blow again, listening and watching (an assistant is handy) for bubbles. Dry out as soon as possible after diagnosis. It sounds drastic, but the bore and pads are actually used to being wet.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-02-18 14:10
Also...
Simply a lack of oil in the pivots?
One of the top 2 side keys vibrating against their guide?
Split in the ligature?
Loose tenon ring (cap)?
I wonder if a split INSIDE the bore could do it.
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Author: Diana
Date: 2002-02-19 12:01
Many thanks for the suggestions. I'm always impressed with the helpfulness and knowledge of people here.
I had forgotten to mention that I had already tried the "Immer Kleiner" approach. I definitely hear the problem using just the top joint (bottom joint and bell removed). I definitely don't hear the problem with just the mouthpiece. I'm not sure if I hear it or not using just the mouthpiece and barrel; that's why my techie spent some time investigating the barrel, having me play without the barrel rings and trying tape inside it, but then when I tried another barrel I still heard the problem.
I'm going to pursue this further with another very well reputed technician in the next city.
Thanks again.
Diana
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-02-19 17:21
Diana -
Try expanding the test of playing another instrument. Try a different clarinet (preferably the same model) with your mouthpiece, then your mouthpiece and barrel, then your mouthpiece, barrel and upper joint. Then everything but the bell.
Somewhere along the line, the buzzing will start, and you will have it at least partly localized.
One thing that hasn't been suggested is the possibility that the "fishskin" covering on an old pad (or even one of the new ones) is loose and rattling. This can produce the kind of buzzing you describe, and is also not loud enough to be heard by others.
Another possibility is that there's something buzzing in a tone hole, possibly a scrap of fishskin that fell off when a pad was replaced and stuck.
If you can, have your teacher play the instrument, preferably with your mouthpiece and reed, trying to reproduce the buzz.
This is really hard to diagnose without hearing you play.
Good luck getting it fixed.
Ken Shaw
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