 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Casey
Date: 2002-10-14 21:25
this is kind of a stupid question, but..
im getting an overhaul for my clarinet and I was wondering if there was any suggestions on add ons, or ANYTHING I can do to help my clarinet play better, im getting all the corks and pads replaced, but if anyone can tell me of some extra things i could add into it so i can sound even better, tell me. And does anyone have an idea on how much it would cost to get all the keys replaced on a buffet horn? Is this not a good idea knowing i use it for marching and concert season? Any help at all would be great!! (im sending it in tomorrow, so no rush guys lol)
thanks in advance
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Author: Casey
Date: 2002-10-14 21:34
Sorry ya'll one more thing,...My clarinet is REALLY REALLY flat, is there anything I can do to it to make it become less flat? (but it also could be from all the damage its in from marching) Thanx again
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-10-14 22:03
Casey -
Take the upper joint of your clarinet, cover the holes with your left-hand fingers, lick the palm of your right hand just below your thumb, press the lower tenon against your palm and suck the air out of the top tenon. If it won't hold a vacuum for at least 10 seconds, the pads are leaky and need to be re-seated. Do the same for the lower joint.
An overhaul, where all the pads are replaced, may be more than you need. Most of the time, the pads can simply be adjusted. If the're showing wear (that is, if the thin "fish-skin" layer over the felt is broken), the bad ones should be replaced. I assume your Buffet is a plastic B-12. If so, getting an overhaul will cost as much as the instrument is worth. Find a good repair shop and trust what they say.
Eliminating any leaks will make your clarinet play significantly better. Unless the keys are bent all out of shape, I wouldn't get them replaced. Particularly on a B-12, it wouldn't be worth it.
You might want to consider upgrading to, say, an E-13.
If you're playing a Buffet mouthpiece, almost anything would be an improvement. For $20, a plastic Yamaha mouthpiece, available at any music store, will work well. I strongly advise you, though, to get a student mouthpiece from Fobes, Hite or Ridenour (all sponsors here) for about $30. These will be fine until you get pretty advanced, when you'll want a handmade mouthpiece. These go for $150 and up.
A barrel with a "reverse taper" such as those made by Chadash will make a big improvement. When I put my handmade mouthpiece and handmade barrel on a student instrument, it's hard even for me to tell the difference in sound.
Taking lessons will help of course. Summer music camp will help just as much, or even more.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: ron b
Date: 2002-10-14 23:02
Way better, in my two cents worth of opinion, to get a Play Condition tune up than sink a lot of money into what sounds, from the tone of your post, like a sub-moderate to middlin', at best, back up horn.
The cost of replacing the keys (have you priced even one factory replacement key lately?) will exceed the price of replacing your whole instrument. Don't go there, follow Ken's advice. A new mouthpiece often does wonderous things in the improvment department - and, you can take it with you when you do move on to something better.
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Author: Casey
Date: 2002-10-14 23:15
Ken Shaw-
Hmm..i play a Wood buffet E-11, and its 3 years old. I play on a M13 lyre vandoren mouthpiece, and i like it a lot. and my mouthpiece was about 100$, my clarinets good, i just want a new start like new everything on it (except keys i changed my mind about keys) and im considering buying a real cheap plastic horn for marching from an old friend. And i DO take lessons, and i do take summer band camp, lol, i do all your suggestions already =). Thanks for the advice those as well as yours ron b
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-10-14 23:32
Casey said: "...I play on a M13 lyre vandoren...and my mouthpiece was about 100$..."
Casey, if you seriously paid "about $100" for a Vandoren M13lyre, then you overpaid.
The average discounted price from the major retailers is about $58.95.
Even if you do not have a credit card or checking account (as I assume you are in high school), it would be worthwhile to have your parents help you with an online purchase. It could save you some money, which might be used on a few extra boxes of reeds...GBK
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2002-10-15 01:27
Casey,
IMO all E11 have European pitch at 442-444HZ and are sharp and not flat as you stated. Unless you have 68mm replacement barrel I have no idea how could it happen????
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Author: Casey
Date: 2002-10-15 02:44
I feel like im a corner and can't get myself out now. I did not know i overpaid for my mouthpiece, but it's too late now. I needed one RIGHT then cause i had busted my other one and i had marching competition the next day (yes i am in high school). Vytas, i do not know what IMO means, but my director told me i was hurriendously flat, so im not sure i can't back up that fact.
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Author: Jim E.
Date: 2002-10-15 03:55
Get an inexpensive tuner so you know for sure just what your tuning problem is. (Korg CA30 under $20 online, $35 at the local music shop.)
If you are flat over the entire range AND the horn is sealing OK (pads) AND you have all the joints tightly together, a shorter barrell will solve your tuning in the short term, but then work on intonation.
Before investing money in repairs, get your teacher to play your instrument. If he/she is not flat, you know where the problem is. Your teacher should be a resource in solving this anyway. Ask!
A 3 year old decent quality instrument like the E11 should not need pads UNLESS they were ruined in marching band by rain or dust from the field. Consider getting a used plastic instrument for marching.
Good luck from someone who played flat for years, and now plays sharp (easier to fix.)
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2002-10-15 16:08
Casey: Here's some strong advice -- strong, because I won't offeer any alternatives. Please do remember that these comments are my opinions and they are worth at least what they cost you:
1) Do not march with a wood instrument unless you truly dislike it. Get a second-hand plastic instrument for that purpose. You should be able to find a usable one for less than the price of replacing the pads on your E-11.
2) In selecting a mouthpiece, tone quality is only one criterion. Pitch is also important, as many mouthpieces will play sharp or flat. You must use pitch as a reason to buy or not to buy just as well as the quality of the tone produced. And don't worry about the price you paid for your mouthpiece. Look at it from the standpoint of how much you play it versus how much it cost you. If you've been playing your hundred-dollar mouthpiece two hours a day for six months, that's less than 28 cents an hour. You can't park a car in a major city for so little money
3) Some players have all the pads on a favorite instrument replaced at regular intervals. To me, this is almost like having the valves in an automobile engine replaced whether they need it or not. They *don't*. Unless a pad has the appearance of impending problems, leave it alone until it merits replacement. There is no need to replace any pad only because some others need replacement.
4) Wholesale replacement of keys should never be necessary. But on the contrary, if that is truly required, the entire Clarinet should be replaced with an instrument of better quality.
5) Jim E. is right on target. An inexpensive Chromatic Tuner (mine is a Korg CA-20) would be a great investment.
You might gather that to me, a Clarinet should not be repaired unless: A) it doesn't work any more, or B) it has become very obvious (based on appearance of the pads/corks/etc.) that its working days are coming to a close. Except for those two circumstances, it does not require repair and should be played as it is.
Regards,
John
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Author: Fred
Date: 2002-10-15 16:50
One thought here - If you have some pads the REALLY need replacing, they could be swollen and reducing the clearance between the tone hole and the pad surface. That will cause your clarinet to play flat.
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