 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2002-11-19 03:00
I just want to know if I'm in serious trouble of my clarinet cracking . . . .
I play monday nights in a wind ensemble at school. Directly after we finish I walk down to my car (a two minute walk), and then put the clarinet in the back seat and climb in and turn on the heat. I was wondering if there's a serious chance of the wood cracking or not. When I'm done playing in the 65º degree room, I walk outside and the temp outside is usually in low 40's or so. And that is the same as in the car, till the heat kicks in and quickly warms it up to 70º or so. Am I at real risk? And if so, is there anything I can do to prevent it? Thanks.
Alexi
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Author: Pam
Date: 2002-11-19 03:18
My guess is that you'll be ok, assuming you have put it back in the case before walking to the car. I'm no authority, by any means, but my teacher told me that if for some reason my clarinet would get cold, that I should give it some time to warm to room temperature before opening the case again. I really baby my instrument though. If I need to carry it to work during the day because of a rehearsal or lesson right after, it goes in the building with me- not sitting in the truck.
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Author: Terry Horlick
Date: 2002-11-19 05:48
I was looking at cases on the web. I will make a new double case for my A and Bb horns and share the results on this site. I noted that vioins are now graced with an airline style case. It is a hard shell case with foam in it. The foam is cut for the regular case to fit into. This protects the violin from bangs and rapid temperature changes.
I assume you can make an over case like that, or maybe get a vinyl case cover with a fleece lining.
OR>>> you can do what I sometimes do when it is freezing out. Just grab that case and tuck it inside your jacket. Then stroll to the car at your leisure with no worries. You can even leave it there while you drive home and then leave it there until you are inside the house. Just don't put the shoulder belt across it.
Who cares what someone might think when they see you hiding something under your coat? Which is worse, funny looks from strangers or a cracked clarinet?
All this said, a good case should protect the horn from rapid temperature changes... if you carry it in the cold, set it down for an hour or two at home and let it come back up to room temperature.
Just IMHO... check with a wood expert like "the Doctor", Terry Horlick another "doctor"
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Author: Dave
Date: 2002-11-19 10:52
It should be okay. The case will insulate the clarinet, it won't experience that much of a reduction of temperature in two minutes. You could also put the case inside a bag to further insulate it, if it still worries you.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-11-19 10:58
When I filled an old, dry barrel with water as part of a timber expansion experiment, it took days to alter dimensionally.
This was about the most severe test possible. It seems to be significant periods with high moisture inside and low moisture outside the instrument that splits clarinets, through unmatched dimension changes, rather than brief temperature changes.
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Author: Bob
Date: 2002-11-19 14:08
Back in my high school days...before I ever heard that wood clarinets could crack....I marched in cold weather and my wood horn never cracked and I never took any special precautions about anything. We also played early in the morning at the train station to "send off" draftees(WWII) on days it was so cold that the brass players almost froze their lips to their mouthpieces. When done playing I put my horn in the case and walked four blocks to school..in winter. My horn never cracked. What does that prove? That my horn was made from properly seasoned wood...and I was lucky. If wood "wants to crack" ,my opinion is that there is nothing you can do to prevent it...and vice versa.
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Author: Terry Horlick
Date: 2002-11-19 14:44
I developed my habit of tucking my horn into my coat when I was playing for December holidays. For me the problem was getting to a gig and coming in out of the very cold air finding the horn icy. It took much longer to warm up so you could tune up. I never really worried much about the temperature on the way back home from the gig.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-11-19 15:51
There are a number of theories of what causes a wood clarinet-oboe-bassoon to crack. Many of us feel it is the differential thermal expansion that takes place when a [very?] cold horn is played [too soon] with warm breath, maybe at 70 F [21+ C for Diz et al] into our un-ringed upper joint and the wood grain is "stress-relieved" down to a drilled hole. I heard one crack at a late-season [1938?]football game at Mich. State [Band], not mine, as it had been cracked earlier, pinned-banded and survived! Close call? Don
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Author: Dee
Date: 2002-11-19 21:29
Many months ago now, I calculated the stresses due to differential thermal expansion for a wooden clarinet (cold horn, warm breath). They were not high enough to be the cause of cracking in cold weather. There must be some other mechanism at work. The one that makes the most sense is moisture as you can get measureable changes in dimensions from drying and re-humidifying.
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Author: Jean
Date: 2002-11-19 23:46
I live in Minnesota where the weather can fluctuate from 100 degrees in the summer to 20 below in the winter. So that means if I am in a building that is heated to 70 and go outside where it is 10 below we are talking about an 80 degree temperature difference. Say, that sounds like an algebra problem. And you thought there were no practical applications to math.
The temps you are talking about don't sound too extreme. Be sure to swab your instrument out, put it away, and NEVER leave it in the car for any length of time (hot or cold). I have taken my clarinet to the bar, the store, etc. as a precaution. Oh sure people give you funny looks but do I really care? This is also great theft prevention.
I have yet to have a clarinet crack and am convinced it is because I am so careful with them.
Be good to your clarinet and you will have many years together.
Jean
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Author: msroboto
Date: 2002-11-20 02:08
My clarinet has been to 2 house closings, a couple of sushi bars, a pizza place or two. I think it likes Sake!!
I just never leave it in the car for any reason except transport.
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2002-11-20 03:08
I have to agree with Bob. My 20 years of experience plying in the cold is more than enough to say, "Wooden clarinets crack for a lot of reasons but the cold weather is NOT one of them" and I'm talking about freezing temperatures here.
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Author: d dow
Date: 2002-11-20 03:16
much of the cracks that I have seen, happened to various clarinets occured during high humidity in summer months. Moist heat may have a good deal to with this problem....
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Author: Jim E.
Date: 2002-11-20 04:41
For the first 12 of the 18 years that I laid off of playing, my 1969 Selmer Signet (wood) sat in the attic eaves of my parent's home in coastal new Jersey. The temperature regularly went down as far as zero in the winter, and well over 100 in the summer (the house had a dark slate roof.) Additionally the house is a block from the ocean, summer humidity is oppresive. No cracks ever, I still use the horn today. But... don't do this to an instrument you like! (I never intended to use it again and didn't care. I was foolish when I was younger.)
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