 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-06-13 16:07
This is a recurrent problem with my two lowest pads on the bottom section of my clarinet. For weeks I'll have no problem with the B, C sharp (or E, F sharp pads) and then all of a sudden the B is resistant (as is the same note without the octave key) and the C sharp won't play at all. I get all nervous because I imagine it me and that I'm biting to get the upper register but sure enough the F sharp lower become almost impossible to play too. The problem can arise in the middle of a session or start out first thing. The last time the tech replaced one pad, realigned another and said a screw had worked loose. The problem didn't return for another month but just started coming back. I tightened all possible screws and did a test with a scrap of paper and sure enough the C sharp pad on the right lower side is not sealing absolutely perfectly (not absolute even pressure on all sides of pad with paper test. The strange part is that after I sort of clean the pad with a piece of silk while pressing down on the pad, the problem disappears. What's up? The pad still doesn't seat 100% (is it really that critical? The paper still has a little friction on even the slackest part of the pad). But even with less than optimal pad seating, the problem goes away with a little magic silk pad cleaning.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Paul Miller
Date: 2012-06-13 19:21
I think you might be slightly bending the keys of the lower joint - those pads can get out of alignment fairly easily if you are touching the metal posts on the lower joint when you assemble and disassemble the clarinet. Depending on the material of the pads, cleaning them may just be molding their shape to conform to the tone hole, reestablishing the seal.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-06-13 20:46
Here's how I insert the bell onto the lower joint .... I hold the bottom keys down with my hand (actually I hold the lower pads down with my hand with the understanding that by doing it this way the pads could not be bent sideways). I grease the corks almost every time so there won't be much force on the keys on assembly but I must admit I had to sand the corks down a bit because they were new only a few months ago. I'm always thinking about not knocking off the keys on assembly, however there is the tiniest bit of slop on the bottom two pads on the axle.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-06-13 20:48
Don't know your horn, but I recall that one generation of the Leblanc Opus was notorious for the lower keys being overly malleable, causing leaking within weeks of being re-set.
YES, sealing is REALLY important to the overall strength of your clarinet's sound. Even if all the notes speak fairly easily, the slightest leak will cause you to lose resonance. There are those on the Board that point out that scales can be smoothed out with minor leaks and some people prefer this feel. I can't stand it personally.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: bethmhil
Date: 2012-06-14 04:03
My 60's era R13 behaves the same exact way with the same exact notes! It's been looked at several times and has been fixed several times, but the problem always comes back.
BMH
Illinois State University, BME and BM Performance
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2012-06-14 13:29
If possible , learn how to attend to the lower section problems , if for no other reason than they will be rather frequent, but you are the best person to fix them.
richard smith
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-06-15 15:47
(duplicate, delete)
[ Can't delete - will delete your "child" thread. Mark C. ]
--
Ben
Post Edited (2012-06-15 15:49)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-06-15 15:49
Attachment: ClarinetAssemblingBell.jpg (67k)
Attachment: ClarinetAssemblingUJ.jpg (66k)
Per assembling a clarinet - I grab the lower joint as in the pictures. When assembling the bell, I close the ring keys, and the LH spatula posts rest against my thumb palm, providing a good grip when "screwing" the bell on.
When assembling the upper joint, grab the lower part of the lower joint from below, placing three fingers between the two keys. The key opposite doesn't even touch my palm.
I have never bent a key with this method, not even on bass, not even with stuck corks.
But I digress.
--
Ben
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2012-06-15 16:52
I recently fixed a Yamaha c100 belonging to a kid at a local high school where he had twisted the upper and lower joints apart, bending almost everything around the centre tenon. It all straightened out OK, and when he picked it up I carefully showed him the correct way to assemble and disassemble the instrument. The next day it was back with the same damage plus displacement of the lower pads/keywork. This time it was the boys father who had dismantled it. I think it must be in the genes. Good for business, though.
Tony F.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-06-17 20:28
I went back to my tech, Mr. Andres Santana in Miami Fl. He looked at the situation, replaced one pad, the c sharp, and diagnosed the resistant B,C, C sharp as the lower two pads being too close causing the sound to be stuffy. The failure to play was due to an air leak and the stuffy resistant sound was due to insufficient clearance. He raised the lower pads. Problem solved, 20 minutes in and out the same day, no waiting and a $25 charge.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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The Clarinet Pages
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