 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-21 02:40
My clarinet has been very weird lately. First off, the same keys keep falling off, my teacher had to order new screws, Secondly, (this is really weird) my clarinet is a whole note off! ( my concert f is an A!) My techer gave me a different mouth piece in place of my current one to use for a while but my if i push in my concert c is off by a half step, and if my pull out my concert f is off! And my clarinet fell apart 3 times last night! It also sounds extremly airy...My clarinet is about 60 years old...
I dont know what to do!
Post Edited (2013-04-21 02:55)
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-04-21 03:20
Have a good repair tech look at it. What make/model clarinet is it?
Karl
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-21 03:27
My clarinet got repaired before i went on a trip with my band....
I believe it is a selmer signet speical although it only is only says selmer signet ...the serial number is 11863 i looked it up but there is no information on it that i could find.....
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Author: eaglgenes101
Date: 2013-04-21 04:12
The f that uses only the thumb hole and the c that is low f with the register key?
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-21 04:49
first one is a yes they second one is a no...well, i've never tried it...
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Author: tims
Date: 2013-04-21 05:24
Your horn could be near 50 years old, but no older. If it is an older one, it should say Signet Special on the bell, though it could be rather worn. These horns suffered from very soft key work and easily would go out of adjustment. Otherwise they were excellent horns and played well in tune. The instrument may simply be too old and worn to merit spending much money trying to get it working since it may simply work its way out of adjustment in another week or so.
If the instrument seems to be a full tone off (especially if its just one or two note), it is more than likely you have one or more keys that are not closing or not opening as they should.
If you have taken your instrument to a repair shop that does volume repairs for band instruments, they may simply have made some quick adjustments until it worked, but not addressed the real problem of wear at the pivots. A professional repair specialist could determine whether or not it is fixable and give you an estimate of what it would cost, but it could well cost more to fix it than the instrument is worth.
Years ago I used to buy these instruments myself at garage sales, pawn shops and flea markets and would repair them myself and sell them to my students. Unfortunately today most of these instruments are well past their useful life.
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-21 05:38
I dont have my clarinet with me but my friend says it say luyben somewhere on it... on an open g your not touching anything
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Author: tims
Date: 2013-04-21 08:28
Luyben is a brand name for a ligature (what holds your reed on). The name of the horn should be on the barrel and the bell.
If you have a loose key or a spring that has come loose, then it doesn't matter whether or not you are touching any keys (such as playing an open G) for it to play wrong.
Is your teacher your clarinet teacher or is it your band director? If it is your clarinet teacher or if your band director is a woodwind player, then have them look at it. It's very difficult to diagnose a problem without having access to the instrument.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-04-21 09:56
How long have you been playing for and have you played any other instruments before taking up clarinet?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: stevesklar
Date: 2013-04-21 15:23
My recommendation would be to have a service tech look at your clarinet.
FYI, the name should be on the upper joint. The bell and barrel can commonly be replaced and the names on them may not represent the actual make/model of the clarinet.
==========
Stephen Sklar
My YouTube Channel of Clarinet Information
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-21 17:40
I have been playing for four years now, but only two on that clarinet (before that my sister was using it for band) Its my band director, but the first instrument he played was clarinet and only teches woodwind instruments. He is very confused on what is going on.....
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-04-21 19:16
Maybe I've missed it - I'm sorry if that's the case, but I don't think we've yet established for certain which notes you're talking about. Apparently, from your first exchange with chiptopian, the thumb F (which should sound concert-Eb) is affected. Beyond that most of the discussion has been about how old the clarinet is, which may be totally irrelevant if the mechanical problem is repairable.
Tell us again, in as much detail as you can, what notes are "weird" or if it's all the notes. Does everything sound "airy" or some notes more than others? What keys have been falling off (that you need new screws for) and what has been done to keep them on the clarinet while you wait for the screws? I may be the dense one who isn't getting it, but I don't right now have much idea of what's wrong with your clarinet.
Where is your clarinet now that a friend is telling you what markings are on it?
Karl
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-21 19:39
I left my clarinet in my friends car, and now its in her room...
The key that keeps falling off is on the upper section with the key that plays low C#. Also when it "falls apart" that is when the lower section and Upper section come apart. As for the notes, my director only had me play my open g and middle C. Which as i said are a note off, although when i play my instrument it effects the whole thing. so all the notes? It usally only sounds ariy in the upper register, sometimes the lower...My teacher put in a different screw...that was too big for it...
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-04-21 20:07
OK, so open G should sound concert-F (F on a piano). Are you saying yours sounds an E instead? Which C is "middle C" - the note one leger line below the staff? What note sounds when you play it?
Just to be clear, do you understand that a C on a clarinet isn't the same pitch as a C on a flute or a piano? Your notes *should* sound one note (a whole step) lower than their name on the clarinet - clarinet C should sound the same as a Bb on a piano, clarinet G should sound like a piano or flute F, etc.
Airiness in the upper register could easily be dirt or a torn pad partly blocking the register tube (the tube that the register key covers). It could also be a problem with the mouthpiece or the reeds you use.
I'm not sure which key you mean, but if it's the C#(also G# in the upper register) key, it could also be interfering with the action of the set of rings around the left hand finger holes. If the rings aren't going all the way down, the pad under the A key may not be closing completely and all of that would cause all kinds of havoc.
Sections coming apart means you need a new cork applied to the tenon (the part of the upper section that fits into the lower one). A repair person can do that easily in a few minutes. The repair tech would also have an array of screws on hand if a replacement is needed.
You really should take the clarinet to a reputable repair shop and se what the technician says. There are lots of 50s and 60s-era clarinets still in use and very playable. Yours sounds like it's a mechanical mess, but may be very fixable.
Karl
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-21 20:15
Yes, understand this, two of my friends play flute and one plays piano. My band director tuned it himself. My G is playing an A, and my concert Bb is playing a D. And, Yes i the C in the middle of the staff! I use 3.5 reeds and the mouth piece i was using was a selmer paris, the one my director gave me was a selmer signet mouthpiece...
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Author: eaglgenes101
Date: 2013-04-21 20:43
Oops, I seem to have confused middle c and high c. Goddamn timbre.
Also, are either of the out-of-tune notes stuffy? That might indicate some pad's not closing them enough or a pad that's too close to the hole when it's open.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-04-21 21:37
Just to clear up what seems to be some confusion here.
Concert pitch is what a piano, flute, oboe or violin is tuned to in they aren't transposing instruments, so their Concert C is the actual note and sounds as a C.
On a Bb clarinet, the WRITTEN or FINGERED notes you play will sound a whole tone LOWER than those played on Concert Pitch instruments, so when you play a C on a clarinet (pitched in Bb) it will sound as Concert Pitch Bb even though it's a written or fingered C on that instrument. So in order to play at exactly the same pitch as a piano, flute, oboe or violin, you will have to play everything on a Bb clarinet UP a whole tone (or two semitones/half-tones) to compensate for the difference in pitch.
So when a Concert Pitch piece is written in the key of F Major, you will be playing it in G Major (ie. up a whole tone) on a Bb clarinet so it's all at the correct pitch. This is why a clarinet is called a TRANSPOSING instrument as the music for it has to be transposed from the original key (eg. F Major) up a whole tone (eg. to G Major) in order for it to sound in the same key as the composer intended and to fit in with any other instruments.
Your A should sound as Concert G and your Bb should sound as Concert Ab - it shouldn't be the other way round. A Bb clarinet plays consistently a whole tone lower than a Concert Pitch instrument. If your clarinet plays higher, then you have either a D or Eb clarinet which are a lot smaller than a Bb and usually have a single piece body.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-21 21:40
I know what the difference is, and so does my teacher! my g should not b a A and my c should not b a D!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-04-21 22:00
What's the lowest note you can actually get out of your clarinet? Play a descending scale from open G and make a note of where it becomes difficult to play.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-21 22:05
Its fine, it just sounds really off, I can play as far down as a clarinet can go!
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Author: pewd
Date: 2013-04-21 22:38
Gunk in the mouthpiece?
Bad crack in the upper joint or barrel?
Crud (a lot of it) in the register vent?
Leaking seal in the wax around the register tube?
Crack in your mouthpiece?
Take it to a good repair tech. - a different one.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-21 23:37
Theres a crack in my barrel, but that has been there for forever! I noticed that the stuff in the crack fell out.....Would going from 20 degree weather to 70 degree and back again effect it?
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Author: rmk54
Date: 2013-04-22 00:10
Two possible explanations:
The OP is pulling our leg.
He really has an E-flat clarinet and is very flat. His "teacher" could be one of those local music store guys that will teach any instrument.
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-22 02:03
Whats an op? Are you talking about me? Im in 9th grade, it seriously is my band director!
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Author: pewd
Date: 2013-04-22 02:30
So - borrow another student's barrel for 2 minutes and try it.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: pewd
Date: 2013-04-22 02:32
OP = 'Original Poster', the person who started the thread.
If the 'stuff' is something to seal the crack, then that would explain it.
Borrow another barrel, try it, or put tape over the barrel and try it.
If this fixes the pitch issue, you need a new barrel.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-23 02:46
Just a note but I decided to use my original mouthpiece in band today, I think it is what was making it sound very airy....
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Author: Hurstfarm
Date: 2013-04-23 22:38
A long shot, but, check that the upper and lower joint serial numbers are the same. I once came across a student who had inadvertently bought a hybrid Bb/A instrument which caused similar consternation!
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Author: Chiptopian
Date: 2013-04-24 04:29
All the serial numbers are the same...and I decided to go back to my original mouth piece to see how it was working and its not off key anymore...I didn't try the other barrel yet seeing I was late Monday and we listened to the Wartburg symphonic band today... so my clarinet seems to have a mind of its own!
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