 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Musicgirl2223
Date: 2014-10-17 21:11
I'm a freshman music major in college. I've been working on major scales with my private instructor. He has me using the side fingerings for F# a lot. The problem is that that key gets really waterlogged. I can play like 2 scales before I have to dry it out. Does anyone know of a way to fix this? It was worked on a month ago so I'm pretty sure there is nothing wrong with my horn.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2014-10-18 00:00
Having that tonehole bore cleaned and then the inside coated with bore oil or vaseline can help to alleviate this.
Also check the pad is seating evenly all around on the tone hole rim.
Really a minor job for a competent tech.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-10-18 00:11
A couple other things to consider: smearing some bore oil/vaseline just above the tone hole on the inside of the bore (just to divert the stream of condensation a bit); and make sure you have a somewhat absorbent pad for the trills that most often have this happen, such as a good leather pad (I use a NON absorbent pad - the fully synthetic Valentino Masters - and I find this problem is slightly GREATER with this type of pad).
............Paul Aviles
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Author: Musicgirl2223
Date: 2014-10-18 00:37
I'm pretty sure mine are cork. The people that worked on it have done work for me before and have done a fantastic job. I don't think that it's the pad not sealing because it only does this when I use the alternate F# and plays fine the rest of the time. I will try the bore oil and if that doesn't help, I will ask my teacher Tuesday. I won't see him until then unfortunately. It's just frustrating when this happens and I need to practice. I don't have time to stop every two scales and dry it out. Thanks for the advice.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-10-18 00:56
Blowing the trapped water out from the tonehole noisily during a quiet flute (or another instrument of your own choosing) solo is a good way to clear it.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2014-10-18 03:45
I've successfully used a silicon anti-friction compound for this problem. I used an aerosol silicon lube such as is used on stuck zips, sprayed a little into a plastic cup and used a QTip to wipe the inside of the tone hole and the pad with it. It worked for me.
Tony F.
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Author: Malcolm Martland
Date: 2014-10-19 02:08
I'be had similar problems too, especially after oiling the bore. Recorder players are also familiar with this issue too, even although most have no keys. I found the solution is to treat the bore with very dilute detergent which encourages water droplets to coalesce and run naturally down the bore. Moeck, the recorder makers, produce a product, Anticondens, which does just this and it worked for me.
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Author: tims
Date: 2014-10-19 10:34
Condensation is only a problem when the body of the horn stays significantly cooler than your breath. It doesn't matter what the relative humidity is because the air in the horn comes from your breath and will always be near saturation. In lessons and during performances where you have many rests, you tend to play intermittently which allows your horn to cool between the times you play. This makes condensation seem to form excessively. When you find yourself in such a situation, try to keep your horn warm by regularly blowing air through the horn and keeping the horn against your body. Do not lay your horn on your lap because condensation will more likely begin to pool around the side tone holes. If you must put your horn down, put it on a clarinet stand that holds it vertically. Warm up before your lesson to get your horn warm and swab it just before you go in, then keep it warm throughout the lesson. It may seem counter intuitive to blow more into your horn to reduce condensation, but once the horn is warm, condensation slows significantly. If the room you are playing in is cold, keeping the horn warm is more difficult.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-10-19 17:17
When playing in colder temperatures, keep your hands wrapped around the barrel and upper part of the top joint which will also help keep the instrument warm. I only got through a performance of Mozart's Requiem by doing this as we were playing in a freezing cold church just after a serious bout of snowy weather.
I managed to keep the gurgling throat Bbs at bay, but water was still pouring down the back of my basset horn from the thumb toneholes, so they really need to have inserts going through to the bore to prevent water running out of them.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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