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Re: tight key springs on new clarinet

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2019-02-20 18:16

Two possibly separate issues:

>
> would it be a reasonable thing to ask the technician
> to adjust the spring on the right hand pinkie C/F key so that I
> do not need to press so hard on it to get it to move? I
> currently have to press very hard, which is causing wrist
> trouble.

In general, it's better to wait a few weeks or even as long as 6 months before you have a tech adjust anything but obvious malfunctions. Things ease up and pads settle and what's needed out of the box may not be what's needed after a period of use.

That said, it depends on how hard the key is to move. It's set up with someone's idea of the correct tension. It needs a minimal amount of tension to keep it from blowing open when you play G/D. If it's really too hard to move, have the tech relax the spring enough to get to the edge of your comfort zone. The spring may ease up further on its own over a few weeks.

> On my old instrument I don't have to press very hard at all to
> make the keys move. But then again, playing the pinkie keys
> with the register key pressed often causes squeaks, or no sound
> at all, so maybe tighter would be better.

This is more likely to be caused by finger positions than spring adjustments on the RH F/C key. Especially check your thumb position, if it's mostly the upper register that squeaks. It's easy to open the bottom of the thumb hole when you press the register key. That will cause exactly the problem you describe. But any LH finger that pulls off of its tone hole when you move your thumb to press the RK will cause the same problem.

Karl

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