The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

Sticky Fingers

Author: kilo
Date: 2023-07-21 22:16

No, not the Rolling Stones album but a re-occurring annoyance when I play my Royal Global Max bass. I live in a maritime climate and there are times when it's a challenge to slide off the stack keys smoothly. I haven't noticed this so much on my Model 30 (which has a smoother action to begin with). It was never a problem on the soprano clarinet and when I played saxophone I could remedy the situation by wearing thin gloves.

The Max has silver-plated keys and silver is supposed to provide a less slippery surface than nickel but if this is the case it's not very helpful in muggy weather or in the winter when I bring a cold instrument into a warm room. I've tried using unscented, dry antiperspirant on my fingers but this made them feel sort of gummy; I didn't like it. I've kept a microfiber cloth close by and tried wiping the keys down frequently; not successful. A guitar-playing friend suggested a cloth with a little lemon oil wiped over the keys; haven't tried this yet out of caution. Setting up a dehumidifier or even just a fan in my immediate vicinity isn't practical. The intricacies of clarinet fingerings rule out gloves, at least any that I've been able to find.

I don't think my hand sweat that heavily and I can't believe that I'm the only person who experiences this. Are there other players on this board who've had this problem and found a good solution? There are times when the keywork is not sticky at all and the Max is a joy to play but I can't control the atmospheric conditions in the places where I play or perform. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics