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Re: baffling EH problem

Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-01-07 02:05

Some are and some aren't - on cors you have some extra keywork that you won't find on an oboe, mainly the arrangement of the forked F vent and also an A vent on the top joint which closes with LH finger 3.

As you have teflon tiped adjusting screws, don't exert any pressure on them when adjusting or the teflon tips can crush.

I'm not sure how the F vent is arranged on this model, but on pro cors it's a pretty complex bit of mechanism that needs to be perfectly regulated, and done by someone that knows their way around it. I can only guess that this is what's causing you the 'flapping' as the F vent isn't closing properly.

On some student cors (as in Howarth S20 and S40 cors) it's a simpler mechanism where the F vent is held closed by a flat spring, and is held open by both RH finger 2 and 3 touches - it's only closed when both RH 2 and 3 are closed at the same time.

The adjusting screw on the low C key controls either the venting of the RH 2 fingerplate OR the closure of the F vent depending on the make and model, so what applies to oboes in terms of adjustments won't always work on cors.

With just the bottom joint, close the fingerplates and see if the F vent (under the pinky cluster) can be lifted - if it can and the spring feels strong (about as strong as the Eb key), then it's OK. If it can't be lifted at all then it's still OK. But if it can be lifted and feels light, or doesn't close when both RH fingers 2 and 3 are down then this is where you're having your trouble.

But without seeing your cor up close I can't make a proper diagnosis.

Another area that can cause trouble is the adjustments on the top joint main action - LH 3 closes the Bb and C vent together, and LH 2 only closes the C vent. But all the pads do need to have equal presure when tested with a feeler gauge (cut from the thinnest cigarette papers you can find) - if the screws are under adjusted the vent keys can stay open, if over adjusted they'll cause the main action fingerplates to stay open.

When you stop the bottom joint and blow into it, does it make a 'flapping' or a loud hissing sound as if a pad is being blown open or leaking?

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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