Michael Lange Music Company

"Connecticut's Finest Resource for the Aspiring & Professional Musician"

Many people buy wooden clarinets for a level of performance that matches their abilities. Generally speaking, the keywork is much better than student clarinets, and the feel and response will allow students to progress as they should. Clarinets are designed to exacting specifications and the wood must be maintained for the clarinet to perform as designed. Breaking in your new clarinet will allow your clarinet to adhere to its design specifications.

Wood is not a dimensionally stable product. It will expand and contract under different atmospheric conditions. The break in period will allow the wood to acclimate itself under playing conditions. The wood fiber cells have to "learn" to deal with the relatively warm moist air entering, and be able to handle absorbing and desorbing water vapor. Swelling and shrinking will still occur, but not to the extent of keys binding and leaks developing. As the wood swells, tone holes can become oval and leak, and as it shrinks, key binding can occur as posts become closer together. Imagine your clarinet as a sponge tube. As it absorbs moisture, the bore shrinks and the exterior gets larger. If this happens too quickly, the instrument will crack. Properly breaking in your new clarinet will help the wood to deal with this moisture stress.

Here are the basic rules for breaking in:

· Play the instrument for ONLY 15 minutes the first day.

· Gradually increase the playing time by 5 minutes each day.

· ALWAYS swab the instrument of excess moisture.

Before new clarinets leave the shop, I like to treat them in this manner. Coating a thin layer of wax on the end grain areas of the barrel and upper joint barrel tenon helps prevent moisture from absorbing to quickly into the wood. I also apply a mineral oil based polishing wax to the bore for a beautiful smooth polish. This helps prevent the grain from becoming raised too much.

After one week bring your clarinet back to the shop to have the bore inspected. Different saliva will affect clarinet bores a variety of ways. Your technician can give you a pretty good idea of subsequent bore treatments after the initial break in period from this inspection. The climate, condition of the bore, and saliva interaction will affect the type and frequency of bore treatment.

Most commercial bore oils are petroleum based and do nothing to help the wood. There are many organic oils which are superior. I have my own mix of organic oils for bore treatment. Peanut oil, olive oil, and sweet almond oil (pharmaceutical grade) are some commonly used organic oils. Ask your technician for suggestions and methods for application of oils.

Maintaining a relatively stable humidity between playing periods can be accomplished with commercial humidifiers. Some players will place fresh citrus rinds in the case to maintain a stable humidity. The relative humidity level should be around 50%.

Never immediately play a wooden clarinet if it has been out in the cold. The sudden increase in warmth and humidity will swell the wood too fast and a crack can develop quickly. Allow it to warm to room temperature slowly on its own before playing. Some will gently warm the instrument by placing it against the body or under the arm until room temperature has been achieved. Also, NEVER play a wood clarinet outside in very cold weather.

Always swab the instrument of excess moisture. Remember, pad savers are useless unless the instrument has been swabbed first. Inspect the bore every so often. If it is rough and not shiny any more, professional polishing can improve performance and prevent waterlogged pads. Remember, "A smooth, shiny bore is a happy bore!"

"Wood, Oil & Water" by Raymond & Lee Dessy          

If you have any questions and/or comments, send an  e--mail.

Back

Copyright 2003 © Michael Lange Music Company