The keyword on a clarinet is either played using silver or nickel. On a rare occasion, gold may be used for the key work on the clarinet. Nickel plating is durable, and it does not tarnish near as easily as silver. Nickel plating is also preferred in many occasions because it has a luster that is shiny and attractive. Silver plating is attractive and offers an appearance that is warm and brilliant, and it also has a nice feel to the touch. Unfortunately, silver plating on a clarinet's key work can tarnish easily in comparison to nickel plating. With care, silver played keys can remain nicely free of tarnish, retaining their natural beauty all throughout the life of the instrument.

Clarinets come in several different styles based on the size of their bores. The bore of the clarinet is the inside of the instrument. In general, clarinets will smaller bores are ideal for students to play in tune, as it is easier for them to cover the holes with their fingers. Clarinets with larger bores tend to be much more flexible in terms of pitch, and so they are preferable among jazz players that are looking to bend notes, producing a much bigger sound that can project adequately in any setting, even one filled with numerous other instruments and plenty of noise.

Breaking in a Wood Clarinet

A brand new clarinet, or one that has been unused and stored for a long period of time will need to be acclimated in order to protect it from cracking. There are two specific rules of thumb that need to be followed when you are taking care of your granadilla wood clarinet.

The first rule is not to keep your wood instrument in any place where you would not keep a baby. Would you leave a baby in a car during a hot afternoon, or out in the cold at night? No, so do not do either of these things with your cherished wooden clarinet either.

The second rule is to always store your clarinet in its case when it is not in use.

Grenadilla clarinets also have to be broken in before they can be played for extended periods of time. Do not play your new clarinet for longer than fifteen minutes per day for the first week, and make sure to swab the bore out carefully to remove any lingering moisture after each use. The second week, you can play for thirty minutes per day for the week, and you can extend this play time to 45 minutes for the third week. Make sure to swab the bore out after you play each day to keep your clarinet in top shape. During the fourth week, you can push your playing time to an hour, and your clarinet should be broken in by the end of the fourth week. If you live in dryer climates, more care may be required to keep your clarinet in fighting shape.

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Originally posted 2009-01-16 05:51:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Categories:

Acoustic Musical Instruments, Buyer's Guide, clarinet

Tags:

acclimated, baby in a car, bore, bores, cold at night, different styles, fingers, granadilla wood, hot afternoon, jazz players, luster, natural beauty, nickel plating, period of time, pitch, rare occasion, rules of thumb, silver nickel, silver plating, wood clarinet