How do you maintain a wooden clarinet?

How do you maintain a wooden clarinet?

General Care & Maintenance

1. Always swab, disassemble and return your clarinet to its case when not in use.
2. Avoid extreme and rapid changes in temperature.
3. Maintain a consistent relative humidity in between playing sessions.
4. Occasionally, wipe down the keys after playing with a micro-fiber or other lint free cloth.

What is one monthly thing you must do to maintain the clarinet?

A clarinet should be cleaned regularly to avoid bacteria and mold buildup. Each time the instrument is played, the reed should be removed and the clarinet wiped out (swabbed) to remove moisture. Every week, the mouthpiece should be fully cleaned. Your clarinet should receive a deep cleaning monthly.

How often should I oil my clarinet?

Application periods are dependent upon clarinet use, but for steady playing apply bore oil inside the clarinet only every 3 months. Again, a very light, even oiling is all that is required. Too much oil may cause the inner fibres to swell which also poses the risk of cracking.

How often does a clarinet need servicing?

every 12 to 18 months
You should have your clarinet serviced every 12 to 18 months.

Should I brush my teeth before playing clarinet?

Ideally do brush your teeth and use toothpaste. You don’t have to do a very good job, but you really, really should brush before playing. You will keep all kinds of crap from getting into your horn and guming up the works.

How do you clean clarinet pads?

Insert a piece of cleaning paper into the tone hole openings and wipe away all the moisture. Be careful not to pull the paper out with the key held down, as there is a danger that this will damage the pad. Put a piece of cleaning paper between the pad and the tone hole and lightly press the key several times.

How do clarinets crack?

Some of the things that can cause your instrument to leak besides cracks include: warped pads, pads with super deep indentions, torn or cracked pads, large wood grains on the tone hole surface, loose metal tenon ferrules, loose reed well, loose register tubes, leaking octave vents, loose mechanisms which cause keys/ …

How do I clean a clarinet?

DO NOT WASH the rest of the clarinet using water — this can damage the pads that cover the tone holes. Instead, take off the mouthpiece, drop a cleaning swab down the bell and pull it through the instrument a couple of times. This should be done after each and every use.

What happens if you don’t clean your clarinet?

If they don’t clean out their instruments on a regular basis, black mold can build up inside and cause a condition called “Saxophone Lung.” At the conference, researchers described a case of a clarinetist who neglected to clean his instrument for some 30 years and suffered the consequences.

How do I clean my clarinet holes?

Dab a cotton swab into the water, and clean one tone hole with it. Sometimes a tone hole will be dirty enough to use several cotton swabs, but never put a dirty cotton swab back into the tone hole. Just change sides or swabs. Let the holes air-dry or dry them with a cotton swab before re-assembling the keys.

What’s the best way to make a clarinet?

Use cork grease. Lightly apply cork grease on the tenons to make it easier to assemble the clarinet. Take the cork grease you have, apply a small portion on your pointer finger and then apply it evenly to each of the cork tenons.

Do you need to take care of your clarinet?

Lack of clarinet care can often lead to larger and more expensive repairs that could have been prevented with individual care and maintenance. Proper care and preventive measures are essential to make sure your instrument is in working condition. The following is a comprehensive guide to how to clean and maintain a clarinet.

Do you need to grease the corks on a clarinet?

Grease the corks by rubbing cork grease on them with your fingers. You don’t need to do this each time you assemble your clarinet, as too much cork grease will weaken the corks and make them prone to cracking and breaking apart. Grease the tenon corks if the instrument is difficult to assemble in order to make the joints fit together smoothly.

What should I use to clean my clarinet barrel?

Community Answer. The barrel and mouthpiece should be gently cleaned in a solution of mild dish soap and detergent. Do NOT use hot water, as this can damage the mouthpiece and barrel. Extra care should be taken with the barrel if it is made of wood, as the wood can absorb the water and swell.