Now that you’ve got your clarinet it’s time to talk about clarinet parts, reeds, and accessories. This post is about your clarinet, its parts, and how to care for it.
The Mouthpiece and Ligature
The mouthpiece sits at the top of the instrument and like the name suggests goes in your mouth. The reed goes on the mouthpiece face, held on by the ligature (round metal or rubber device which uses screws to tighten the reed in place.)
The Barrel
This is the connecting piece between the mouthpiece and the body of the clarinet. There are no keys on this piece and it acts as a way to tune the clarinet by pulling out the barrel from the body slighty to adjust for being sharp, or pushing the barrel back in for being flat.
The Body
The body of the clarinet consists of two pieces. The upper joint and lower joint. The upper joint connects to the barrel and then to the lower joint. The lower joint connects to the top joint (watch out for the bridge key) and the bell.
The Bell
The bell of the clarinet is the bottommost piece and although there are no keys on this part it allows for better intonation and funnels the sound.
When connected together your clarinet playing journey can begin!
Let’s talk about care.
Just like a car or any other appliance your clarinet needs regular cleaning and maintainence.
Every time you play you should:
Check the tenon cork and use cork grease if its dry and hard to put together.
Swab out the instrument with a cleaning swab. I prefer silk swabs and even have one made out of a silk tie (link here) but you can also find cotton ones. Either is fine. Just as long as you get most of the moisture out of the instrument before you put bbn it back in the case.
Wipe off the mouthpiece of any built up spit. If left on too long it can build up and form a white crust. Gross.
Take the reed off after playing and put it in a reed case. Its best to never leave the red in the mouthpiece as mold can form in the moist dark space between the reed and the mouthpiece face.
Every so often ( like every couple months):
Check the wood for warping or cracks. This shouldn’t happen if you’ve keep your instrument out of extreme temperature shifts (in your var, outside, etc), but it does happen sometimes. If you have a crack or warping make sure to take it to your local music repair shop.
Check your pads. If your pads are peeling, discoloring, or crusty it might be time to get them replaced.
Annually:
Oil your clarinet. You can buy bore oil at a local shop or online (amazon link). Oiling, although not required, is good to prevent internal cracks. You can also have your loc sa l repair person oil your clarinet at an annual maintenance check up. Just make sure to ask.
Annual check up. Just like a person it’s best to have your ckairnet smchecked over by a professional annually so that you can have loads replaced and keys adjusted for the optimal playing experience.
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