What Not To Do: Clarinet Instrument Repair 

Guys sounds a little "plural".

Dennis Dougherty i know im a little late but it is plural, he’s referring to the people involved in this production which obviously is in excess of one

Thanks for your excellent videos

Please a litell sloly

That's not something that you should attempt on your own.

Agree will be easier and won't damage plastic or bakellite body of clarinet

Evidently you never make sure your pad is properly seated on the tone hole.

I think that's too obvious

I really want to know the story behind this comment!

@@ladydragon111 I'm an instrument maker, and it does happen- usually by drilling a hole in the wrong place, and having to fill it up and make a new one.

@@therealzilch 😁as youre making them this makes perfect sense... had visions of students “correcting” tonal quality 😂

I don't actually make clarinets, but I do make recorders and chalumeaus, which are any early form of clarinet. The problem is the same.

You're very welcome!

I managed to replace a broken Pad with shellac 💪🏽 Isn’t there any risk to get intoxicated with Teflon ?

Jennifer Crowe a good musician should know their instrument back to front and should be competent at least the basic repairs like pad replacement etc. It's not rocket science!

@@rustic35 It's more complicated than you imagine. Trust us. We've seen some really weird shit. The only job of the musician is to play on the instrument, not repair it. It's considered a profession for a reason.

@@tamasfoldesi2358 it's really not. I've got a clarinet and I've replaced pads on it. I have a background in construction and working with my hands. Like I said, a good musician should know their instrument and be competent with at least minor repairs. I've also made my own flutes out of various materials.

@@rustic35 We often have customers who think that, because they just think that it's just about gluing back a pad and the job is done. But they don't level the pads because they don't know that they should have and they definitely won't adjust and regulate the keys, or setting up the key heights, and don't even talk about key fitting or tone hole leveling. You may have been lucky, but others haven't and their instrument didn't even play. And even if you reglued a pad and it sealed good enough, it won't be as good as it could be. It doesn't really matter if you have experience in other fields. In fact, sometimes it can even be dangerous because you can overestimate your expertise on the subject. I've seen some instruments damaged almost beyond repair because some engineer or carpenter or smith thought that they could repair it. And they couldn't, they only made the situation worse. On one occasion, a part of the tubing of a tuba was melted. So if you are not a qualified instrument repair technician, please leave the instrument alone.

@@tamasfoldesi2358 you're amusing. I agree about engineers. Engineers are like text books, they know all the information from their university degree but, they lack hands on experience. I wouldn't let an engineer change a tap washer. I totally get it that, many Americans are pretty average. I'm not American and I learn about something before repairing it. Sometimes, yes it's better to get someone else to do it but, that's usually because it would cost me more to buy the necessary tools than to get someone else to do it. I'm confident in my abilities and I know I'll do a quality job. In fact, most the time, I'm disappointed with the work from the so called experts. I have attention for detail and perfection. You seem to be confusing me with people from your area of the world. People always ask me to do the jobs that need a fine detail because they know I'm competent and have pride in my work. So, thanks but, I'll continue to repair my own instruments and make instruments to a quality standard.

Sometimes, instead of trying to twist it off, you can (GENTLY) rock the bell back and forth off of the lower joint. Better yet - take it to the music store and have them do it!

Hi there! Our current instrument repair technician recommends you check out our video on loose rings and corks: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KhaqO_OwMTM.html

We recommend taking it to your local clarinet repair person to get it fixed.

Like what type. I use an R13

He used a priapism clairinet.Put it in google and images and youll see a resemblance.Well the difference is hard to tell

Rodolfo de Paula Unfortunately Master Sergeant Dale Barton has retired from the military. We have discussed producing some other videos with our new technician, and you request has been noted. Thanks for checking us out!

thank you