Not really sure my clarinet is working properly

[Tony]

After so many years of not playing it is hard to know if my horn is working. Sometimes I seem to have to blow pretty hard to make it play. That could be the new reed, though it's a Vandoren 2 1/2 with an hour of playing on it now. The clarinet seems inconsistent. Sometimes, right about middle C, I think it sounds good and plays easy. Yet it sounds wispy an octave lower. It doesn't not play, or squeak uncontrollably anywhere. I don't recall having any of these issues when I played years ago.

Of course, my embouchure is gone, my clarinet has sat unused for years, and I have a new reed on it.

I tested each part for air leaks, seems ok.

So, short of taking this to a tech and asking them to fiddle with it, is there any sort of diagnostic process I can go through?

[Gandalfe]

Do you know any musician friends who can help you diagnose the problem? (I so wouldn't be a good phone support guy.)

[pete]

I used to do phone support. While I'm a computer tech, there's a very basic test for doing phone support:

Describe to me how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Assume I haven't a clue about ANYTHING.

This exercise also allows you to empathize with help desks everywhere. Hey, I bet the first thing you're thinking would be, "What moron doesn't know how to make PB&J?" You'd be surprised at how many morons are out there.

"No! I said scoop the jelly into the CONCAVE side of the spoon, not the convex!"
"Dude. If you drop the bread on the floor again, I'm going to have to hang up."
"So, it has a plastic fastener on the bread package and not a twist-tie? Hang on. Let me get you to level 8 support!"

[SOTSDO]

You think that's bad? I tried to keep my mother's email connection and computer programs working over the telephone through her initial stages of Altzheimer's Disease.

Even though we "idiot proofed" the computer (a Macintosh, using the Parental Controls feature to limit what could happen to the software and all) and spent hours of hands on training when we would visit her up in Saint Louis, as soon as we got in the car and drove an hour down the highway she was on the cell phone with me trying to get instructions on how to connect.

Mind you, she never bothered (when she had all of her faculties) to learn the basics. I tried to drum in "icons" and the mouse and how to "click" on things over a ten year span, but she never wanted to spend time on that, just on writing letters to her friends.

My wife and I labeled everything on the laptop ("mousepad" "return key" and so on), but it was a constant battle to describe where she would find the return key or the "k" key and so on.

When we delivered her into assisted living down here, she immediately wanted to know when she could get the computer up and running. The hurricane has allowed up to delay things further (phone company folks are tied up), and the requests are getting further apart, but she still thinks that she can do it.

The two hour conversations on the phone, with her having trouble reading what was on the screen and dropping the telephone receiver and all, were almost more than I could take.

To be fair, we haven't had to explain a spoon to her yet...

[Dave Dolson]

Geez, Alzheimers is awful. My father-in-law suffered with it for 20 years before he finally succumbed to it.

Back to Tony's clarinet, I think Gandalfe had the right idea . . . find another clarinetist to test the thing. OR, seek out a repair-tech and ask him/her to go over it.

Assuming you are doing everything correctly and the reed is a good one, you should not be having those problems. I suspect mechanical problems. DAVE

[Tony]

I played a little last night. There seems to be a constant-volume hiss. It's overpowering if I try to play quietly. That might be the clarinet, might be the reed, might be the player. I am betting it is all 3. I played the Noblet a little to A/B them. It wasn't much better. I also tried 3 or 4 mouthpieces. The only constants were the reed and me.

I have a plastic Normandy in reserve. I'll try that tonight.

Money's a little tight recently but the easiest and surest thing is to take it to a tech. One that's been recommended to me is named "Miles Davis" but this one's a sax player...

[Gandalfe]

Still and clarinet teacher/friend to take a look is probably the best bet.

[Robin]

Also go over it, check all screws and springs, even if you dont know a clairnet that well, a screw out of place should be pretty easy to tell, or try another reed, if you have a 2 maybe try that one, could be a combination of everything too

[SteveSklar]

did you try a "at home" leak test like this one on it ??

http://woodwindforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=842

but when all else fails it is best to find another clarinet player to give it a play .. or better yet a tech

[Tammi]

Just where are you hearing the 'hiss' coming from? The mouthpiece, top or lower joint.
If it's the mouthpiece that's hissing I'll put money on that the reed is just plain too hard. Even though its 'only' a 2.5 it still could be too hard for your pooped out embouchure if you're playing a mouthpiece with a large tip opening.

If not, please forgive the ramblings from a crazy old clarinet lady.

[Tony]

I find that people have lots of resources if they use their noggin. Case in point, it occurs to me that our son's scoutmaster's wife plays clarinet in an orchestra. I'm sure she'll look at the clarinets.

[Gandalfe]

Let us know what she finds. 8-)

[SteveSklar]

any update ?

[Tony]

None yet. I suppose I should ping her again.