BASIC WOODWIND MAINTENANCE - CLARINET & BASS CLARINET

This information is designed to help you keep your instrument in the best playing condition possible.
To begin with there are a few accessories you will need. These are as listed:
- Cork grease
- Instrument swab
- Reed guard
- Polishing cloth
- Mouthpiece brush
- Bore oil (wooden clarinet only)
- Oil Swab (wooden clarinet only)
- Reeds

ASSEMBLING YOUR INSTRUMENT
Please do not attempt to assemble your clarinet until shown how by your music teacher. This is very important, as the keys on the clarinet are very easy to bend and snap. How disappointing to not be able to make a sound out of your new clarinet because you have bent a key.
Once you have been shown how to assemble your clarinet you will need to apply some cork grease to the joining corks (tenon corks). Apply a bit out of the tube and then rub in with your finger. Only apply the grease when the joints are hard to put together as too much grease will rot the cork. If you don’t apply enough grease the corks will rip and tear off as you put it together.

CLEANING YOUR INSTRUMENT
After you have finished playing your clarinet it should be thoroughly cleaned inside and out. (This is especially important for wooden clarinets).
Remove your reed from the mouthpiece, very carefully wipe dry and store in your reed holder. This helps keep the reed from warping and also reduces mould.
Using your swab, wipe your mouthpiece dry but do not force the swab through the mouthpiece.
You can rinse your mouthpiece in water as often as you like and scrub out with your mouthpiece brush to stop any build up.
Using your swab, pull gently through the main body, bell and barrel of your clarinet a couple of times. Be careful not to force the swab through.
Polish all the keys to remove any fingerprints. Some people’s fingerprints have a lot of acid in them and this can tarnish or strip the instruments plating. The only way to slow this process is to polish your instrument after every time you have touched it. Be very careful when polishing the keys so as not to knock off any of the key corks or springs. Do not try to polish under any of the keys.

OILING YOUR CLARINET (Wooden Clarinets ONLY)
Using a separate brush or swab (from your cleaning pull through), put a few drops of oil on it and pull through the inside of all wooden parts.
If you want to oil the outside, do so very carefully by wiping a little oil with a cloth around the keys keeping away from the pads so as not to damage them. Leave to dry overnight and polish off any excess oil. This only needs to be done every 6 – 12 months depending on how often the instrument is played.
Hopefully this helps with the care of your new clarinet.
The most important thing to remember is to have your instrument regularly serviced by a technician to keep the other technical parts of your clarinet in excellent working order. This should be done at least once a year.

HAPPY PLAYING!!