An Interview with Local Woodwind repairer John Lucas

Q. Why does my clarinet need to be serviced?

Musical instruments need to be serviced regularly to maintain the standards set by the manufacturers and to maintain consistency of a performer.

Q. How often should I service my clarinet?

The recommended service interval is between 12 to 18 months depending on its usage.

Q. My clarinet is getting harder to put together. What should I do?

Cork grease is very important on the joints and enables you to assemble the clarinet with ease. Not enough and it does become more difficult and there is a danger that you will bend the long side keys forcing the joints together.

Q. I accidentally dropped my clarinet. Is it broken?

If you do happen to drop your instrument it is very important that you try and play it straight away. If you find any sort of difficulty then get it to a competent repairer as soon as you can. Please! Do not fiddle with it or allow anyone else to try and fix it.

Q. Water bubbles are forming in some keys. Why does this happen and how can I resolve the problem?

This can either be a technical problem which I will deal with if possible. It is a bit of a mystery as some players I know find the problem on one clarinet but not another. Regular pull-through is a good start after every use but keep some fine paper-like Yamaha Cleaning Paper handy and if it happens you can just carefully place it between the pad and tone hole and gently close it.

Q. Do I really need to clean my clarinet of all the moisture every time I play it?

Yes, it is very important as the moisture can seep into the pads and damage them. The best method is to disassemble the clarinet and pull through each part separately a couple of times.

Q. My hands are small/large. Is there a way that keys can be moved so that it is more comfortable when I play?

Basically No. The keys cannot be moved but there are supports for the thumb rest and some of the long keys that can be used to make it easier to reach. If you do have a specific requirement then your repairer should be able to find a contact that can help.

Q. I find the clarinet too heavy to hold. I didn’t have a place to put a sling. Can you help?

Yes, I can. I will purchase and fit one for you making sure it is the one you would like.

If you need your woodwind instrument repaired or serviced and you are local to Colchester, please contact John at jatalucas@btinternet.com or give him a call on 07757 860 190