I discovered a crack in my clarinet this week. That makes four Bb clarinets in a row for me. Three of which were probably brought on by the horrible conditions of the non humidity controlled building in which I work. That and scheduling recitals in February. Since it's been two and a half years since I got this clarinet, I thought it was "seasoned" enough to not crack, but I was wrong.
I thought of repairing the crack myself, but then I got wise and did what any intelligent person within driving distance of Eldred Spell would do: I packed up my clarinet and a bottle of ultra thin super glue and headed for Eldred's house. Eldred is the master of fixing such things, and these photos prove it. It was both interesting and disheartening to see the extent of the crack through a microscope.
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| Diagnosis |
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| Operation |
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| Recovery |
The story didn't end here. In the course of the next week, two of my students found similar cracks in the same tone hole (third side key). The humidity in the building I work (Coulter) is extremely low due to the air circulation system. I've been told that there's nothing we can do that wouldn't cost a fortune. Unfortunately, my colleagues, students, and I have been losing a fortune from the damage this has caused on our instruments. Low humidity also adversely affects people's health, and I suspect that it may be the cause of two of our music faculty relocating their offices to a healthier building (Belk). They both reported illness from being in Coulter, but no environmental cause (such as mold or a chemical) was found.
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