For the last 18 months I have owned a rather nice LeBlanc Infinite wooden clarinet (not sure how old, but I don't think they make that model any more). Lately I have been leaving her out on her stand between practice sessions. She's in a corner of the room away from direct light and I do take her apart and dry her out before I leave her.

Now I hear that the case is more than just protection from knocks and scuffs and that I risk long-term deterioration if I don't use it all the time. Does anyone know how true this is, please? Might the wood be more likely to dry out and crack, for instance?

Any advice/benefit of experience would be wonderful.

S.

*points at barry clari*
He'll deffinately know

I don't know about cases from experience, but I'm told they protect from too rapid changes in heat and humidity as well as physical damage. I can say from experience that if you leave a clarinet assembled for too long the joints can get difficult to take apart when you do try. It's also going to attaract dust standing in the corner. I've seen a few old and neglected clarinets, and I'd say the two things they suffer most from is drying out of the wood, and dust collecting in the keywork.

I know they look nice on their stands, but on the whole I'd say they are better off in the case.

Well, I'll have a go at advising!

I would very, very strongly recommend putting your clari back in its case after each playing session. However well you protect it from light/heat etc, it doesn't beat the protection you get from a case.
Take it apart and clean it as you're doing Sallyanne, then put it in its case. Then when you put it back together, grease all the joints.

Jon S - you are absolutely right about the joints. The next step from 'difficult to disassemble' is 'you need a repairer to disassemble it for you'. And that'd cost money...

Another good reason for starting off on a plastic clarinet!

When my son started learning, age 9, we found that if the clarinet was in the case he only practised once a day, as it seemed a big effort to get it out, assemble it, play it, dry it and put it away again. So we left it up on its stand for a lot of the time and discovered that he'd keep picking it up for a 5 or 10 minute play as well as his "proper" practice session. He'd use the pull-through when he'd finished but only disassemble it and dry it properly a couple of times a week. Because it was made of plastic, there was no apparent deterioration, and the joints never got sticky.

I think this really helped him to keep practising, and we continued to leave the clarinet up most of the time until he got his first wooden one after grade 5. By then he was older and had a longer practice session, so we were able to explain that because wood could dry out etc, the new clarinet should always be dried properly and put away after use.

So I do sympathise with your desire to leave the clarinet handy, Sallyanne, but I think Barry and Jon are right to suggest you put it away after each playing session if you want to keep it at its best.

Thank you all for your good advice. I had a feeling you were all going to say I should put it away each time. I must say that the "keeping it handy" aspect is a part cause of my bad habit, but I can see the sense of all the points you have made.

BTW, I did start with a plastic instrument. I had a second-hand Jupiter which sounded OK, but (maybe because I'm an adult) I just had this longing to play something nicer and I do love it. Can't imagine why the last owner would part with her.

Now I'm going to look after her properly - back in the case every day . . . promise!

S

I have a hard rubber clarinet that I keep on its stand for weeks on end with no problem, but I've learned the hard way not to do the same with wooden clarinets!

A friend gave me his old Couesnon clarinet to look at - he wanted his son to try it and asked if I could check it over, replace some pads etc. He'd stored it with the bell on the lower joint and the MP still on the barrel! It took a lot of patience and skill to finally get the things apart, and at one point I almost gave up for fear of damaging the instrument. Not completely his fault though. The case is too small and clearly designed by a moron.

So, every time you finish playing, swab it a few times, then wipe each tenon with kitchen roll to remove excess moisture. I also slip a thin piece of tissue under the register key occasionally to stop it getting too sticky.

Steve