Caring for your clarinet: some useful tips (for wooden clarinets see below)

1) Avoid extremes of temperatures, e.g. leaving the clarinet in direct sunlight or on/near a heater.

2) Wipe the keys thouroughly with a soft cloth after playing, to keep them shiny. Try to get in between the keys as much as you can

3) Dry out inside the tubes (bores) and the mouthpice with a proper pull-through, but dont leave a damp pull-through inside the case unless it is in a plastic bag. Take it out as soon as you can after playing, and dry it before putting it back in the case. Damp pull-throughs cause rusty screws and springs, can damage the appearance of the keys and can make the inside of the case smell.

4) Avoid sweets or sugary drinks just before or during playing as these cause the pads to become very sticky which can be difficult to cure. Sticky pads can cause the keys to stay shut which makes the instrument difficult to play and spoils your progress and enjoyment. Sometimes the pads will need to be replaced. This can be expensive.

5) To avoid accidental damage to keys and body joints, store the instrument in its case when not being used. Repairs to these parts can be very expensive.

6) Just like a car, your clarinet needs its working parts checked, oiled, adjusted (and even replaced) at regular intervals and this should be done by a repairer. This is known as 'servicing' and will keep the instrument in best playing condition to help your progress and enjoyment.

7) A normal servicing schedule is: a full service every twelve months, with a check/adjust (minor) service in between at about six-monthly intervals. This varies according to how much the instrument is used.

Advice on looking after wooden clarinets

The important thing about a wooden clarinet is it is made out of natural material. This means it is more sensitive to temerature and moisture than a plastic instrument, especially if these change too suddenly.

Sudden changes can cause the instrument to crack because the wood has "moved" too quickly to try to keep up with the change. Crack repairs are very expensive! It is important to reduce the problem as much as possible. Unfortunately the risk cannot be completely removed but these things can help to reduce the risk:

> Avoid extremes of temperature e.g. storing the clarinet in a cold room then bringing it into a warm humid one.

> Don't leave it in direct sunlight or near heat.

> Always store the clarinet in its case when it is not used.

> Only play it for about 15 - 20 minutes a day in the first month if it has not been used for a long time or is new, then slowly increase the time in which it is played.

> Always dry out the instrument using a pull-through inside the bores (tubes).

> Dont store the pull-through inside the case.