Hi!

I`m about to upgrade clarinets and was wondering if it your playing is affected by the type of metal used to make the keys. Some companies advertise "nickle-plated", some "silver-plated" and others " Hamiltion-plated." The price difference can be substantial!
So, should I just stick with nickle, or pop for the most expensive and aesthetically pleasing?

Thanks!

Clara,
I guess that when you first start the clarinet, the looks are very important indeed and of course, it`s so much nicer if the keys are shiny.

But after a while you realise that there are far more important things. You start playing with the reeds, the mouthpiece, loosing sleep over the correct barrel - mouthpiece combination. Chadash, Moennig, Pyne....?

The ligature ? Bonade normal or inverted? Rovner, metal...?

Customising reeds. Take a Vandoren 3.5 and gently sand it around the edges. Better?

Key action? Are the springs giving you the response you need? Which need replacing?

Embouchure? Angle of mouthpiece in mouth? Improving tone on altissimo?

It goes on for ever.

Frankly you could paint my keys every colour in the rainbow. I wouldn`t care.

Steve

PS Nickel or silver, they all look very nice!

Clara,

Sorry, I forgot the exact question. No, the metal does not affect the playing.

Steve

PS Why does my last post say `Jackie` at the top? Does my PC know something I don`t?

Yeah, Steve is right. It doesn`t matter what the keys look like as long as they work right. But I do like the way silver looks.

Oh, yeah, I forgot ...Steve, I`m pretty sure you would care if someone painted your keys.

thanks everyone! not a bad idea, maybe I will paint my keys....