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So...anybody know any violin and clarinet duets, or even viola and clarinet duets? I have a fellow friend who is a clarinetist(?) and I asked her if she would like to play with me, she agreed, but the more I keep looking...the more I get confused and honestly a bit frustrated. First off, can somebody explain to me why there are so many Clarinets in Bb's for songs? I wanted to play Canon in D Major and have the violin/viola music sheet for three violins, but only find sheets for Clarinet in Bb that look either to easy or have the song in some other key - which I find a bit strange seeing as the song is supposed to be in D Major.I gave up on searching and told her we can work together to transpose her parts since I have my own sheets.
Then another question I have is traveling with my instruments. I don't travel very far with my instruments but I have an expensive viola and my precious violin, and when I travel places other than home I have that constant fear of open seams and cracks. I do have a dampit, but do not know the proper way to use it without having it damage my instruments. As lately, I've heard the dampit can damage your instrument. Now, the only times I would ever use the dampit is when I'm traveling to a friends house, tournaments, or vacations and such. I wouldn't use it on my way to violin lessons, but I live in constant fear of my beautiful instruments cracking - I have once had a nightmare where my viola cracked...horrible. Like this weekend, I may or may not be traveling to a friend's house this weekend and it's only about a half an hour, but with the weather here lately, it's making me nervous. Would it be a good idea to check the humidity online before choosing to use my dampits and traveling with them? Also, what's the proper way to really use them? My teacher recommended them for me since I take pride in my instruments - both are extremely gorgeous and sound great - and so I received two dampits for my violin and viola.
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I haven't ever used a Dampit, my teacher isn't a big fan of them so didn't recommend them to me (if I remember right her issue was it was harder to keep track of then they needed more water, she keeps them on hand for emergencies, but not for regular use). She recommended an Oasis case humidifier, which is what I use in the winter months and works fine, and she has one for each of her instrument cases. It sticks inside your case with a strong magnet, it crinkles up as it dries up so you know when to add more water. I haven't had any issues with it leaking, and it can just be in your case all the time.
I only take my violin out of the house for lessons, and I guess I never really think about it much. I make sure the car stays a decent temp so it's not getting too hot or cold, and then if I have to stop anywhere after my lesson, I strap my case on my back and it goes with me.
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I will definitely look into that at some point. Or if I ever get enough money, just buy myself some Musafia cases. XD Problem solved. Like I had said, I do only take my violin out for violin lessons but if I ever perform at my church, take vacations, and such, I do want to be prepared. And for taking your violin with you, I hate leaving mine in the car, but I get forced to sometimes and it can be so nerve-wracking for me, and would also be a pain since if I travel with both my instruments, I would be carrying two separate cases. Oh the joy.
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Being in Ohio with furnaces running all winter, you will want to keep some kind of humidifier in your case with your violin, unless you don't have a dry house. My teacher's rule is once the furnace goes on, when you're done with practice you keep the violin in the case with a humidifier.
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Down here in Cincy, we have actually had a fairly hot winter, so I have not had any issues with the cold - dryness on the other hand, we did have a small drought but just yesterday had that huge storm roll through with all the tornadoes and such. I guess I will just have to keep a steady eye on the humidity levels down here when I'm going to be traveling.
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For Violin and Clarinet, look at Flute and Clarinet. The Flute parts will work perfectly for the violin.
If you live in a dry environment, by all means use the Dampit. You ned to wet them regularly for it to be effective. Dunk the dampit under water and squeeze it. Take it up from the water and squeeze out enough water that it won't leak water in your instrument. Lastly, before placing the dampit in your f-hole, take a dry clothe or a paper towel and dry the outside thoroughly.
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Thank you! That'll help me a lot since I know nothing of the wind instruments as a full on string lover.
Thank you so much! You've just given me reassurance about the dampits and how to use them! For future instruments I will have, I will more than likely be investing in Musafia cases for my more expensive instruments, but for now I have to suffice with the cases I currently own.
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In regards to cases that have humidifiers in them? We sell a few cheaper cases that do the same thing but it's in principle the same thing as your Dampit and you need to dampen the little sponge case.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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In the winter with a fire almost all day and night to stay warm (cheaper than electric or gas) it really can dry out the environment and humidity levels plummet even when it's raining outside. I guess a natural big fire in the fireplace absorbs moisture, so on top of the insert is two big tea kettles which always have water in them, which promptly will evaporate into the room and add humidity to it. I've never had the issue of a violin drying so much it was way out of tune. The temperature affect tuning more than anything else around here.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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Great tip Dennis. At the ASTA show this year, two booths suffered with cracked cello tops.
We are blessed to be located in a humid environment. With our AC we get the perfect 50% humidity. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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