Klarinet Archive - Posting 000499.txt from 1995/05

From: "Lorne G. Buick" <lgbuick@-----.CA>
Subj: Re: many questions
Date: Fri, 19 May 1995 06:40:44 -0400

>2) What sort of tuners are most people using for Bb clarinets ? I'm thinking
>about a Korg AT-1 or AT-2 and don't really know what the differences are.

Hi- I have been using Seiko ST1000 for a couple of years now and I really
like it. It's a bit bigger than some others (I'm not familiar with the Korg
models you mentioned) but fits easily in my case, and has an analog display
that's easier to read and more accurate than most of the digital ones.

>4) In a band I have been playing with I can always hear everyone around me
>much louder than myself. Do other people hear themselves as being quieter than
>other people (maybe some effect from being so close to my own horn ? )
>Is there something I'm doing wrong, is there any way to fix this. When I try
> toblow harder (play louder ?) the reed clamps shut against the
>mouthpiece. Even
>when it doesn't close there is a certain dynamic level I can't seem to exceed.
>On a good day my sound is ok, but far too quiet, stuffy, and inflexible. I'm in
>search of a way to get much louder sound that has an "edge". By "edge" I mean
>the special mixture of overtones that makes "the" clarinet sound, light? or
>dark? .. I don't know

>
Well... without hearing you play and looking at your embouchure, I'm kind
of shooting in the dark here but I'll take a stab. No guarantees.

It seems pretty clear from your description that you're overblowing the
reed, ie trying to put more air through it than it can handle. This usually
means one or more of the following things:
1)The reed is too soft for the opening of the mouthpiece. The wider
the tip opening (gap between the tip of the reed and the tip of the
m'piece), the softer the reed required (other things being equal, which
they never are). Solution: use a stronger reed or a more open mouthpiece.
2)Your embouchure is too tight: meaning, either the muscles are
very strong and you're using too much pressure; or, the muscles you should
be using are weak (this is more probable) and you are using other, stronger
muscles to compensate, clamping with the jaw muscles which are too strong
and lack the fine control needed for a good embouchure.
Solution: Ideally, get a good teacher (did you say Eddie Daniels lives 1/2
hr. away? :-) to listen to you, evaluate your embouchure and suggest
improvements.
Or, get a book (I happen to like "Essential Clarinet Technique" by Davies
and Harris, pub. by Faber.) with a good description of embouchure etc.
3)Not taking enough of the reed in your mouth. If your lip is too
close to the tip of the reed, it smothers the vibrations. Solution:
obvious. (Experiment until you find the point where the reed does nothing
but produce loud squawks- this means you have too much of it in your mouth)

>Could it be the instrument, my mouthpiece, or strangely adjusted reeds ?

Yes. ;-)

I've always found commercial reeds need balancing- they're cut with one
side (the left side) consistently thicker than the other. Learning to
adjust reeds is a long, tedious process- much less so with a good teacher.
A good book on the subject (not the only one) is "Clarinet Reeds" by
Charles Stier, pub. by the author (8910 Bradford Rd., Silver Spring MD
20901-4018)
>
>My setup: Leblanc Symphonie, Rico mouthpiece 3C, Vandoren V12 3-3.5
>
>The mouthpiece and my mouth :) appear to be the weakest parts ? How would I
>go about buying a new mouthpiece ? Any recommendations ?

I wouldn't rush out and buy anything until you at least get together with
some other (preferably experienced) clarinetists and have them check out
your setup, try their mouthpieces (if they don't mind) etc. (Maybe you've
done this in your band already..) And if you can have a good repairman
check over the instrument, you'll know if that's causing any of your
problems.

Gee- all that and I only answered two of your questions! Best of luck...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
LGB Lorne G Buick Draft III Music
lgbuick@-----.ca Wind Music
Arranging, Copying, Publishing
Have basset horn, will travel