Klarinet Archive - Posting 000524.txt from 1998/02

From: "Cynthia M. Lee" <cle-ork@-----.no>
Subj: Re: bothersome b
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 15:19:20 -0500

>- -----Original Message-----
>From: Tony Roberts <troberts@-----.net>
>To: klarinet@-----.us>
>Date: Saturday, February 07, 1998 6:43 PM
>Subject: bothersome b
>
>
>>I've been playing my clarinet again for about a month now following a
>>layoff of many years.
>>
>>I'm having difficulty getting the third-line B to play. I can make it work
>>if I really think about it, but often when I'm moving along through an
>>exercise, I finger the B for an eighth note or a sixteenth note and nothing
>>sounds.
>>
>>In reading Jack Brymer's book, I see that he makes mention that this is a
>>difficult note as one learns to cross the break from the open throat notes,
>>but he seems to indicate that once the problem is identified and the note
>>is attacked with a little diaphragmatic push, all is well.
>>
>>I have no memory of this note being a problem from my playing days in high
>>school. I find my self wondering whether there might be an equipment
>>problem associated with this, but I don't know where to look for that. The
>>low E seems to sound without problem. And I just had the clarinet repadded
>>and bought a new mouthpiece a few weeks ago.
>>
>>Any thoughts?
>>
>>Tony
>>

The strangest things happen... After reading the many messages I get every
day from the klarinet list (which I thoroughly enjoy and learn a lot from)
I went to practice my daily rituals of long tones, scales, etudes, etc.
Guess what? I could not get a sound from my b' when played with my left
pinkie after playing a c"# with my right pinkie. I could not believe it,
because I had just finished reading Tony's note on his problem!! I have
never had a problem playing that note before. I have a 6 month old Buffet
Prestige RC which I dearly love. I thought the coincidence was too much.
I know that the power of suggestion can sometimes be strong, but... Anyway
I was tired and a little frustrated so I put away my clarinet for the night
and went to bed. The next day during practice the problem persisted. What
I discovered was that my right hand c" key was not completely sealing both
holes when playing b' with my left pinkie. A slight adjustment of the c"
key solved the problem. I guess that I had slightly bent a key when I took
the clarinet apart after the previous practice. So Tony, you might check
that combination of keys. Check to see if there is a little play in the
right hand c" key when holding down the left hand b' key. Just a
suggestion from someone who almost panicked.

At least I figured out the problem for myself. I live in a remote part of
Norway, and the thought of sending my new Prestige RC all the way back to
Paris was frightening.

hilsen

Cynthia