Klarinet Archive - Posting 001111.txt from 1998/03

From: "Karl Krelove" <kkrelove@-----.com>
Subj: Re: "problem" notes
Date: Sun, 22 Mar 1998 09:26:16 -0500

-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Date: Saturday, March 21, 1998 6:11 PM
Subject: Re: "problem" notes

>
>On Sat, 21 Mar 1998 netwitt@-----.net wrote:
>> I teach jr high band, and some of the kids are ready to
>> start listening for these. For example, on trumpet we start with low d
and
>> low c#.
>>
>> I know there are lots of variables, such as where the note appears in the
>> chord, etc. but that's way on down the road. Right now I'm after the
>> 'inherent' problem notes. Like 2nd space A ? :^)
>> netwitt@-----.)
>
<snip>
>All things being equal, bad notes to look out for, but not on all brands:
>
>Throat tones - open G, G#, A (you named this one) and Bb are usually
>sharp. You can tune at the barrel for these, but often throws other
>things out. Experiment with right hand fingers (yes...and pinky) down in
>different combinations for these four notes....will drop pitch.
>
On some extreme instruments, you can even cover 2nd and 3rd fingers of the
left hand. The only ones that HAVE to be open are LH 1st and thumb. Every
instrument is different.

>Bb concert (the one you tune them on)....usually sharp......tune at
>barrel, but will drop throat tones too low often. Can tune at center of
>instrument (between top and bottom joint) on many student grade
>instruments.
>
This has not been my experience, but even if true I'm leary of pulling the
center joint apart for routine tuning. The possibility of the thing coming
apart or at least wobbling while playing it is greater, and the bridge keys
may not function properly on some instruments. Also, the notes a 12th below,
which are almost uniformly flat (see below), will be that much worse. I'd
try pulling the bell out a little first (which will still flatten low E and
F). I'd tune the instrument to a different note on a tuner and have the
student learn to humor the concert Bb ("with the 'voicing'").
<snip>
>Low E, F often are flat........don't overblow, and keep the embouchure
>firm.
>
But not pinched. If there's a unison involved, have the other instruments
tune to the clarinet notes. This will be more of a problem if you've gone
out of your way to flatten concert Bb (the C a 12th above low F) by any
means other than embouchure (voicing).

>These are the common ones......
>

Another area that is often a problem in junior high music is the area above
high C. The kids have to be accurate about using their RH pinky - not on C#,
but on all the others above it. D tends to be sharp (I have no idea why). E,
F, and F# (not common in junior high) tend to be flat mostly because of
embouchure insecurity. G (more common in high school parts, especially
marches) may be unrecognizable. A reed/mouthpiece combo that is too easy
will greatly aggravate the flatness, because enough firmness in the
embouchure will close the reed. Keeping the embouchure firm, taking enough
mouthpiece, and keeping the lower lip in firm contact with the teeth help
with this. Supporting the instrument well with the RH thumb (so the weight
doesn't tend to pull the lips away from the teeth and the mouthpiece out
closer to the tip) is, in my experience, an important thing to be careful of
here (everyone sitting up, no slouching, no right hands resting on legs,
etc...). In a desperate situation, there are closed fingerings (look in a
chart for them) that will tend to be sharper and more stable, but they are
generally recommended to solve specific technical problems (wide leaps,
mostly) and can introduce technical awkwardness or timbral changes you may
not like.

But you'll never have a problem with most of this. After all, these
instruments are all tuned at the factory, n'est-ce pas?

Karl Krelove