Klarinet Archive - Posting 001289.txt from 1998/10

From: Dodgshun family <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subj: Re: [kl] Big clarinet
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 03:23:21 -0500

At 12:48 AM 29/10/98 EST, you wrote:
>Okay, all you bass clarinet gurus out there, I've got one for you. One of my
>clarinet students brought what appeared to be a late-model Vito bass cl. to
>her lesson today. She could play from the lowest E to throat Bb with no
>problems, but the minute she crossed the break, nothing but squeaks and
>squawks.
>
>Could this be caused by a leak in the pad right above the register key? Or is
>it something she is/is not doing? She was having similar problems with
>another, older BC with a straighter neck that she could barely handle without
>contorting herself. The subject student, BTW, is a 7th grader who has played
>clarinet for just over a year. She can handle up to C3 on soprano clarinet.
>

Did you try the horn to see whether it was her or the instrument? I used to
have big problems playing upwards of throat B - if the notes did speak, they
were thin and never in tune - but it turned out to be mostly the horn (a
very old Bundy which hadn't been adjusted in years!). I did have a few
problems with embouchure, and once I fixed them, the upper register was
better, but nowhere near what it should have been. Since I graduated to a
LeBlanc, problems have vanished! The idea is to keep the lower part of the
lip and the chin completely flat, with no bunching. Also, a strong steady
airstream is vital - I'm always being told to get more air through the
instrument. When you do squeak, backing off like you'd do on a Bb is the
wrong approach - blow harder/faster and make sure the support is there.
Also, don't think of the instrument as being any different to a normal Bb
clarinet - the minute I stopped thinking about it being a bass, things
improved a lot! Sounds odd, I know, but it worked for me.

Hope this helps
Anna

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