Klarinet Archive - Posting 000395.txt from 1998/11

From: "Scott Morrow" <scottdmorrow@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Palatial Air Leak
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 10:35:00 -0500

>Subject: Re: [kl] Palatial Air Leak
>
>> Whenever I play for an extended period of time, a sound comes out of
>> my throat that sounds like an air leak. I think it's called a
Palatial
>> Air Leak (I remember reading something about it in the clarinet
journal).
>> I have tried everything short of cutting my head off, and that
incessant
>> noise still comes from my throat. Do any of you know what it is?
>
>It's hard to imagine a sound coming out of your throat
>while producing a tone on the clarinet, unless you're
>actually vocalizing while playing, in which case you
>would not get a clarinet tone, but rather a growl. Is
>there a corresponding physical sensation that you feel
>-- in your throat -- when the sound emanates from your
>throat? You say it sounds like an air leak. Did you
>have a tracheotomy recently? (alright, silly joke).

>Neil

Neil (and others),
For those of you who have never experienced this, it is not a matter of
mistaking faulty sealing around the mouthpiece. This problem involves a
feeling that the air we're trying to push through the instrument is
backing up down our throat; it feels and sounds like "reverse gargling"
(Imagine doing an unintentional growl while you play!). Of course, the
more air that escapes, the less air we have available to push through
the clarinet. This is not a psychological problem!

-Scott

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