Klarinet Archive - Posting 000458.txt from 2001/05

From: "Tony Wakefield" <tony-wakefield@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Clarinet History for Bill Wright
Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 12:40:29 -0400

Bill,
If after Kent`s advice you are still having trouble, Try my 3 rules for low
notes.
1) Fingers down firmly i.e. no leaks.
2) breath lots of warm air thru`.
3) Slightly loosen your bottom lip.
AND most importantly, make sure you`re not putting too much M/P inside your
mouth.

Tony W.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kent Krive" <kkrive@-----.com>
Subject: Re: [kl] Clarinet History

> Bill,
>
> It takes some conscious effort to overblow the chalameau register... It
> is highly probable that your clarinet has a leaky pad. Look first at the
> throat A; if there is no play between the A and G# keys, the adjustment
> could be anything from exactly on to "in" too far. If it's in to far,
> the G# pad will be held open. Even if the adjustment looks correct and
> there's no play, back the screw off a tad until there is the minutest of
> play. Perhaps you'll hear a tiny click or feel the G# key take up that
> tiniest of slack when you depress the A key. When you've done that, at
> least you'll have eliminated that possibility unless the G# pad is
> ragged. If that's the case with that pad, or any other pad in the top
> joint, that would be your answer...
>
> Kent
>
> William Wright wrote:
> >
> > <><> ability to excite the next set of overtones
> >
> > Perhaps I should be embarrassed to admit this, but occasionally I
> > pick up my instrument with the intent of playing a scale from chalumeau
> > upwards (that is, without fingering the register key), and only clarion
> > notes come out. When this happens to me, I attempt to adjust my
> > embouchure and tongue and to depress my register key a couple of times
> > (just to convince myself that it isn't stuck open, which it never is),
> > but nothing works. I remain stuck in the clarion register no matter
> > what I try.
> >
> > The only cure (for me) is to move up the scale without touching the
> > register key until finally I get so high that the reed drops down on its
> > own accord to the register that I want. Once this happens, the problem
> > does not recur.
> >
> > My point is: if this register jump happens unwillingly to me,
> > then presumably it happened ages ago to other musicians as well. This
> > assumes that a closed register key (on a instrument that is built to
> > take advantage of the key when it is opened) is truly the same as an
> > instrument with no register key at all --- which may not be true.
> >
> > I feel that someday, when I learn how to force myself down to the
> > chalumeau register instantly, I will have learned something important.
> > The obvious suspicion is a leaky pad or a sticky key or a weak spring;
> > but so far, two different technicians have been unable to spot anything
> > that needs fixing. I'm fairly certain that it's me, not the
> > instrument.

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