Klarinet Archive - Posting 000650.txt from 2001/09

From: Peter Stoll <peterstoll2000@-----.ca>
Subj: [kl] Re: klarinet Digest 19 Sep 2001 08:15:00 -0000 Issue 3343
Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2001 14:02:33 -0400

Thanks Karl and Alexander for responding; the sound is
a constant hiss internal to the tone (not an air leak)
which I didn't notice on the starts of legato phrases.
So as she was articulating up the G major triad at the
start of this exercise, the tone had this different
component than when she just played G-B-D-B-G as long
notes. I'll listen in closer in regular legato phrases
(that was my first time hearing her and we spent a
fair amount of time experimenting with this
challenge).
It was as if her throat was constricting or something,
the tone colour was noticeably "choked off" and full
of "white noise".

> Peter,
>
> I'm not understanding clearly what the sound is. Is
> it the sound of escaping
> air (you say you found a "minor" one) or something
> in the tone itself? When
> does it start? With the first "attack?" How does
> he/she start the first note
> of a legato passage? If the first "attack" (release)
> doesn't produce this
> hiss, how is it different in execution from the ones
> that seem to cause the
> hiss?

> One thing that I've had come up occasionally is that
> a student's tongue
> actually remains in contact with the reed during the
> note's duration. It
> never completely leaves the reed surface, just
> presses harder when it's time
> to stop a note and then releases just enough to
> allow a sound to start for
> the next note. Although I don't remember the sound
> of this as a hiss, it
> might turn into one, especially if it gets mixed
> with saliva from the tongue
> rattling on the reed. Of course, you didn't mention
> mouthpiece and reeds in
> the list of things you checked, but I'm assuming
> they were your first line
> of investigation.

Interesting idea! The articulation sounded otherwise
normal if a little heavy and sluggish. Seemed to be a
normal reed and mpc.

> From: Alexander Brash <mactrek@-----.com>
> Subject: Re: [kl] Re: air noise on articulating
> Message-ID: <B7CD850A.FDF%mactrek@-----.com>
>
> Also,
> I've gotten a sound like that before from weird
> things vibrating in the
> room. Not sure if it could possibly be something
> like that. Also there may
> be something up with the pads.

Good guess! There IS an occasional buzz from a heating
element, but this was definitely a reed-noise issue.
Thanks again,

=====
Peter Stoll

University of Toronto
Toronto Philharmonia
Continuum Contemporary Music
ERGO ensemble

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