Klarinet Archive - Posting 000350.txt from 2002/09

From: Karl Krelove <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Reeds and Notes
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 17:10:46 -0400

Nick,

You yourself implied the best solution to your clarinet problems - try to
work with a knowledgeable teacher. It wouldn't even require a regular,
long-term commitment to lessons. One or two might actually go a long way
toward clearing up your major obstacles.

As to your balky B, the obvious explanations are:
- a leaky (or misadjusted) pad near the bottom of the instrument (the B, C,
C# or Eb keys might cause such a problem);
- several leaky or misadjusted pads farther up causing a cumulative effect
that you don't feel until you reach the bottom couple of notes;
- possibly bumping into (and opening) the sliver key on the right hand
section
- a plugged register tube (which would have a much worse effect on B than on
any other note);
- if you're trying really hard (and pressing hard) to make the long notes
come out, the tension in your hands can easily cause your fingers to pull
away from one or more of the other holes you need to cover (your fingers
tend to close together as you get more tense) - especially the thumb hole
beneath the register key;
- the reed/mouthpiece combination you started with might have been resistant
enough to cause extra tension and the Plasticover #2 may have allowed you to
relax enough to stop squeezing your hands.

The actual cause can be diagnosed by a competent teacher in a matter of
minutes (or sometimes seconds). For one thing, he/she could eliminate
mechanical malfunction as an explanation, and he/she could see what your
fingers are doing in a way you can't. Also, some kinds of problem have their
own distinctive sounds that can be recognized with experience.

I don't think the kind of acute problem you're describing can (or should) be
attributed to any design or structural weakness in the Artley clarinet line.
They aren't necessarily prizes, but they can certainly be played
successfully if they are in good mechanical working order.

Good luck with it.

Karl Krelove

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nick Simicich [mailto:njs@-----.com]
> Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 3:52 PM
> To: Clarinet Mailing List
> Subject: [kl] Reeds and Notes
>
>
> I am a rank beginner at Clarinet, and clearly should take lessons if I
> could afford them.
>
> I bought an Artley, model 17S off of E-Bay. I found that I could not hit
> the first note above the break no matter what I did. I am speaking of the
> B4, the lowest note in the Clarion register.
>
> This was not just when I tried to play it in order in a scale and could be
> hitting the wrong key and getting a squeak, which I guess is common. No
> matter how long I set up to play the note, and how carefully I positioned
> my fingers, it would not sound. I soaked the reeds, played them dry, no
> difference. I would either get a "block" or a short squeal and a block.
> The C5 would play, occasionally, but it mostly blocked. If I started at
> the D5, I could play down to the B4 and it would sound as long as I held
> it, without any failures.
>
> Sherman Friedland answered a question from someone who was having the same
> trouble as I was, I think in his column which is on the web.
>
> Based on a recommendation in a different column of his, I changed
> mouthpieces to a used Selmer with an HS* facing, but it did not make any
> difference. I had tried a Rico 2 1/2 and a Vandoren 2, based on a local
> music store recomendation. Of course, the same mouthpiece on a different
> Clarinet would sound this note just fine.
>
> Someone suggested a Rico Plasticover reed. (For that Dark sound, I
> guess.) I bought some in strength 2. That was it. The note sounds
> without a problem. I now seem to have to move my lower lip slightly
> farther down the reed to play the G5 or A5, but if I do I can play up to
> the C6, without problems, and sometimes even some notes in lower altissimo
> (which sometimes are even in tune). The parrots really like them. (Not
> the reeds, too expensive, and they would probabaly like hunks of 2x4
> better anyway, they like the notes because they are loud and high.)
>
> I guess I believe that this note should have played without the Rico
> plasticover reed. Does anyone have any thoughts as to why this might have
> been the case? Part of the problem is that, frankly, I feel that the notes
> that I can hit sound better with the uncoated reeds...as if, well here we
> are subjective evaluation, but firmer, less waivery. The advantage to the
> plasticover is that they just seem to play, while I would have to change
> the cane reeds and let them dry after practicing a while.
>
> Pressing all the keys hard as I try to hit the note (to insure that they
> are sealed) does not help. Stopping and pushing on the closed keys to
> insure that they are well seated does not seem to help. I get a little
> help if I try the alternate fingering that is on woodwind.org, where the A
> key is opened, but the note is still not reliable - it sounds about 60% of
> the time and 40% it blocks. Sherman Friedland said that some Clarinets
> were "stuffy" on this note. I have started playing this note with a trill
> key, but that seems like a bad habit to get in to, and, frankly, I
> sometimes have the same trouble with the C5 (which can also be played with
> a couple of trills).
>
> If this suggests a mechanical problem to someone with the Clarinet I'd
> like to hear about it. If the Artley 17S is known to be stuffy on this
> note and I should consider myself lucky for finding any reed that will
> work, that would be nice to know as well. Thanks for reading this far.
>
>
>
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>

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