Klarinet Archive - Posting 000522.txt from 2003/12

From: <tony-w@-----.co.uk>
Subj: Re: [kl] Undertone
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2003 08:32:31 -0500

On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 00:55:45 +0800, marywlee@-----.com said:

> > May I ask how to get rid of the undertone? Is it mainly because of the
reed
> > or the posture of the embouchure? It's hard to explain to young
players.

Tony Pay replies with the causes explained, and excellent tips for teachers,
and how to get to grips with this problem in youngsters:

> Mainly embouchure; and to a lesser extent probably, tongue position. (A
bad
> reed doesn't help, of course:-)
> Just to be clear: you're talking about the unwanted subtone you sometimes
get
> in the high clarinet register, A, Bb, B and C, right?
> To produce a clean note high in the clarinet register, the reed mustn't be
> 'damped' too much. Overdamping occurs when the 'footprint' of the lip on
the
> reed is too large, too flabby, too near the tip -- or any combination of
> these three.
> When that happens, the reed is discouraged from vibrating only at the
> frequency of the second mode of vibration of the fingered note minus the
> register key (the register key acts in this case to kick the note up a
> twelfth into this second mode), and instead reverts partly to vibrating at
> the first mode of vibration of the fingering *including* the register key
> (the register key acts in this case as another open hole).
> This first mode of vibration is the subtone.

I`ll cut short the rest of this valuable contribution, as we should commit
all of it, (hoping everyone will already have done so), to our 'saved and
printed' collection of *Tony`s goodies*.

My very small but hopefully useful addition will help teachers *how* to
explain Tony`s more adult explanation to youngsters in a way which will let
them carry this out instantly; and this is indeed not unknown in teaching
circles at all.

As I said, a very small *bit* from me: read on - - - -

Hold the instrument firmly up to the embouchure by pushing up with the right
hand thumb. In other words support the mouthpiece inside the mouth - do not
let gravity, or tonguing, or lazy lips or the holding of the instrument
become so sloppy that all the instrument wants to do is fall out of the
mouth. This will correct any wrong position of, in Tony`s words *footprint*
of lip on reed. Once this stability is acquired (if it needs to be), the
air pressure must then be directed thru` the clarinet at a faster rate of
speed; a youngster may not first of all realise quite how much *speed* is
wanted. Without the clarinet, and with my mouth open, I breath out lazily
and then with more force, to demonstrate this. Make sure you`ve cleaned your
teeth in the six months before you do this! This ensures, once the tongue is
brought away from the reed in the correct way, the reed is kick started into
life, and thus ensuring the first mode of vibration can not happen, (will
not sound). That`s all folks.

May all of you have a Peaceful New Year.

Tony W.
(Toothpaste anyone?)

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