Klarinet Archive - Posting 000117.txt from 2008/04

From: "Gary Truesdail" <gir@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Question about a problem
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:41:11 -0400

In all my 20 years of professional playing and another 27 years of pro-bono
fun playing I have run into a problem I have never before encountered. I'm
hoping someone can give me some help.

A year ago I started giving clarinet lessons to a high school junior -
bright lad that wants to be an engineer and attend Cal-Poly. Recently he
developed this problem.

Problem: When playing above the staff he very frequently "chirps" most of
the notes. Not quite an out of control squeak, but a "chirp". The reed
looks and plays balanced side to side, changing reeds does not help,
mouthpiece and reed combo works fine for me and I cannot duplicate the
problem on his equipment. We have done throat exercises, vibrato exercises,
more mouthpiece, less mouthpiece. The mouthpiece does not wiggle when I try
to move it when he is playing and his teeth are not on the reed and we've
tried pointing the chin, bunching the chin, thicker lip in contact with the
reed, thin lip in contact with the reed.

Don't know what to do at this point. Could it be support? It looks fine
here but it is hard to tell visually.

Gary Truesdail

------------------------------------------------------------------