Klarinet Archive - Posting 000130.txt from 2009/01

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fbjacobo@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Help Needed For Adult Beginner
Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:13:25 -0500

Cliff, THAT'S WHAT A TEACHER IS FOR! Beginners squeak for many
reasons. To name a few: 1. lack of embouchure control (which comes
with years of training the muscles)
2. Mediocre reed and not knowing how to work with it (nothing a few
decades of experience can't fix)
3. Less-than-optimal mouthpiece (again, nothing a few years of
experience and trying different mouthpieces can't fix)
4. Clarinet leaks for various reasons. A pro who knows his equipment
can tell immediately where and how much; a beginner usually can't.
5. Lack of proper support (again, will improve with training).
So go to your teacher and let him/her figure it out. A beginner
simply doesn't have the knowledge or training to not squeak. Don't
feel bad - it comes with the territory. We pros STILL squeak
occasionally, except, of course for those liars who say they never
do! ;-)

Fred Jacobowitz

Kol Haruach Klezmer Band
Ebony and Ivory Duo

You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note.
~Doug Floyd

On Jan 6, 2009, at 6:51 PM, Clif Johnson wrote:

> I have been taking clarinet instructions for about a year.
>
> What can I do to prevent my clarinet from squeaking and what causes
> them?
> Sometimes I never create a squeak in a song and then I'll go into a
> squeak mode at other times.
>
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>

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