 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Allessandra
Date: 2003-11-07 23:34
I've recently taken on the position of resident Eb clarinetist in my high school band, much to my director's dismay, but I enjoy playing it.
However, I am relatively new to the Eb and I know there are those of you out there who might be able to give some helpful tips. I am looking to play a piece for my high school concert, several pieces in honors band, and the Eb part in my solo & ensemble clarinet choir. I'm playing on my school's plastic Vito Eb and stock mouthpiece. I've tried both Mitchell Lurie 3.5 and Vandoren 3.5 reeds and I encounter resistance with both. I usually play a 3.5 on Bb clarinet; should I go down a strength? Also, should I invest in a new mouthpiece, and if so, any recommendations? And finally...are there any changes I can make to my set-up to help me play more in tune?
Thanks a lot!
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Author: fred-jazz
Date: 2003-11-08 14:21
Congratulations, the more clarinets the better!!! I assume you mean Eb alto and not Eb sopranino or contrabass. In this case, I would say yes, go to a softer reed for a while. I think you will find larger reeds work better than the tiny thing on a Bb clarinet, the imperfections in the wood are a smaller percentage of the total reed. The Vito clarinet is probably not the problem, but the mouthpiece is the single most important part of a clarinet that can be replaced and improve tone, sound, intonation, etc. Sorry I don't have a recommendation for which one, but ask around and see if you can try a few. Manufacturers always put poor mouthpieces in instruments assuming the professionals will want their own specific one and the beginners won't know the difference, but look for a better one. I believe woodwind/brasswind website has a policy on mouthpieces, they let you try them and send them back, so you might get a couple and find out which works well for you. Remember that if they are more open or shorteer in the lay you need a softer reed, more closed or longer and you need a stiffer reed.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-11-08 15:04
fred-jazz said:
> but the mouthpiece is the single most important part of a clarinet that can be replaced and > improve tone, sound, intonation, etc.
I can't say that I totally agree.
A mouthpiece can change the overall tuning of the entire clarinet, but a clarinet with twelfths that are too wide, low notes that are markedly flat, or high notes which are uncontrollably sharp will not be remedied by either my vintage Kaspar, today's handmade mouthpieces or a stock mass produced one.
An R-13 (or any clarinet) with poor intonation parameters will always continue to have those faults. One either learns to work around them or find a better instrument.
A quality mouthpiece will certainly aid in better control, response, articulation and to a much lesser degree, tone quality, but will not fix a clarinet that has serious tuning issues...GBK
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Author: Allessandra
Date: 2003-11-08 18:40
To correct my post, I meant I had taken up the Eb sopranino clarinet. In that case, are there differences in the reed strength? Eb sopranino clarinets are notoriously out of tune. There is not much I can do about the clarinet itself, but I wondered if a new mouthpiece would be worth the investment and if there was a specific Eb sopranino mouthpiece I should go with. Thanks!
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Author: fred-jazz
Date: 2003-11-08 19:09
Oh, Eb sopranino--- notoriously out of tune for almost everyone. I played that part in West Side Story and opted for transposing everything up a fourth rather than deal with an out of tune Eb clarinet. However, most of what I said before still applies though some in reverse. The reed is smaller, so imperfections are magnified rather than lessened. If you are not adept at shaving and cutting your own reeds you will likely go through a lot before you find one that works well. Also, intonation depends on numerous factors which are made worse by the small size of the instrument. When I start having intonation problems on my clarinet, my first course of action is to clean out all the tone holes, many of which I will find have filled up with gunk. A very small amount of this gunk will affect the pitch of certain notes and not others. Since you are using a school horn, there is a good chance that the regular maintenance has not always been done.
Also I noted a new mouthpiece was the single most important piece that COULD BE REPLACED and would help. I stand by that remark, replacing the entire clarinet does not really solve the problem for you your problems included high resistance and poor intonation. Certainly there could be a better mouthpiece/reed combintaion that would work well for you. The other ways of making a clarinet play better in tune are very difficult, requiring carefull reboring of tone holes by extremely qualified technicians and not as easy to do on a plastic clarinet either.
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Author: Meri
Date: 2003-11-08 19:38
I, too, have picked up Eb (soprano) clarinet again after not playing it for several years, because the production of Cabaret I'm playing in calls for Eb clarinet, optional Bb clarinet in four or five of the pieces. Since I am a bit of a purist when it comes to true Eb clarinet parts, I'd rather play them on Eb.
I find that you need to go down about 1/2 to a full strength on the Eb, (I'm going between 3 and 3 1/2 Vandorens on the Eb; my normal strength being equivalent to about a Vandoren 4); I almost completely lose the altissimo register if I go softer than that, and there is quite a bit that asks for the Eb in the altissimo.
I also find that I need a firmer embouchure, plenty of air speed, and more air support when I play Eb. However, I have a rather 'loose' embouchre, so there is little concern from my teacher that I will transfer the tighter embouchure on Eb. (My teacher says it may even help my Bb playing to focus the sound a bit)
I tried using cut-down Bb reeds; I find I prefer the regular Eb reeds.
Correct reed placement is far more important on the Eb than on the Bb instrument, because there is little margin for error.
Hope this helps!
Meri
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2003-11-08 22:37
With Eb clarinet it's more important than ever to have a decent instrument. There is not much you can do if, as to some instruments the C6 is a 1/4 tone sharp and the Bb4 is a 1/4 tone flat. You can experiment eternally with mouthpieces, reeds, barrels and size/length of the speaker pipe only to find out that a bad instrument is and will remain a bad instrument.
I have no experience with Vito but I would recon a Vito plastic being the bottom of the line of the ones produced in the western world. There are excellent models with good value made by Noblet or Buffet student models (E11).
Mouthpiece: It's important to have a mouthpiece/reed combination that can do the work for you in the altissimo register. I would recommend a medium/closed MP to be able to play medium/hard reeds for stability in the altissimo register WITHOUT PINCHING.
Embouschure: Something has to put pressure to the reed in the high register and it shuld not be the teeth, so a firm strong embouschure with a high airspeed is a must. And of course good air support.
Reeds: To my experience the traditional Eb reeds don't give the best sound or support because they are too thin and don't have enough wood. I play Vandoren White Master with a good result because of the thickness of the stem and lower part of the facing. This is the only reed with wich I can produce a C7 without too much of a problem. They are also recommended by Vandoren as Eb reeds if you cut them off 1 cm at the bottom. This is just a recommendation for you to try out to see if you like them or not.
Playing Eb clarinet is fun but only if it works.
Alphie
Clarinet/Eb clarinet RSPhO
Post Edited (2003-11-08 22:46)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-11-09 15:39
Have never played Eb but is it soprano or sopranino....terminologically...or are both correct??
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Author: jez
Date: 2003-11-09 22:30
BobD,
I think the correct term is Eb piccolo, but between the others I think the Bb is the soprano & Eb the sopranino.
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-11-10 03:43
jez ... you'd know
jez's far too modest to admit he plays with one of Europe's most diverse orchestras ... chandos has recorded a lot of their repertoire (enough of a hint) ... final hint, their "logo" looks as thought it were written using a caligrapher's pen. But seriously, it's a wonderous orchestra (British).
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
Post Edited (2003-11-10 03:55)
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Author: Wicked Good ★2017
Date: 2003-11-10 22:56
This is a very interesting thread to me; however, I'm coming at it from a slightly different angle.
I've been playing Buffet R-13 Bb and A clarinets for about 30 years now. I've grown accustomed to their idiosyncracies, and really do prefer them to any other clarinets I've tried (lots!).
I've just been asked by the conductors of two local orchestras if I would consider playing Eb sopranino for them. I guess it's time to bite the bullet and buy one.
Can anyone venture an educated opinion as to whether someone like myself be happy with an Amati, or a Buffet E11 or E12, or would an R-13 Eb be more conducive to my (and my orchestra-mates') musical satisfaction? The price difference between the E11 and the R-13 is astounding, and between the Amati and R-13 even more so.
Thanks in advance!
WG
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