 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-02-17 05:13
It's a very subjective sound (round to you might not be round to me), but here's what my orchestra director describes as "round" and what I hear when I think I hear a "round" sound.
For short notes (ie. quarters or eighth note, eigth rest), I think of it sort of between legato and stacatto. So it's not short, but not running into the next note. In my ears, it sounds almost like there's a faint echo after I stop the note. One thing that helps me is to slightly soften the note after I start it so although it's kinda of visualized like a > under each note. This gives it a slight taper and probably causes that short "echo" sound I can almost hear.
For a long note (ie whole note), I would consider "round" to be sort of like a circle. Slightly crescendo to the middle of the note and slightly decrescendo to the end. It's a phrasing technique and I think it sounds very nice. If you played the long note the same dynamic throughout, it's very flat, however if you phrase it like above it sounds "rounder" to me.
Just some ideas I thought I'd put down. Maybe they'll help you achieve the round sound you were looking for, and maybe they won't, but it doesn't hurt to try, right?
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-02-17 06:01
I've always thought of a round sound as a full, thick tone. Try this: Play a note, any note you please, and think of making the sound at the mouthpiece, without pushing any air through. Then, try to resonate the sound all the way down the clarinet, pushing it as fully as you can without distorting the sound. The former gives you a thin or "flat" sound (not as in flat vs. sharp, but flat vs. round), the latter a thick "round" sound. To further work toward a round sound, try to make your mouth round when you blow, and avoid biting on the mouthpiece.
What alexi is describing is, to me, called "shaping" the notes and phrases.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2004-02-17 18:06
, I think a round sound is a tone that blends well with all instruments and yet is mellow but not heavy or thick...
Much of the creation of the round sound is begun at the oral cavity in the voicing of the tone with the shape of lips and throat cavity...there is some danger in thinking that sound begins in the brain...it really is very physical and alive.
A good tone is one that is also moveable pitch-wise and yet is elastic enough to enable performance of dynamic permutations of any volume...
.I also feel that embouchure is a chief ingredient in creating a round sound...I rather like the analogy of a cello sound. Sweet full and yet capable of depth..the sound should be dimensional and yet pliable...not just" there."
One of the greatest faults of most teacher's is not teaching the student to maintain the shape of the sound at all dynamics...however, I will not bother to digress on these matters.
David Dow
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-02-17 19:41
Yeah. Sorry about that. I was thinking a different "round", as in "It sounds good, but make the notes a little more 'round'." It was said to our orchestra after some of us were playing the notes too "staccato". He wanted them filled out a little more, instead of cut off.
I agree with what was said above. It has a lot to do with embouchre. And as Alex said above, a lot to do with a good airstream too. If you feel you might be pinching the reed try using a "double lip" embouchre. This can give you an idea of how little pressure you actually need in order to maintain a good sound (if you're top lip is hurting, you're biting too hard. It need only be enough pressure to maintain the mouthpiece from falling out of your mouth). Then take that amount of pressure and remember it while going back to single lip embouchre.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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