 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: aguynamedjoebob
Date: 2008-10-29 07:40
I'm playing an almost new clarinet. Vito 7214. I'm a new clarinet player and this may be because my embouchure is lacking, but I'm not sure. I'm a pretty good sax player. Could it be due to my mouthpiece Vito II. Or my ligature, some generic metal one with 2 screws. or my reeds Populaire 2.5. Any help anyone can offer would be great.
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Author: aguynamedjoebob
Date: 2008-10-29 07:43
It's kinda strange though, My 7214, seems to share a lot of characteristics with the V40. has the same big V on it and the pin and notch thing between the upper and lower joints. I think it's a 2007 model, but I might be wrong.
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-10-29 08:00
If you are producing an airy sound, your reeds are too hard for your mouthpiece, given your current abilities. Either become a better player, or buy a more closed mouthpiece, or buy softer reeds.
Try playing just the mouthpiece and barrel, to prove to yourself that the problem is nothing to do with the body of the clarinet. Try holding the reed in place with your thumb, to prove it's nothing to do with the ligature.
Bear in mind that the ideal embouchure on the clarinet is different from the ideal embouchure on sax. For more details, see a teacher.
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Author: aguynamedjoebob
Date: 2008-10-30 20:22
Thanks for that article. I think it will help me a bit. Unfortunately I just can't afford to get a teacher right now. I feel confident that I can teach myself, but I don't want to get into bad habits from the start.
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Author: mrn
Date: 2008-10-30 20:39
Sounds like the reeds are too hard for you and the mouthpiece.
I don't know anything about the Vito II, but I (and other people I know) usually try to stay away from the stock mouthpieces that come with clarinets. (Notable exception to this would be the Eddie Daniels/Hans Zinner Mouthpiece that comes bundled with some of the Leblanc professional models, which is actually a very nice mouthpiece and what I use on my Buffets)
I've heard of people getting good results the the Fobes "Debut" mouthpiece, which is an inexpensive student mouthpiece. Vandoren 5RV Lyres are supposed to be good, too (but more expensive, I'm sure).
You might try a different brand of reed, too. Some work better than others. The Populaire people have a chart that can help you figure out what strength to try in a different brand.
http://www.frenchamericanreeds.com/strengths.htm
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Author: kdk
Date: 2008-10-31 01:37
As a sax player, you surely know how much the reed and mouthpiece *in combination* affect sound quality. Airiness comes from poor vibration - either the reed is too stiff *for the mouthpiece* or there's some damage to the mouthpiece that's causing air to get by the reed without engaging it (a chip out of the tip rail or a corner, a badly wapred table, a really crooked curve among other possibilities). (Or the reeds are just crummy.) If you already have a decent sax embouchure developed it isn't likely this is strictly an embouchure problem - the two embouchures aren't *that* different.
A ligature isn't likely to be causing this kind of problem, unless the air you're hearing is actually leaking past your lips around the mouthpiece and not actually in the sound itself. Sometimes *leaking* air can kind of whistle and get amplified by the edges of a ligature.
Not actually hearing the airy sound you describe is a little bit of a hindrance in imagining what's causing it.
Of course, if the problem only appears as you add fingers and isn't noticeable around the "throat" notes, you can't overlook the possiblility of a leaky pad somewhere in the upper section, but you'd typically get sqeaks and more instability than air in the sound from that.
Karl Krelove
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Author: pewd
Date: 2008-10-31 01:49
try a vandoren #2.5 blue box reed on a fobes debut mouthpiece.
have an experienced clarinet player try out your horn to check for leaks.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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