 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: selmerplayer
Date: 2009-06-27 01:36
Is it just me or is the "C" above the staff a problem note in general. I find it more difficult than any of the other notes.
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Author: CarlT
Date: 2009-06-27 01:49
I've been playing over a year now, and I still have a problem with "high C"; however, since I got my Vandoren M13 Lyre mouthpiece, I find it quite a bit easier. I used to have to slur up there, but now, if I'm careful and have enough mp in my mouth, I can reach it fairly well.
I'm certainly not one to give advice, but I'm telling you what worked for me. I used to play on a Fobes Debut mp, and it is quite good to learn with, but the M13L, to me, makes it somewhat easier to reach the high C.
Hope this helps.
CarlT
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Author: selmerplayer
Date: 2009-06-27 02:45
CarlT wrote:
> I've been playing over a year now, and I still have a problem
> with "high C"; however, since I got my Vandoren M13 Lyre
> mouthpiece, I find it quite a bit easier. I used to have to
> slur up there, but now, if I'm careful and have enough mp in my
> mouth, I can reach it fairly well.
>
> I'm certainly not one to give advice, but I'm telling you what
> worked for me. I used to play on a Fobes Debut mp, and it is
> quite good to learn with, but the M13L, to me, makes it
> somewhat easier to reach the high C.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
I guess I should have mentioned that I'm playing a Selmer C85 115 mouthpiece.
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Author: 78s2CD
Date: 2009-06-27 03:25
The thumb ring has to close a pad that lives under the A key. If the adjustment of the thumb ring (via a cork shim) is too low or too high, then the C will be problematic.
I would be really surprised if you couldn't play a C with any reasonable mouthpiece, assuming the instrument is adjusted correctly.
Regards,
Jim Lockwood
Rio Rico AZ
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-06-27 06:48
Might be a problem with the instrument, or might be related to you calling it "high C". You may be thinking "oh my, this is a high note, at the top of the clarinet" and, intentionally or unintentionally, tightening up and pinching at various points in your hands and airstream. It is also a bit of a less physically stable note as far as hands on the instrument are concerned (there's less for you to hold on to), which adds to the pinching problem (perhaps you're compensating for less stability from your hands by "helping" with your embouchre).
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2009-06-27 15:03
My feelings are similar to Jim Lockwood. The high C should really pop out, it's one of those anchor points.
First look at the "A Key"/"G Key" combo. I STRONGLY suggest leaving a little play in between them (adjusting the screw at the top of the "G#" key out a bit) so that there is no air getting out the "G#" hole when you want it closed.
That taken care of, make sure the pad of the key Jim refers to is sealing properly. If you need a tech to look at to for this, so be it. While there, insure the adjustment of the thumb ring is correct as Jim suggests.
No one should have a problem with high C, or throat F for that matter.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: selmerplayer
Date: 2009-06-27 16:37
Paul Aviles wrote:
> My feelings are similar to Jim Lockwood. The high C should
> really pop out, it's one of those anchor points.
>
> First look at the "A Key"/"G Key" combo. I STRONGLY suggest
> leaving a little play in between them (adjusting the screw at
> the top of the "G#" key out a bit) so that there is no air
> getting out the "G#" hole when you want it closed.
>
> That taken care of, make sure the pad of the key Jim refers to
> is sealing properly. If you need a tech to look at to for
> this, so be it. While there, insure the adjustment of the
> thumb ring is correct as Jim suggests.
>
> No one should have a problem with high C, or throat F for that
> matter.
>
>
> ................Paul Aviles
>
I'll give all that a check. Thanks for the suggestions.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2009-06-27 20:41
Use more air support, and possibly tighten up slightly. Make sure that you are putting enough mouthpiece into your mouth for the bottom lip (look sideways into the light and see where the mouthpiece and the reed intersect - you can also do that by putting a piece of paper between the reed and mouthpiece and see where the paper stops -put your bottom lip there).
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: BG ★2017
Date: 2009-06-27 21:09
Also, try adding the right hand pinkie low E/B key. It will close some pads for you and also help "balance" the holding of the clarinet. It might work for you.
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Author: clariniano
Date: 2009-06-27 23:18
I've had a few students who've had trouble with getting the high C on the clarinet, and I have found that some combination of reed strength, putting more mouthpiece, the angle of the instrument, voicing (putting the tongue in the middle of the mouth as oposed to low), air speed, and even posture affects the response and tone quality of this note. Most students usually need a couple of these pointers, but recently I've had students who needed four or five tricks to help them get the high C.
The twelfths exercise, approaching the note from a slightly lower note that the student can play with good tone, the written C major scale and arpeggio,and an increasing intervals exercise starting from the third space C and going:
C-D
C-E
C-F
C-G
and so on until you reach high C.
Also play along with the student in those types of passages and exercises.
There's a couple of pieces I would recommend for students learning to play th higher notes with good tone quality: Carol from Gerald Finzi's Five Bagatelles, and the Albinoni Adagio, which is in the anthology Music Through Time, Book 3.
Hope this helps!
Meri
Please check out my website at: http://donmillsmusicstudio.weebly.com and my blog at: http://clariniano.wordpress.com
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Author: timg
Date: 2009-06-28 00:38
Beginner of two years here. I agree that the ![[C6]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/c6.gif) is trickier than surrounding notes, and I don't think there's anything wrong with my clarinet. I was playing recently a piece which goes up to altissimo G -- the altissimo notes were no problem, but the C in a C#-C trill wasn't sounding properly.
I found that I need to be extra careful with the embouchure, narrowing the cheeks and firming up the sides of the mouth, but without applying undue pressure to the reed. It took me quite a while to realise that as I strengthened my embouchure, I was also squashing the reed.
I guess it's difficult or impossible for a teacher to see which face muscles are pulling too much or too little. All I can suggest, is experiment as much as possible.
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