 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: orchestr
Date: 2009-11-24 02:19
My Eb clarinet grunts unforgivably when I articulate from about clarion A to Altissimo F#. I've tried 3 different mouthpieces, several different reeds (incl. both Eb and chopped-off Bb, both 3.5 and 4 strength) to no avail. Is this a common issue with Eb clarinets? Regardless, any suggestions on how to improve it? More focus, more mouthpiece, and a lighter tongue help, but it's still there. Do the same old fixes for A clarinet (i.e. shorter register tube, smaller register pad opening, hasty register pad, etc.) help on Eb? I'm trying to learn Ravel Piano Concerto, and it sounds like someone having an asthma attack (no offense to those with asthma).
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Author: Gregory Smith ★2017
Date: 2009-11-24 04:46
Other than being short on the reed, if you do not hear the lower partial on other Eb clarinets, it's your clarinet. Somewhere in the upper part of the clarinet, there is a tone hole(s), register tube size/taper, or area of the bore that is too big - too open. This creates an overall volume of the air column that is oversized. It needs to be isolated and repaired/rebuilt. Guy Chadash in NYC specializes in these kinds of fixes as he is the North American Acoustical Consultant for Buffet Crampon.
Gregory Smith
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-11-24 15:44
I'm going to give you the same advise I give others when they have this type of problem with any instrument. Ask a professional player to try your instrument first, don't just assume it's the horn, it could be you. You may very well be voicing wrong. The Eb clarinet is not the same as a Bb. I don't think this is an uncommon problem. Call a pro and ask for a lesson. Have them play your horn with their mouthpiece and if it works well for them then ask them to play it on your mouthpiece. A pro should be able to play your mouthpiece even if they're not comfortable with it just to try it. This way you will know if there's something wrong with the horn or the MP and then you can take action.
It's also possible it's as simple as a small leak that you haven't detected, could be some dirt in the tube, clean that with a pipe cleaner, could be the register key opening to much, or to little. All kinds of things can be causing this problem but it's most likely you're just not voicing properly if the horn and MP are working well. Take a lesson with someone that plays the Eb professionally. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: srattle
Date: 2009-11-24 17:28
orchestr:
this could of course be something wrong with the instrument, but I think I know what it could be.
I had the same problem, that from about A i would get the grunt.
For me it all had to do with tongue position. The Eb is much less forgiving than Bb, and if you move your tongue too much, and lower the back of your tongue while articulating, you will this grunt.
A good exercise I found, is just to take a Eb solo in Bolero, where there's the part with repeated Bbs. Just play this, and each time try giving a more constant stream of air and good support, and try moving your tongue a little as possible. Eventually you'll find the position that gets rid of the grunts (it'll improve your Bb playing a lot too)
The other thing that helps me with this, is on Effer I tend to think of my articulation as "Na" rather than "Ta". This lightens the impact, and also forces me to keep the back of my tongue high.
For the Ravel piano concerto, you need a really steady stream of air, and just let the tongue do the articulation. If you try to use anything else along with it, it'll get messy.
Good luck!
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Author: orchestr
Date: 2009-11-24 20:13
Thank you for the suggestions. I'm definitely not discounting that it's all my fault. I have a friend with a really good Eb, I'll see if I have the same problem with his. I have had a professional play my Eb with my mouthpiece, but not for long. He just said he had to tongue as light as possible to not get the grunt. I more just wanted to see if this was a common problem, like how the majority of Buffet A clarinets have grunting problems. Sounds like I'm not alone, so I'll just keep trying to find the sweet spot for my tongue!
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-11-25 00:40
Only some A clarinet have the grunt problem. I've played many that do not, same as Eb clarinets. I've found that to be in the minority by far. Usually it's the players problem, but not always. ESP
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