 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: McDonalds Eater
Date: 2022-01-27 00:13
So I currently play M13 L with Blue box Vandoren 3.5 reeds. For my natural playing mechanics, this setup allows me to play without having to bite or force. Response is great and I don’t have to “muscle” the sound in order to get it to respond.
It is however a pretty colorful sound, and for me, rather too colorful. For my tonal concept, I want to darken my sound just a bit. I still want some ring, focus, and color, but right now I’m producing something that sounds more like a sawtooth wave and for my liking the body of the sound is too narrow.
I don’t want to go to more open mouthpieces or harder reeds and have to bite and put too much effort into my playing in order to achieve my concept.
I have experimented with tongue position (lowering it just a tiny bit to take off some highs) but the sound spreads and becomes unfocused.
I really don’t know what else to do… any recommendations?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-01-27 00:42
Just throwing this out there, but this time of year with the 24/7 heating in the northern regions the interior spaces are VERY VERY dry (very low humidity), so cane reeds (if you're even getting them to work reliably) will be brittle sounding.
The Vandoren V21s will be rounder sounding (they feature a straight cut at the base of the vamp that help make the sound less "forward."
Outside of that, you have to start trying different things with HOW you apply embouchure pressure, and HOW you manipulate the "pressure zone" in your oral cavity. If you truly have a relaxed embouchure, start trying more double lip (and think "wrapping" your lips AROUND the mouthpiece......making the area of contact over the lower lip even meatier; more "crinkled").
The oral cavity thing is a bit more dicey to describe but it is kinda what we do to get a richer, more stable sound out of the altissimo. If you leave MORE space toward the back of the tongue (a lowering of that area without really going to the "AHHHH" configuration) throughout the full range, you'll find the sound becomes less overtone rich. Just keep in mind that the overtones are what you WANT if you're trying to project across and orchestra.
.....................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: donald
Date: 2022-01-27 01:47
Quick reply...
- Breath deeper, try to develop deep relaxed inhalation before exhaling with the air pushing from deep in your stomach (yes, I KNOW there "is no diapham muscle" etc, but the stomach breathing thing actually works).
- control your air speed (ie, developing FAST air) using your tongue and embouchure, NOT your throat.
- breath in, breath out "aaaaaaahhhhhhh". Feel how open and relaxed your throat is? Play that way (still try to focus the air, but with tongue position, NOT with a tight throat)
These three directions will go a long way toward "deepening" your sound, but you still need to be aware of focusing your air for a ringing tone, as one without the other only spells trouble.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: kdk
Date: 2022-01-27 03:17
McDonalds Eater wrote:
> It is however a pretty colorful sound, and for me, rather too
> colorful. For my tonal concept, I want to darken my sound just
> a bit. I still want some ring, focus, and color, but right now
> I’m producing something that sounds more like a sawtooth wave
> and for my liking the body of the sound is too narrow.
My first thought is to wonder if you're judging from what you hear as a you play or from a decent quality recording you've made of yourself. You will never hear your own sound in real time the way others hear it.
I know you wrote that you don't want to change your equipment, but just trying other reeds - even other Vandorens - doesn't seem like too drastic an experiment.
Karl
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SecondTry
Date: 2022-01-27 03:26
Push in as much from the cheeks (sides) as you do clamp down on the top and bottom of the mouthpiece. Your mouth is a rubber band around the entire mouthpiece exerting pressure from the sides as well.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: seabreeze
Date: 2022-01-27 05:28
The stipulation "without changing equipment" will be tough to honor. Changing from tradition blue box Vandorens to Vandoren Rue 56 or Vandoren V-12 or Vandoren V-21 would be changing "equipment" wouldn't it? But the different reeds might open up new possibilities of sound that you hadn't imagined. The same is true for trying models of Vandoren mouthpieces that are designed to have warmer, darker sounds. Three of these would be the M30D (German style but works well on a Buffet clarinet), the Vandoren BD5 and the even darker Vandoren BD5D. It is possible that you might like the timbre changes these models give but not like the more open facings. In that case, a skilled mouthpiece tech could put an M13L facing or something very similar on the darker sounding mouthpiece to give you the best of both worlds. Granted, the cost of this will add up, but might be worth it if you get the results you're looking for.
The results of trying different mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures can be described clearly and definitely. (For example, BG gold-plated Tradition ligatures generally give a warmer sound than nickel plated Bonades, but not invariably for everyone.) But as for changes you can make in your embouchure and how you shape the air column and voice the tone to make a warmer, darker sound--that pretty much defies description, especially if we can't see and hear you play.
Post Edited (2022-01-27 06:06)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: donald
Date: 2022-01-27 06:00
The M30D facing is much closer than a standard M30, about 1.07mm (a tad closer than the 5RVL or D'darrio Evolution).
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Djudy
Date: 2022-01-27 18:11
I know you have stipulated you don't want to change equipment, but !
If ever you run out of other options and want to try, I was very pleased with results obtained by changing barrels. I love the substantiel vintage Selmer sound and in general a darker sound for my own personal satisfaction. But for group playing I have a recent RC Prestige that makes everything so much easier, and, most important, reliable in that setting. Still, I wanted a bit more heft to my sound and got a used backum barril that did the trick and for the cost of 3 boxes of reeds. Didn't have to change anything else, reeds, mp or playing habits.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2022-01-27 18:34
Before making any changes to your sound, you need to have a clear idea of what you wish to achieve. Emulating the sound of specific players performing specific music is a good way to accomplish this. As noted above, recording yourself is essential to evaluating any changes or improvements.
Without changing equipment (i.e., instrument, mouthpiece, ligature), there are several things you can try:
1) Make sure you have a reed brand/cut that is well matched to your mouthpiece and yields the tone and response you are seeking. Just because you have a Vandoren mouthpiece does not mean that a Vandoren reed is best. This may take some experimentation. For example, I've found that synthetic reeds, though expensive, can produce a darker sound as long as they don't degrade response and articulation.
2) Experiment with adjusting reeds to obtain your desired tone. For example, I've found that working the left side of my reeds with reed rush, sandpaper or Reed Geek improves response and resonance, while working the right side can darken the sound, and thinning the tip can improve response and eliminate noise in the sound, which itself can yield a cleaner, smoother tone.
3) Work on [voicing] your air stream. It may be helpful to think of different sounds to voice the tone. For example, thinking of producing an "Eeee" sound can help focus/intensity by concentrating and speeding up the airstream. At the other extreme, thinking of producing an "Ooooh" sound can make the airstream more diffuse and reduce its intensity thus yielding a softer, more "spread" sound. Other syllables such as "Aaaah" can also help to develop voicing abilities.
4) Visualize where you are "pointing" your airstream and use this to alter the tone quality. For example, we can learn to play notes in the high/altissimo register more easily by using the airstream. An exercise for this involves playing a low C, then (without changing fingering) blowing "harder" and more "focused" to "overblow" the C to the G above the staff, then finally to voice a high E above the staff. I was taught a technique that facilitates this exercise in which you imagine pointing the airstream "above" the bore of the instrument, rather than in alignment with it. This has a similar effect to voicing using an "Eeee" sound. Once you get the feeling of manipulating the airstream in this way, you can also imagine pointing the airstream "below" the bore of the instrument. This has a similar effect to using syllables such as "Oooh" and will produce something more like a "sub-tone" sound. If you concurrently increase the strength of the airstream you can change the sound from a "sub-tone" to a proper tone which may well have some of the darker/warmer qualities you wish to achieve.
Improving, changing or learning to manipulate your sound is usually a long-term endeavor that requires dedication and lots of practice, but is a fascinating and rewarding experience.
Good luck on your journey!
Bob Barnhart
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
