The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kssams
Date: 2005-02-19 19:57
My daughter is having trouble with the upper range notes - they are coming out sounding dreadful, and other kids don't seem to have this problem. She's in 7th grade and has played for two years (and loves it!). She has a Vito student clarinet. We've tried thicker reeds, moving from Rico to Vandoren (regular and v12), different thicknesses, a new mouthpiece (Vandoren M13). Sometimes she can hit the notes, however they are a problem more often than not. Anyone have a suggestion? Her teacher seems to be at a loss, too. She really wants to stay in this, even through college, so we know she's going to have to overcome this. Thanks for any pointers you may be able to give.
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Author: Robert Moody
Date: 2005-02-19 21:21
Karen,
I've sent you a private email that I hope helps. Also, have her teacher make sure her clarinet is in good working order. Make sure all the upper joint pads are closing and staying shut unless they are supposed to be open.
Let us know what comes of this.
Take Care,
Robert Moody
http://www.musix4me.com
Free Clarinet Lessons and Digital Library!
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-02-19 21:24
Is she sticking with the M13? If so, I'd stick to ONE mouthpiece, pick a reed that allows her to hit the lower notes with a minimum of "airiness" (too hard a reed causes airy low notes), and work specifically with THAT setup. Stick to the same setup and work specificallly on the higher notes. Consistency may be the key in this case (seems like a lot of equipment changing to get it to work when it might just be some embouchure/practice necessary).
Also, what specific high notes are we talking about? As in HOW high?
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-02-19 22:58
kssams:
If your daughter was sounding good, and students usually sound pretty good, consistently, by year two, and now she's not, you need to look for what changed. Possibly the instrument "changed", i.e., needs adjustment. This can happen as suddenly as a flat tire.
So, by all means, as Robert stated above, have the instrument checked to make sure it's working right.
- rn b -
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