 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mario
Date: 2000-12-05 12:38
Hello:
I am working hard at giving color and life to my long-tube "B", the stuffiest note on my clarinets.
For long, slow passages, I can give this note some characters by using various tricks (for instance, opening the throat A key, loosening the embouchure a bit, putting more pressure, even - god forbids - adding a touch of vibrato).
My problem is in fast passage when I go up and down across the bridge. Take a passage where all notes are in the upper low register except a B here and there.Yes, I know about intonation, color and pressure balancing resonance fingerings for throat notes - I use them all the time. I have a vibrant upper chalumeau. My throat tones are excellent. But the dull "B"!
My long-tune "C" is much better. The rest of my clarion is great (relatively speaking of course, since greatness is a journey, not a destination).
No, my clarinet does not leak. Yes, my horn is first rate (pair of Rossi in perfect shape).
Any suggestions? Thanks
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Author: William
Date: 2000-12-05 14:07
This is a proccedure that I got from Ben Armatos book, "PERFECT A REED....AND BEYOND," on how "pros" cope with the stuffy long-tube B. Try rotating the bell a small degree at a time and note the positions in which the "long" B sounds better. You will soon find a position in which the B will sound best. Mark the position of the bell at that point. I used a lead pencil mark until the best position was found, then marked it with white-out. My long Bs are much better than they used to be, expecially my A clarinet. ( My Bb was always good) He also recommends that procedre for the barrel position and throat tone clarity. Give it a try, I was surprized at my results. Good clarineting.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-12-05 14:24
Mario -
In general, when a note is too short to use a special embouchure or fingering, it's too short for the audience to hear the difference. On my R-13s, the middle B tends to "blare," so that I have to play it a little softer. If yours is dull, the easiest thing to do is play louder, as you would on the throat Bb if you don't have a special mechanism and can't conveniently use the side key.
One thing that helps me is to pull my lower lip out so that only about half of the red part is over the teeth, which adds high harmonics. So does raising the rear of my tongue, taking more reed and being sure I've taken a good breath.
Some makers (Cuesnon, for example) have minimized the change in color, but only at the cost of a dull sound quality overall.
The Selmer Recital has an optional resonance key, and the newer Buffet Elite has an extended joint with a resonance key and an extra hole in the bell. German and English instruments also have an open vent hole in the bell. The Buffet RC has an enlarged egg-shaped area inside the bell.
Rossi is very concerned that his instruments play as well as possible. It's a long way to send your clarinets to Argentina, but he may be willing to make new bells for you, or add a resonance key.
A year or so ago, Alvin Swiney (a former Moenig apprentice) and Greg Smith (Chicago Symphony member) posted messages on the Klarinet board saying that Moenig had reamed out the bells on Robert Marcellus's clarinets, which improved the long B, at the cost of making it sharp. Marcellus then held the bell between his knees to correct the pitch.
Maybe the answer is what Anthony Gigliotti says -- "BTSOOI" (Blow The S*** Out Of It).
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Dave Spiegelthal
Date: 2000-12-05 14:25
Perhaps your bottom pads are too close to the toneholes? Have a technician raise the heights just a bit, it could make all the difference. I've found a good rule-of-thumb to be that all pads should be set at a height (measured at the highest point) of about 1/3 the diameter of the tonehole. This may seem high to some folks, but it can frequently cure stuffy notes.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-12-05 15:27
The key height is a good suggestion. However just because your technician says it doesn't leak, don't discount that possibility. Have someone run their hands around your instrument as you play. A suction test can mask a leak by pulling the pad down on to the hole. There is also the possibility that the person doing the leak check (either with a leak light or by blowing through the horn) pressed on the keys harder than you do. He/she would not experience a leak where you might. I have had this experience. My tech had a "gorilla grip" and had no problem but it leaked for me as I have a much lighter touch. So I always personally check the instrument after having any adjustments.
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Author: javier garcia
Date: 2000-12-05 16:46
Ken, only for accuracy: although Luis Rossi is born in Argentina, his factory is placed in Santiago, Chile. He performs as international chamber's music soloist and he takes care personally of his instruments.
Best regards
Javier
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Author: Mario
Date: 2000-12-05 19:38
Thanks a lot folks. I have a few good ideas in this thread. Do not hesitate to continue.
By the way, my B does not leak, as best examplified by the fact that its response to rapid staccato is in fact excellent.
I have another hypothesis in this department. Those among us fortunate enough to own Rossi's will be witnesses to the fact that Rossi can produce excellent color with less pressure than a normal clarinet. It is why they are great for amateurs with average diaphragms who can see color improvements immediately upon blowing into a Rossi (while highly trained professionals migh get less incremental results since their body, not their instrument, contributes 99.99999% of the sound). However, even the Rossi needs good pressure for the long-tube notes.
I sometimes wonder if I pressurize my air flow enough (compared to what is the norm). Mind you, my tone is OK for an amateur, so the incentive to push harder is not really there, except for the long-tube notes where pressure is essential. My problem might be simply a case of lazy diaphragm hidden by a great horn, yet showing its true weakenesses for the long-tube "B". This is especially true for a passage from thoat notes to the long B. Throat notes do not need diaphram pressure to sound good, altough a tighter lip and good resonance fingerings are sometimes necessary. It is the total opposite for B (good pressure, loose lip). Hence a potential root cause of my problem. I have been working on adjusting in real-time. This takes time since it must became automatic for fast passage. Any comments?
There is a French Company out there that has produced a pressure meter ("manometre" in French) that can measure accurately the air pressure emitted by a wind player. It is pricy like hell. Anybody out there has a differerent way to measure whether a clarinetist is using the right amount of pressure?
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-12-05 22:45
Mario -
The great master of breath exercises was Arnold Jacobs, the legendary tuba player in the Chicago Symphony. There is a site devoted to him at http://www.windsongpress.com/. Look under Breathing Devices to see the things he developed. I don't think the prices are too high. Then do an Alta Vista search on "Arnold Jacobs" to find notes on his master classes. They are a revalation.
For me, what works is inhaling starting from the bottom and continuing until my chest rises, pushed up from beneath.
Two exercises are good for this.
The first was taught to me by the wonderful teacher Keith Stein many years ago. Suck your belly, as if you were trying to impress the girls at the beach. Then let it drop down and out, making a "pot belly" and an instant later breath all the way down to the bottom, filling your lungs up from bottom to top.
The second appeared on the Klarinet board just a few weeks ago. Open your mouth and inhale saying "Hulp!" (without voicing it). This opens up your throat and fills your lungs from bottom to top.
Once you fill up with air, you relax and let it flow out. You don't blow -- you let the weight of your chest and of the air do the work. You want the feeling of your air stream connecting directly with the sound, so that the sound almost becomes part of your body -- so that you can "taste" it. Listen to the live recital recordings of Harold Wright, where this is very audible.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
P.S. to Javier Garcia -- thanks for the correction.
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