 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BHclarinet
Date: 2016-04-05 19:05
I've been practicing the Eb for about a month now for an audition. My tone overall is good except in the altissimo range. Does anyone have tips or exercises to improve it?
Thanks,
Brendan
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Author: ClarinettyBetty
Date: 2016-04-05 20:46
What horn/mouthpiece/reed setup do you have?
The mouthpiece is hugely important in your sound for Eb, as well as your tongue position. Play with a "hee" syllable in the high register.
The reason I ask about the mouthpiece: when I bought my old Noblet, I tooted around on it with the stock Noblet mouthpiece until I was able to go to the store to play test my Vandoren 5RV. With the stock mouthpiece, I sounded hollow, empty, and super flat no matter what I did. As soon as I switched mouthpieces, I was able to sing out with a much improved tone.
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Author: KenJarczyk
Date: 2016-04-05 21:30
Search out all the Eb Clarinet teaching videos on YouTube from Jessica Phillips, the Eb chair at the Met. Very useful information. If you can find Peter Hadcock's workbook for the Eb Clarinetist, he has many "false fingerings" for altissimo.
Ken Jarczyk
Woodwinds Specialist
Eb, C, Bb, A & Bass Clarinets
Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophones
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2016-04-05 23:46
The altissimo D tends to be sharp. it's better to not use the Eb key with that note.
The E tends to be a bit flat. I sometimes add the sliver key to bring it up to pitch.
Every horn seems to be a bit different. Sit with a tuner and add/ subtract side keys until you get a fingering that's in tune. Sometimes adding the C# key will lower a pitch just enough so that it's right on.
Mouthpiece and barrel are both important to. The Clark Fobes extension definitely makes the 12ths better too.
Good luck!
Eefer guy
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-04-05 23:55
A few years ago I played Eb clarinet for the first time at a summer music camp, and emailed my teacher (who plays Eb professionally in a symphony) for advice on tuning in the altissimo. Her response:
"Push in all the way and try not to over blow which is a temptation. For the E above the staff use left side G# [meaning the throat G# key] in addition to your regular E fingering. That should bring it up. A good fingering for high F# is an overblown Bb fingering using the right side key. Long F is preferred if possible."
I've found these fingerings to help with the intonation/tone issues up high.
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Author: Curinfinwe
Date: 2016-04-05 23:59
I've been playing Eb for a few years, but almost daily for the last few months- the main thing that I find helps with the altissimo is trying to think of aiming the air through my nose, which results in flaring my nostrils a bit. Not sure why it works, but it does.
I also do a lot of the exercises on voicing from Larry Guy's Embouchure Building book. There's a few long tone variations in there that help me a lot.
Good luck!
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Author: Alexis
Date: 2016-04-07 14:04
Sometimes a harder reed can help
But there's a lot of reasons why the notes don't come out, as the responses above indicate
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Author: TomS
Date: 2016-04-07 15:30
I found that the Selmer Series 9 was the best in tune E-flat clarinet ... but you still have to fight the high register with MP/reed experimentation, venting and alternate fingerings. Some players finger some of the notes up 1/2 step and lip it down!
I asked Ted Ridenour why Tom didn't do the world a favor and design an E-flat ... and I got an indication that the tuning issues for this instrument are a super difficult challenge and the limited market made such a project not worthwhile. A shame.
I do love the instrument ... a concert band really suffers, IMHO, without this cute little critter's timber, welding the flutes and clarinets together.
Tom
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