 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Khefren Sackey
Date: 2016-04-05 10:16
Greetings,
I'm currently working and developing a better tone and I've been noticing that I have no evenness across my registers. I know this is partly due to me not practicing consistently as I am psychology major and thus have little time for practicing, but I've been having tf this problem for years before I even came into college. My clarion "E" sounds very differently than the rest of the clarion register (it kind of sounds like I'm doing an "ooooo" sound as opposed to every other note that gives off this sort of "eeeeeee" sound), but the most annoying note by far is my clarion f#, I just don't know what I am doing wrong, but this note sounds obnoxious and childish; shrill, disgusting. I've considered biting to be a problem as my lower lip sometimes hurts after playing, but I'm not completely sure. PLEASE HELP!!!
Post Edited (2016-04-05 20:07)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-04-05 15:16
A good, resonant sound is achieved by a steady stream of air. You need to actively move the air out to do this. Use your abdominals to push your air outward (if you've ever tensed up your belly before you have your younger brother punch you in the stomach, it should feel more like that). If you are using a good steady flow of air, you will feel the clarinet vibrate under your fingers (all registers, all dynamics).
You also need to focus the air in you mouth. You do this by either leaving your tongue in a natural relaxed position OR as if you are saying the sound "EEEEE." You DO NOT want to do anything like "AHHH" because that actually blocks passage of air coming out of your throat with the back of your tongue.
You should also approach reed strength from the standpoint of, "what is the weakest reed I can use to get a good sound," not the other way around. There will be some pressure on the reed, but if you are aware of it, it is probably too much.
...................Paul Aviles
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Author: Mojo
Date: 2016-04-05 17:01
I have not thought much about whether "Eeee" or "Ahhh" is a preferred voicing. But I am pretty sure "Ahhh" has a lower back tongue position and is less airway restrictive. Doctors don't ask you to say "Eeee" when looking at your throat.
Being aware that your oral cavity/tongue shape, embouchure, Reed/mouthpiece choice and how much mouthpiece you take in is important. You can adjust these things to determine what works best for your tone goals.
MojoMP.com
Mojo Mouthpiece Work LLC
MojoMouthpieceWork@yahoo.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-04-05 17:26
What clarinet are you playing? You might at least consider that those two notes are acoustically inferior on your clarinet. Sometimes individual notes even on very good clarinets tend to be more "shout-y" and stand out if you don't humor them. Sometimes - in fact, often - this can be minimized by adjusting pad clearances or tone hole sizes.
How is the pitch on those two notes? Being out of tune as well as different-soundung can indicate a problem with the instrument. Have a tech look at it. Or, maybe have another clarinetist play on your clarinet and see if the same tendency persists.
Also, while Paul's advice about using the lightest reed you can and still get a good sound is generally right, the operative condition is "with a good sound," or maybe expand it to "with a good, controlled sound." Wildly uneven scales sometimes are a result of too soft a reed and the player's loss of muscular control because the reed is too easily closed by any embouchure pressure applied to it. You need the right amount of resistance from your reed and mouthpiece combination. Too much resistance (too hard a reed) and some notes will become stuffy and fuzzy. Too soft a reed can result in wildness of some notes. The key is that the reed needs to allow you to produce a full, controlled tone. It isn't enough that it just speaks easily.
So, make your best effort to maintain a steady air flow and a stable embouchure and experiment to find an internal mouth shape that gives your tone clarity and resonance. But also make sure that your equipment isn't contributing materially to the problem.
Karl
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Author: JHowell
Date: 2016-04-05 17:34
Do you have a teacher? A good player/teacher who can hear what is wrong and can demonstrate corrective action will do much better than the Internet.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-04-05 17:39
Yeah, I realize that even in today's more enlightened culture my remarks about the "AHHHH" posture are still controversial.
But they are correct.
Your doctor is looking at the back of your mouth (and somewhat the top of your throat). You definitely would not be able to say "AHHH" during an endoscopy (sedation aside), because there would be a tube where the back of your tongue would wind up if you were able to try.
So actually positioning the tongue as if you are saying "EEEEE" is actually "open throat."
We confuse a LOT of what we do vis a vie the lips and jaw with voicing. Sadly there is not much the dimensions of your oral cavity have to do with the sound you get on you horn. And actually that is a good thing. That means one is not "born a clarinetist" or not, it means anyone can do it.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2016-04-05 18:28
What instrument do you play? On both my R13 Bb and A clarinets clarion F# is more "edgy" than the other notes in the register. That's with either of the standard fingerings. The B-naturals a 12th down don't seem problematic, and neither does the D# a 6th up (except the fingering that includes RH 010 is flat.) But the high D-natural a half step down is also edgy.
I've been able to reduce the harshness of the F# by gradually improving my overall sound, but the difference with adjacent notes is still there to my ears. It must be something about the R13 design.
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Author: Khefren Sackey
Date: 2016-04-05 20:06
Well I am currently using a Ridenour Lyrique Libertas (Bb) with a Ridenour "Eroica" mouthpiece together with Vandoren V12 reeds (3 1/2), but I found that the Libertas actually improved this problem for me somewhat because I've played on other clarinets such as a leblanc cadenza, buffet r 13 and greenline , and buffet prestige and greenline, but the problem was blatantly apparent on those other clarinets unlike my Libertas now, but it's still there.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-04-05 20:54
There are these "tendencies" on the clarinet where pitch and timbre require tweaking. The usual number one complaint is the third line "Bb." That note is the shortest tube note (that we see often) and is partially forced through the tiny opening of the register tube. Other notes have other issues that can be equally as irksome depending on your sensibilities. But this is where PLAYING the clarinet comes into play. We don't just blow and accept the results that come out, we make all sorts of compromises to smooth out pitch and timbre.
Whether you make some adjustment of embouchure, or keep your disengaged fingers lower (to make the sound less distinct), or both, you need to do something as you go along.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: Mojo
Date: 2016-04-06 18:04
I searched around and did find an article that supports using "Eeee" to open up. I also found several that suggest using "Ahhh" and/or a yawning feel.
http://www.bestsaxophonewebsiteever.com/debunking-the-biggest-myth-about-playing-with-an-open-throat/
I think what ever works for you when doing overtone exercises (voicing) might be best.
MojoMP.com
Mojo Mouthpiece Work LLC
MojoMouthpieceWork@yahoo.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-04-06 19:09
For me, the problem with "Ahhh" is that it can be exaggerated to a point where the tissues inside the oral cavity become stretched and rigid. Once that point is reached, resonance is damped and the tone starts to become heavy and spread. I do find that I get more "ring" in my tone from "eeee", but a ring-y, colorful sound is not always the one that's appropriate in context. Oral shape is one tool in producing a variety of tone colors for different musical purposes.
Karl
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2016-04-06 19:38
"Oral shape is one tool in producing a variety of tone colors for different musical purposes."
I've often heard about producing tone colors on the clarinet, but as a listener, I've never differentiated any finer than a good or pleasing tone vs a bad or unpleasant one, or had reason to. Do such statements describe anything listeners can actually hear? An example (on YouTube or the like) where the tone color is audibly changed on purpose would be nice. As opposed to examples where the tone color changes because of register changes or other difficulties.
About the time Leister retired from the Berlin Symphony, a written tribute appeared that in part described how he changed his sound for this piece or that. I checked some recordings, and couldn't tell the difference - it was all just Leister's wonderful, rich, glowing sound.
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Author: BflatNH
Date: 2016-04-06 19:58
The good news is that you have an idea of the tone you wish to have. The bad news is that there are many variables (as mentioned above and more) that interact. Ultimately, it will take a while to isolate which you need to adjust and how, and that will change instrument to instrument, register to register, and note to note. Start with the notes that are closest to your ideal and work above and below them to expand the range of the notes you like. Additionally, having some (but not too much) blowing 'resistance', be it from the reed, mpc, or instrument, seems to help give me a consistent sound across the range of the clarinet.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-04-06 21:00
You can affect the speed of air by the process of moving your tongue shape/position. I prefer to do that diaphragmatically. If your "AHHH" doesn't impede the transmission of air to a degree where it is audibly detrimental, then it is fine (but still less air than possible).
.................Paul Aviles
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