 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: DaphnisetChloe
Date: 2016-04-09 07:57
Hi everyone, I wonder if any of you could please give me some help on a tone issue I have at the moment. At loud dynamics, most notably in the clarion register, my tone is sometimes thin and weedy sounding; not like the round, rich sound that I am after.
This occurs regardless of efforts to ensure correct use of air and support (which is not really a problem). How could I improve my sound at loud dynamics? Any exercises that could help? Thank you all very much!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-04-09 08:06
I would say you support the sound WITH air. The description of the sound your getting sounds to me as if you are pinching off the sound by applying too much force against the reed with your embouchure (ie....biting). Just experiment with a nice LOUD long tone and see where it goes relaxing your embouchure. There is a pretty good amount of different acceptable sounds in there between nasally (all pinched off) and flabby/unfocused (no control at all of which to speak).
You ideally want something right in between.
..................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2016-04-09 16:26
You don't have to play loud in the upper register to be heard. Rather, you need roundness plus resonance (ping).
This is what Keith Stein taught me:
Play the underlying note in the chalumeau register, concentrating on roundness and sweetness with lots of overtones.
Press gradually on the register key, so that you do not know when the jump will be. Keep your embouchure and lip pressure the same, working to carry the roundness and sweetness into the upper register.
It helps to make a gradual crescendo on the lower note and a gradual decrescendo on the upper, making sure to keep the tone the same.
Next, face into a corner of the room. Play a ff low E and then decrescendo to nothing while fostering the overtone B above. You will learn to get almost nothing of the low E and lots of B. This also works with F/C, F#/C# and G/D. After that it gets difficult. When you identify and emphasize the overtone, press the register key, again very slowly and gently, to cut out the low note.
The important part is voicing the note, not the volume.
Think of the note as floating on the breath. Think of singing a beautiful song.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2016-04-10 17:41
It could be you or it could be your equipment. In other words, your mouthpiece - reed combination may not be the proper one for you. So much depends on how much air support and pressure you use, your throat position, tongue placement and embouchure pressure. There are so many factors involved it's difficult to isolate which one or combination is the problem.You might be choking off the air, closing your throat, without realizing it, your tongue placement can be too high in the front or the back or both, you may be pinching the reed closed or the reeds too soft or the mouthpiece to closed for the pressure you play with comfortably Many different things can be causing your problem. Just playing long tones won't cure the problem if you can't identify what the problem is first.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
