 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: rockymountainbo
Date: 2003-05-05 18:16
I was doing so well there for 4 months. I mastered G major, F major and A major, but now, for some reason, when I am playing a higher note in the lower register and I am moving to a lower note in the same register, my horn wants to go to the upper register. I don't know how to fix it.
My clarinet teacher made me promise not to throw my horn out the window before our Thursday lesson.
I was using a Rico 2.5 and moved to Vandoren 2.5 and a Rico 3.0 just for kicks. It doesn't matter what reed I use, it still wants to go high.
Thanks in advance.
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Author: rockymountainbo
Date: 2003-05-05 18:22
One more thing, I have been practicing in the passenger seat of my car during lunch so I can play along with the CD accompaniment that follows my text. Could it be poor posture and not enough room? Just a thought.
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-05-05 19:29
Sounds a lot like it needs attention from a knowledgable repair person. Probably one or more pads are getting old and are starting to leak, or a key or two are getting bent slightly from twisting during assembly and disassembly. Doesn't sound like it's you at all.
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-05-05 19:53
Also make sure you're not moving your lower lip down farther on the reed as you change notes. This can make you blow the overtones, which produces the same effect as opening up the register key. Using too soft reeds (like the Rico 2.5) can make this happen much more frequently than with harder reeds.o
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-05-05 19:59
A common cause of such a problem is migration of the adjustment screw on the throat G# key enough to keep its pad from completely closing. A very slight leak there (or anywhere else at the upper end of the left joint) can cause exactly the problem you describe.
Your teacher is correct. Defenestration of the instrument is inadvisable, as that will not effect a satisfactory repair.
Unless you feel comfortable in checking it out yourself, Brenda's suggestion to see a tech is the right idea. However, a five-second tweak of the G# key adjustment screw may do the trick.
Regards,
John
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-05-05 20:07
Hi, Rockybo... nice to see you posting again;
We all have ups and downs along the way and I feel Brenda is onto the problem you're experiencing. It would do no harm to ask a tech to check your instrument (usually no charge for this) or ask your teacher to play test it. Then for sure ask your teacher about posture and practice. Sitting in the passenger seat and tootin' along with a CD is fine if you're already in good [playing] shape - if you're not quite there yet, standard posture and breathing practice will be much better for you for now. Although, if you're not slouching, it's probably all right.
Sounds like you're making great progress, Rocky, and, if I were in your situation I'd listen to my teacher and not give up just because it's not going too well at the moment. Your teacher is there to help you and, so far, is doing a great job. You're doing a great job too and your progress is amazing for the time you've been at it. Your example is an encouragement to many of the rest of us strugglers.
From what I remember of your first posts, you've come a long way, baby 
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Author: rockymountainbo
Date: 2003-05-05 20:22
Y'all rock, you know that? I hope it isn't anything mechanical because I'm not sure I can afford to fix the horn. I will try it again with lots of room and proper posture and see what happens. My lesson is on Thursday. Will have my teacher check it out too. I am so excited to hit the B flat key next.
Ron, you think I am progressing fast? I have nothing to compare my progress to so I am just having fun and practicing all the time. I am hoping, hoping that I can get good enough within 2 or 3 years to go for a higher degree in jazz clarinet. Been looking at the University of South Florida in Tampa because the family and I might relocate back to Florida to be near the grandparents. It has a well-respected program in the South.
Thanks everyone!
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-05-05 20:27
Yep, sounds like a leak somewhere in the top section and John may have hit the nail on the head. Shouldn't cost you more than two-bits from the tech. Only Bohem clarinets can be defenestrated.
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Author: rockymountainbo
Date: 2003-05-05 20:51
Well, since I am a computer tech geek, i used my tiny screwdrivers and tightened the screw on the G# key. It was loose! I will let y'all know if that fixed it.
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-05-05 20:58
Are you sure you got the right screw? I believe John was referring to the screw literally on top of the throat G# key, which raises or lowers it. On my clarinet, "tightening" the screw (or turning it clockwise) would raise the G# key even higher and make the problem worse. The fix on my clarinet would be to turn the screw counterclockwise to lower the key and seal the hole..
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: rockymountainbo
Date: 2003-05-05 21:00
Ohhhhh! Thanks so much. That's what us techs do...we get our noses where they shouldn't be and start messing with things. I will play with it a bit tonight and see if that might be it.
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Author: David
Date: 2003-05-05 22:11
Hold top joint in left hand, mouthpiece off, heel of right hand over the bottom of the tube, finger a middle C, blow, increasing pressure from light to quite hard, and "see" what leaks. I'd probably forgive any key that lifts off when you're right up at "brain about to explode" pressure.
If all's well, fiddle / finger the keys, go back to C and see if anything leaks in a "that didn't quite boing back into the original seating" manner.
Really, it sounds not too serious, and a tech will sort this for very reasonable cost.
Of course, doing this submerged would give you a far more exact indication of where the leak is. I'm not certain of course, but I feel this approach carries a small risk of wood, pad, cork and drowning problems.
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Author: rockymountainbo
Date: 2003-05-06 12:29
Hopefully I didn't mess my horn up more than it possibly already was. I am taking it into the best shop in town today at lunch. They said, too, that it sounded like a screw that needed to be adjusted and that they can probably do it on the spot. Thanks again!
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-05-06 14:34
One nice thing about that G# adjustment: it's extremely difficult to make it permanently worse. If you did anything wrong, it should be simple to undo. Let us know the outcome.
BobD: I don't know if defenestration -- or even the more dreaded transfenestration -- should be restricted to Boehm Clarinets, but the Boehm is the only stick with that often troublesome G# adjustment screw.
Regards,
John
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Author: rockymountainbo
Date: 2003-05-06 17:09
Good News is...it's not me!!!
Bad News is...it's the horn!!!
Other Good News is...it's only a few dried out pads lower on the horn that are bad...$30 and I'll get it back tomorrow.
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Author: rockymountainbo
Date: 2003-05-08 15:11
BTW, got the horn back and the bad squeaks are gone. Now, I just have my own self-made squeaks.
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-05-08 15:21
Hopefully you won't have to take yourself into the shop for adjustment. ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif) ı
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: Bradley
Date: 2003-05-08 15:22
Lol- thats good to hear [ i guess ]
That same thing pretty much happened to me, but I knew it was my clarinet because it happened one day after me being able to play the same thing well the day before. It was the screw on top of the G#/ Ab key. I might have brushed against it and turned it since it's nylon and easily tightened. My problem is more sudden and easily noticeable I think.
Bradley
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Author: rockymountainbo
Date: 2003-05-08 15:24
Apart from what my wife might say, I have no screws loose and I need no adjustment. I have medical brain scans to prove it.
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