 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Barrie Marshall
Date: 2003-08-09 20:05
The other night it was so hot here in the UK that I could not sleep, I was bored so I decided to have a blow on my clarinet, normally I would not play at 3 o'clock in the morning but the house I now live in is better for playing without annoying the people on either side of me, I played very quietly but I noticed that for some reason or other my fingers hardly touched the tone holes or keys but I could still get a good sound, the question is as a self taught jazzer have I been using too much finger pressure all these years? do high class teachers tell their pupils about this? I have never heard it mentioned...ever!
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Author: krawfish3x
Date: 2003-08-09 20:33
yes your fingers should be very light while playing the clarinet but still have to move quickly. they should also never slap down on the tone holes.
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Author: bassclarinetchicka88
Date: 2003-08-09 20:50
yes - finger pressure is a big deal. i finally learned that this summer. when you're really tense and youre using a lot of embouchure and finger pressure instead of using your air, it sounds a LOT worse. luckily, i went to interlochen this summer and just by working on a simple thing like my finger pressure, i'm about 5 times better than i was 2 months ago.
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Author: William
Date: 2003-08-09 23:05
"never slap down on the tone holes"
Never say never. For legato progression from note to note, yes. But for fast technical passages, you need the "pop" at the start of each note to clarify things. The experianced clarinetist should learn to use both legato and "fingering pop'n" styles for their technical "tool bag". This is really a finger motion issue, not entirely "pressure".
As to pressure use upon the keys, I agree with the above posting. You should never (opps, avoid) using undo pressure in holding onto your clarinet while playing. This causes too much stress in your muslces and tendons, and may severly limit your finger technique.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2003-08-09 23:14
I sometimes wonder if the main reason a player develops heavy finger pressure is poor alignment of the pads with the tone holes. This involves the three pads associated with the ring keys, and especially the F/C & E/B pads, which are poorly aligned on most new instruments. The player has to press harder to get the pads to seal.
These last two also become 'misaligned' as a result of pads bedding in with use, combined with the facto of the keys being hinged from the side, which causes more travel, hence more compression of the felt that is furthest from the hinge.
I would estimate that at any given time, at least half of all clarinets have this problem with those two low not pads. There is seldom a time, when a clarinet comes in for servicing, when this alignment does not need adjustment.
Of course, pressing harder on the keys wears out the pads faster. It also compresses the pad felt more, aggravating the phenomenon.
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