 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: AmsterdamBCF
Date: 2003-09-08 00:02
Help! I was playing my clarinet today, and when I played a B natural, middle C, and when going from low register to higher register notes quickly, my clarinet would "chirp" ... not squeak, but seem to "chirp" in between notes.
What's causing this, and how can I make it stop? I need help fast because I have band practice tomorrow. Thanks!!!
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2003-09-08 04:05
I think someone recently posted a decently large list on possible causes, but I forget in which thread.
In any case, start off by trying the following: good, full airstream; don't bite the reed; try another reed; don't change your embouchre when you change notes; play to your fingers on the clarinet, not the mouthpiece; make sure a finger isn't arriving on the note early or late.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-09-08 05:37
I actually find it easier to get the notes out when I CHANGE embouchre. Especially when changing registers in the clarinet. For instance, if I play middle C, then hit the octave key to make it a G, I often find myself tightening EVER so slightly at the moment I switch (and I also seem to "roll" my bottom lip down the reed a bit, closer to the ligature). And when I go the reverse direction, from G to C, I drop my chin just a bit, therefore loosening my embouchre and moving my bottom lip a little a little up the reed (closer to the tip of the mouthpeice). In my experience, this helps to take the slight undertone, chirp, or any other desirable noise out of the the transition between the two.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: donald
Date: 2003-09-08 21:40
what you have just read described by Alexi is something that most teachers i know try very hard to STOP their students from doing. For more good good reasons than i have time write about this morning- Alexi, i'd suggest removing this habit from your technique as much as is possible (yes, ok, there are times when you need it to help you go "down"- but not to go "up")
it's nice that you took the time to write advice for AmsterdamBFC, but years of experience as a professional musician and student have led me to believe that it's not very helpful advice.
donald
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-09-09 01:09
Sorry Donald. It was meant to be helpful, but seeing as I've never had an instructor until last semester (who had assumed by my playing that my embouchre didn't need to be carefully inspected but rather just concentrated on the music), I never even knew that this was the incorrect way. I definitely will work on changing though. Thanks for letting me know!
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Clarinetpunk
Date: 2003-09-11 19:25
Another very common reason that can cause shirping is perhaps your reed may not be centered at the base.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2003-09-11 21:15
The list Hans posted in the earlier string has every imaginable cause. Where chirps, as opposed to squeaks, happen at low breath pressure, they're usually caused by reed problems, particularly extreme thinness at one of the corners, or perhaps a very sharp point at the corner. The first check, then, is to try another reed.
To fix a chirping reed, take it off the mouthpiece and hold it up to the light. Is the tip almost transparent at one of the corners? If so, this is probably the cause. Another way to check is to hold the reed with your thumb on the bark and your index finger running across underneath and press the bottom of the reed tip *very* gently against your thumbnail. If the tip rolls back without resistance at the corners, that's your problem.
If the corner is pointed, hold the reed tip in a "pinch" grip between your thumb and index finger, take an emery board and *very* lightly round the corner, stroking only from the side of the reed toward the center. Do only a couple of strokes. You need to be careful not to take off too much, since many mouthpieces (including almost all handmade ones) have a very narrow sealing edge where the rail and tip meet.
A quick diagnosis is to lick the palm of your hand, press the bottom of the mouthpiece against it and suck out the air. When you take the mouthpiece out of your mouth, it should hold a vacuum for maybe 1-1/2 seconds before the reed pops back. Don't do this often, since it's bad for the reed.
If all your reeds are chirping, and the pads are covering OK, take a close look at your mouthpiece. It's easy to ding the corner against a stand or the wall, and the material is thin there. Any leak at all will cause chirping. Try another mouthpiece to see if that helps.
Beat regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-09-12 14:02
Sounds like a reed starting to go soft...i.e. bad
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