 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: extraspecialk
Date: 2004-04-29 17:55
i have been playing the clarinet for 5 years. when i first got my clarinet, it was always playing sharp. i figured that it was probably just that the barrel was too short or something, so later on when i was more committed, i bought the longest one my music store sold. well, that worked for a year or so, but now i have to pull out the barrel almost half an inch to get it to play in tune. im thinking that it is probably my fault that it is sounding sharp all the time. can someone please tell me what is going on in my mouth when i make the pitch sharper? i have no idea what i should try to fix.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-04-29 18:00
You may have been pinching in order to get the notes out and probably have relaxed your embouchure now. So now that you're not pinching the reed to get the sound to play, everything sounds flatter than 'normal'.
BTW, if this IS the case, then you're now playing more correctly (not pinching, but rather just letting the air do the work).
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: ron b
Date: 2004-04-29 19:50
Hi, Extraspecialk:
Let's see; since you first started playing about five years ago you played sharp all the time, so you bought a longer barrel.
That fixed the problem. After that you were happily playing in tune and this continued for about a year. Then your pitch began creep up again -- so much so that you need to pull the barrel halfway off to play in tune.
Proceed if I have this correct. Correct me if I'm incorrect... then proceed.
In either case, I don't have an answer, yet - just a lot of questions. The following information would be very helpful for folks here to have in order to give you some coherent feedback. In Clarinetland, one size does not fit all.
First of all, do you have a teacher/instructor/mentor...?
Are you playing in a band?, orchestra?, other ensemble?
When you play, what/who do you tune to? In other words, what tuning standard are you using? If you're in a group do you get many complaints about you intonation problems?
What instrument, brand(maker), serial number and/or any other numbers or identifying marks, are you using?
Is your instrument in good working order? (Has it been checked by a repair technician lately?)
What mouthpiece/reed setup are you using?
Have you tried another instrument? If so, do you get the same result?
Has someone else tried your instrument? If so, what happens?
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-04-29 22:25
Play down to higher notes, not up. Since they are physically higher on the page and higher and pitch, one often mentally tries to "play it higher" by physically moving a bit upward. This cuts off airstream and makes you pinch at the mouth, both of which cause sharpness on the clarinet. Once those notes become sharp, you may make the other notes sharper to compensate, causing all-around sharpness.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: hans
Date: 2004-04-29 22:53
Sara,
Are you playing sharp in all registers?
You need to "think" the tone to play it correctly.
If you are using a single lip embouchure, you could try double lip to see if it makes any difference, since there may be more tendency to play sharp with a single lip embouchure.
Regards,
Hans
Post Edited (2004-04-29 22:59)
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Author: extraspecialk
Date: 2004-04-29 23:57
yep, ron, you pretty much got what i was saying.
in answer to your questions:
i do have a private instructor.
i play in my highschool band.
when i play, i tune to the keyboard. i get complaints all the time, and i can definately tell the entire time that i am sharp.
i have a horrible plastic artley clarinet.
it hasnt been to a technician lately, but it seems fine to me.
mitchell lurie is the mouthpiece, and i use a size 3 in vandoren reeds.
i have not tried anyone elses instrument, and no one else has tried mine.
umm.. i think thats all...ya.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-04-30 00:21
Rather than tuning to the keyboard, tune to the person that sits above (next to) you. Try to fit inside their sound. This may mean loosening your embouchre significantly. Flatness and sharpness is contextual on variable-pitch instruments (i.e. not keyboard, not pitched percussion). The original tuning to a tuner or piano will give you a ballpark figure, but you really should listen to what's going on around you all the time.
If you can afford it, get a new clarinet that you don't rate as "horrible."
Ask your instructor for help on tuning.
An instrument always seems fine once you're used to its eccentricities. Have someone else play it (try your instructor), and take it to a tech.
Also, clarinet is one of the few instruments that goes sharp with improper airstream. Most go flat. So, if you're unsure about your intonation (as happens especially often with high notes and quiet passages), you may end up putting less air through, thinking it will help, when it actually makes the problem worse.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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