 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Nathan
Date: 2004-11-23 15:53
I realize that certain kinds of mouthpieces (in terms of the combination of tip opening, facing, etc.) can favor the different registers of the clarinet. My question is whether a certain kind of mpc can more easily facilitate movement between the registers and if not, what is the primary factor(s) that affects this (in regards to the various parts of the instrument, not embouchure/human elements)?
Thanks,
Nathan
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2004-12-03 19:39
Let's say you have three IDENTICAL mouthpieces with different facings. One has 'Short' facing. Second – 'Medium'. Third – 'Long'.
'Short' facing basically responds better in the high register but lacks somewhat in the low end.
'Long' facing responds better in the low register but lacks in the high.
'Medium' facing is in the middle of things. I would say the best of both worlds.
If the tip opening is the same on ALL three mouthpieces than the mouthpiece with a 'Long' facing will require harder reed than the mouthpiece with a 'Medium' facing. 'Short' facing will take softer reed in comparison with a 'Medium' facing.
The facing alone has nothing to do with the tone but rather reflects how reeds respond on the particular facing
Vytas Krass
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2004-12-04 18:33
The tuning barrel greatly affects the tone between registers. A good one can actually help facilitate better intonation. I use a Moennig tapered tuning barrel, or a Chadash barrel.
I also highly recommend the purchase of a custom made professional mouthpiece.
Neither of these two items (barrel plus mouthpiece) will fix bad playing habits. Practice to smoothly go between the registers with breath, embouchure and lots of listening.
I use a Greg Smith Grenadilla wood mouthpiece that was fashioned after my Kaspar Cicero 13. You might contact Greg (email is perfect) about purchasing a mouthpiece plus tuning barrel for your instrument.
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Author: mattahair
Date: 2004-12-04 20:54
It has been my experience that one of the largest factors in moving between registers smoothly is proper seating of the pads and such, esp in the lower stack. If those pads/corks don't seal you might as well forget it. This is why it is important to send your horn to the shop for a tune-up every now-and-then, unless of course you can do it yourself. Hope this helps.
Matt
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Author: Topher
Date: 2004-12-05 00:15
Last summer I read a book (called, quite originally, Clarinet Acoustics) and it described the problems that make going over the break so difficult for many people. For less experienced players, the number one problem is finger motion. The combonation of hitting practically all the keys, "sliding" your finger off the A key, and hitting the thumb key without letting go of the register key is pretty difficult. Plus, if they manage to hit all the keys, many have problems making every hole seal completely with their fingertips. These two problems can be overcome with practice and digital dexterity. Sometimes the problem is proper pad adjustment, as mattahair mentioned, which can be fixed with a tune-up. The last problem is the fact that going from, say, a Bb to a B natural is going from a three inch-ish long tube vibrating at the first harmonic to a two foot-ish tube vibrating at the third harmonic. (Techinically they are vibrating at the one-fourth and three-fourths harmonics of the tube, respectively, but that is another story for another day.) For you lay men out there, a longer tube has more resistance than a short one, and higher harmonics also mean more resistance. That means you are going from the least resistant note to the most resistant note (not counting altissimo), and the only thing that can overcome that is lots and lots of powerful air. Kind of a long and rambling explination, but hopefully it answers your question.
topher
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-12-05 00:21
And once again, as Topher pointed out, airflow is the answer.
I'm starting to think that 'airflow' is the cureall for clarinet. Problems with tonguing? Airflow. Problems with altissimo? Airflow. Problems with crossing a break? Airflow. I'm seeing a pattern . . .
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Topher
Date: 2004-12-06 20:35
EXACTLY, sfalexi. The number one biggest problem of all clarinet players I know is not enough breath support. Nearly every problem begginers have with the clarinet is due to wussy air. Strange intonation tendencies, tounging, articulation, fuzzy tone, range, crossing the break, tone power, etc. Personally, I had horrible air support until I started playing the baritone sax in our jazz band. If that doesn' teach you to blow hard, nothing will.
topher
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Author: BassClarinetGirl
Date: 2004-12-08 04:23
Yes, the whole airflow idea is great. I had really bad airflow too until i started playing a tenor sax in 8th grade, which caused a huge improvement in my playing, and ultimately moved me up a few chairs in band. Then in 9th, i started playing the bass clarinet, and now i can hit any note on soprano fearlessly, because my lung capacity is SO much bigger. I don't have any problems with crossing the break, reaching most clarion notes on the bass cl, and my intonation is much better. i notice that when i really start to play bass clarinet in concert band that it takes me a few days to be totally used to playing it so much again. This also gives me a HUGE advantage playing alto clarinet, i am pretty sure i can play it louder than most of the alto saxes...
Becca
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Author: Robert Moody
Date: 2004-12-08 12:21
Hey Nathan,
I think the first response by Vytas is what you were looking for concerning mouthpieces. So you may want to experiment with different length facings if you have the opportunity.
As for the rest of the instrument, mechanically there are not too many tricks. Just make sure it is mechanically clean and accurate in its workings. Not much more about the clarinet itself (mechanically) can be done to facilitate jumping registers.
There are a number of things that YOU can do to practice this, but since your post seemed to be aware of this and specifically asking about the mechanical aspects of accomplishing it, I'll stop here.
*note* The "blowing harder" that some people call "breath support" in the other responses to your post is a misnomer. Please do not fall into that misunderstanding. An even, fast airstream through a disciplined embouchure and voicing setup is 110% more important than "blowing harder" in order to move through the registers of the clarinet.
Robert Moody
http://www.musix4me.com
Free Clarinet Lessons and Digital Library!
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Author: Nathan
Date: 2004-12-08 16:57
Hey Robert,
I would actually be very interested in what you have to say in regards to the things I can practice, that aren't mechanical, that would help me in jumping registers.
Thanks,
Nathan
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