 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: michael
Date: 2000-01-21 02:20
I have a split second little chirp as I play certain notes. It usually happens at the start of the note, and is worse in the mid-range just above the 3rd line B. It doesn't happen all the time, but enough that it is annoying.
I've changed reeds and it still follows me. Is this just a "learning curve" problem? or do I need to adjust the ligature. I pull the ligature down about 2cm below the line on the mouthpiece and tighten it til it's snug; top and bottom screw. Just wondering if there is something I can do. Michael
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Author: andrea
Date: 2000-01-21 02:39
those chirps are harmonics and i don't know exactly what could be causing them, but you could have an air leak from a weak pad or bent key, since it mostly happenswhen the horn is longest. check your horn for leaks by covering all the holes and bottom of each individual joint and blow or suck to check the seal. OTHERWISE, GET A NEW MOUTHPIECE. THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR FOCUSING THE AIR TO PRODUCE THE SOUNDS.
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Author: michael
Date: 2000-01-21 03:13
Thanks Andrea. I just had it checked for leaks and everything is fine. I wrote that I put the ligature "2 cm"
below the line on the mouthpiece. I meant 2 mm.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-01-21 03:26
There is the possibility that your jaw moves slightly as you go from note to note. This is a very common problem. Some people get a chirp, others a tiny honk or squack or others get a thud. So make sure that your jaw does not move when you tongue. It's a very bad habit and needs to be corrected if this is your problem/
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Author: michael
Date: 2000-01-21 10:38
Dee wrote:
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There is the possibility that your jaw moves slightly as you go from note to note. This is a very common problem. Some people get a chirp, others a tiny honk or squack or others get a thud. So make sure that your jaw does not move when you tongue. It's a very bad habit and needs to be corrected if this is your problem/
Hi Dee, This could be it. I never took lessons except what my Junior High band teacher taught me--I'm planning to take some this year. I hope I don't have too many bad habits; they can be very hard to un-learn. When I was in college, I took golf lessons (1977) and I was doing so many things that the teacher didn't like that by the time he was through with me I gave up golf. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. Except I like the clarinet more than I liked golf--it made me cuss.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-01-21 12:08
michael wrote:
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Dee wrote:
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There is the possibility that your jaw moves slightly as you go from note to note. This is a very common problem. Some people get a chirp, others a tiny honk or squack or others get a thud. So make sure that your jaw does not move when you tongue. It's a very bad habit and needs to be corrected if this is your problem/
Hi Dee, This could be it. I never took lessons except what my Junior High band teacher taught me--I'm planning to take some this year. I hope I don't have too many bad habits; they can be very hard to un-learn. When I was in college, I took golf lessons (1977) and I was doing so many things that the teacher didn't like that by the time he was through with me I gave up golf. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. Except I like the clarinet more than I liked golf--it made me cuss.
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Lessons are a good idea. You can check a little bit for yourself if the jaw is moving. Take a note like the open G so you only need one hand to hold the instrument. Place the other hand below your jaw and then tongue as you normally would. You should be able to feel it if your jaw moves. Of course on these lower notes, you won't get the chirp.
Also don't get discouraged. Come back often to this board for a dose of encouragement.
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Author: michael
Date: 2000-01-22 00:08
Dee wrote:
Also don't get discouraged. Come back often to this board for a dose of encouragement.
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Dee, thanks for the advice. I'm going to keep practicing and playing ( and reading this BB.) I haven't had this much fun in a long time.
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-01-22 06:23
I agree with Dee. If you've been away from clarineting for a while, seek out a good instructor. When I started back up, all those deficiencies(sp) I so perfected in school came back to haunt me, especialy tounging. With a few leasons, I was able to correct them and become much a better player even though I still have not mastered my slimey darn tounge.
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Author: Rick2
Date: 2000-01-24 03:20
I've noticed that chirps cabe caused byL
1) as mentioned above, jaw movement
2) sloppy or lazy attack with the tongue
3) jaw pulled in too far.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-01-24 21:48
michael wrote:
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I have a split second little chirp as I play certain notes. It usually happens at the start of the note, and is worse in the mid-range just above the 3rd line B. It doesn't happen all the time, but enough that it is annoying.
I've changed reeds and it still follows me. Is this just a "learning curve" problem? or do I need to adjust the ligature. I pull the ligature down about 2cm below the line on the mouthpiece and tighten it til it's snug; top and bottom screw. Just wondering if there is something I can do. Michael
Michael -
A starting chirp happens when a small part of the reed vibrates independently. To find out why this is happening, let's look at one thing at a time.
INSTRUMENT
A small leak, particularly near the top of the instrument, can make the sound unstable. The easiest thing to do is try your mouthpiece and reed on another instrument. If the problem is cured, you know you need to visit the repair shop. While you're there, have them remove the register key and clean out the register tube with a dampened pipe cleaner, since a clogged vent can spoil the upper register response.
Also, if you're a relative beginner, you may be leaving a small leak where a finger doesn't quite cover a hole, or you may have a finger resting on a normally closed key (such as the throat Ab key), creating a leak.
Have a friend or your teacher play your setup. Play someone else's setup. I've done this for years and never gotten sick (except for the odd touch of rabies :-,).
LIGATURE
You say you tighten the ligature screws snug. Try loosening the screws about a quarter turn, which often frees up the response. Also, try a friend's ligature.
MOUTHPIECE
High speed photographs show that the reed seals all they way around against the mouthpiece. Anything that interferes with the seal can cause squeaks and chirps.
Wash the mouthpiece out with warm water and maybe a small amount of liquid soap. Gently use your thumbnail to scrape off any accumulation on the top and sides. Then, *very* gently, with the mouthpiece wet and using only the skin of your fingertip, remove any accumulation on the rails and tip.
Hold the mouthpiece with the lay upward and at a slight angle to the light, so you can sight along it and see the reflection. Look for any irregularity or scratches. In particular, look at the corners, where the rails meet the tip. That is the narrowest and most fragile area of the lay. Also, many mouthpiece makers flare the inside of the rails outward where they meet the tip, since this frees up the response of the mouthpiece. Unfortunately, it's very easy to bump the corner of the mouthpiece against a music stand or a wall, and if you hit it at exactly the wrong angle, even a small impact can deform the corner so the reed no longer seals. If you see a change in the light reflected at the corner, this may be your problem. If so, you will probably need a new mouthpiece, or at least a non-trivial refacing.
First, of course, try another mouthpiece to see whether this is the problem.
REED POSITION
The curves across the reed tip and the mouthpiece tip should match exactly. However, many reeds are curved too much. If you set the reed with the center of its tip matching the center of the mouthpiece tip, you may be leaving the narrow place at one or both corners uncovered. Also, if the tip of the reed is exactly even with the tip of the mouthpiece, it will be a little below the tip after it has curved along the lay, particularly if your mouthpiece has an open facing.
So, try raising the position of the reed by about 1/32 inch, and make sure that the reed seals completely at the corners of the tip. If that solves the problem, find a reed trimmer that matches the curve of your mouthpiece tip and trim each reed. A cheaper but more difficult way to do this is to hold the tip of the reed between your thumb and forefinger and gently shape the tip with an emery board (always stroking from the corner toward the center of the tip).
REED STRENGTH
Try a 1/2 strength harder reed. It's less likely to chirp, because it's less likely to have weak or thin spots that vibrate by themselves. If you feel comfortable with that strength and it cures your problem, go with it.
REED ADJUSTMENT
Now the big one. The odds are 10 to 1 that the reed needs adjusting. Everything that's gone before is quick and easy and designed to avoid reed work. Still, this is something you have to learn.
When you get a chirp, it's almost always because the reed is too thin at the corner of the tip. When that happens, the corner starts vibrating in the wind stream before the rest of the reed can close against the lay.
First, though, make sure that the left and right sides of the reed are balanced. For this, see my posting on reed adjustment, which is coming tomorrow or the next day.
Next, check for extreme thinness in the tip. Soak the reed in water for 5 minutes and take it over to a window or a bright lamp. Get in a position where the light falls on the reed but does not go into your eyes. Hold the reed vertical with the bark toward you and the tip pointing down and look at the tip. Note any unevenness, and particularly whether either corner is very light colored compared to the center of the tip.
The best test is your left thumbnail. Hold the butt of the reed in your right hand, with the tip angled down at about 30 degrees. Gently press the tip against your thumbnail at varying points around the tip. At the center of the tip, you will probably feel and see the correct resistance, in which the cane bends smoothly, with the amount of bending slowly decreasing as it gets further from the tip. You want the corners to be that way, too. If a corner is too thin, it will roll back in a rubbery way, with almost no resistance, and then bend at an angle.
If the corner of the tip is too weak, your only alternative is to clip the reed back, lengthen the vamp and remake it with a properly balanced tip. Again, see my reed adjustment posting.
If you're lucky, your reed was a little too soft to begin with, or has become too soft when you balanced it. Then all you need to do is clip the tip a bit, perhaps make a few final adjustments to even out the tip, and away you go.
More (much more) to come.
Ken Shaw
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Author: michael
Date: 2000-01-25 04:10
Ken, thank you for taking the time for such a detailed response. I really appreciate it. Michael
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