 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: trailrider
Date: 2005-02-21 01:59
Help!! I'm practicing out of the "Rubank Elementary Method Book"; have a Buffet E-11 and am using a Valdoren 2 1/2 reed.
In a practice session, when I first start out playing the register change I do o.k. and have no squeaks. As I continue playing I start squeaking as I go from A to B natural and C. Sometimes it plays an octave above that key without my touching another key by accident. What am I doing wrong?????
Changing my reed will remedy this for 5 - 10 minutes, then it starts back again.
Any suggestions on what is causing this?
Thanks!
Tracie
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Author: music_is_life
Date: 2005-02-21 02:17
I could be wrong, but you're bottom lip might be moving too far down on the mouthpiece, and thus causing your clarinet to produce overtones, or squeaks. So, make sure that you don't move your jaw, becuase that's most likely what is causing the squeak.
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Author: hans
Date: 2005-02-21 02:22
Here is a list of some common causes of squeaks (in no particular order) that you can check.
a dry reed
accidentally touching a key
the middle joint in a clarinet is not properly aligned
using a "wrong" fingering instead of a better alternate
a finger not covering a hole properly
a pad not seating properly
a weak spring not holding a pad closed, opens with breath pressure
keys out of adjustment (e.g., the A key)
unco-ordinated fingering
a leaking joint
a cracked instrument (in a wood clarinet)
too much mouthpiece in the mouth
a burr on the mouthpiece top rail
misapplied lip pressure
a reed is split
the reed is not perfectly sealed on the mouthpiece
a reed is too thin at the center of the tip or is stiffer on one side than the other
a poorly designed, worn, or warped mouthpiece (a warped or worn mouthpiece can be refaced)
the mouthpiece baffle (the slanted top inside the tip) is too high
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Author: music_is_life
Date: 2005-02-21 02:33
good hans, however a couple things-
a dry reed- that could very well be the case, but just keep in mind that she starts out ok, then squeaks. I suppose that could happen with a dry reed, since they are unpredictable and may work one minute, but not the next...
the middle joint in a clarinet is not properly aligned- wouldn't this make it consistently squeak, rather than every so often??
a pad not seating properly- I don't know too much about pads not sealing correctly, since it only happened to me once, but wouldn't this also be
consistent in giving one problems? I know when my pad was not sealing correctly, it didn't occasionally work, it never worked (hence my getting it fixed!)
a burr on the mouthpiece top rail- just wondering, what does that mean??
a reed is split- not sure, but wouldn't this also make her squeak pretty consistently too?
I don't know. I'm just making some speculations. I'm not saying I am right, just posing some questions...
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Author: trailrider
Date: 2005-02-21 02:53
I am able to play the upper notes perfectly, as well as all the lower notes. Once I start squeaking, if I walk away for a few minutes then come back I can play through the register change just fine; and when I'm having this trouble all the other notes play just fine.
It seems to happen more when my mouth gets more wet the longer I play. If I kinda dry the reed and mouthpeice off and wait a few minutes I will be able to do it o.k.
My teacher just kinda looked at me funny at the end of my lesson (30 minutes) when I started doing this, but she didn't say anything about it other than I needed to practice doing the register change, but it happens more frequently at home.
Course all my homework contains the register change in it:)
Tracie
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Author: Rene
Date: 2005-02-21 10:12
The most common causes in my experience are: touching one of the side keys or too much mouthpiece in. This has been mentioned already.
But I want to add: First of all, do not get desperate! It might eventually vanish by itself very quickly.
I tell you my most prominent problem with the register change: The F-key and E keys. Those must be convered firmly, or the B will not speak well (try it!). Especially, on Boehm clarinets, where the bridge mechanism may be misaligned, and keep those keys from sealing easily.
Rene
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Author: allencole
Date: 2005-02-21 16:30
Let me turn around what Rene said in order to address what I see as the number one problem in register changes:
Sharing your index finger between the A key and the E ring. Too many beginners try to use the fingertip for both, and that leads to the problem that Rene points out.
Try playing E-A-E-A-E (theme to "The Good, The Band and the Ugly") slurred and see how smooth or how rough your transition is. If you hear extra blips, you have to work more efficiently. Reserve your fingertip for use by the E-ring only, and use the side of your first knuckle joint to press the A key. It will end up being more of a wrist motion than a hand motion.
When you can play that SLURRED pattern quickly and cleanly, you will probably notice a difference.
Another common fingering problem is the shifting of your fingers on the D and/or C holes as you reach for the LH B key. This is caused by what I see as the #2 most common problem on register changes:
The thumb approaches the F-ring vertically from below. (leading to a cramped hand position with the left wrist almost behind the instrument)
Make sure that your thumb approaches the F-ring horizontally or on an angle. This will relax your hand position, lessen the tension that leads to squeezing the G# key, keep you from trying to use your whole thumb on the octave key, and allow your pinkie to select the lever it wants without displacing your other fingers.
I think that these are the two biggest problems in younger players, and you should check on these before assuming any sort of mechanical problem.
Allen Cole
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Author: Todd W.
Date: 2005-02-21 19:16
". . . I'm practicing out of the 'Rubank Elementary Method Book'. . . "
". . . if I walk away for a few minutes then come back I can play through the register change just fine . . ."
One more possibility to consider based on these statements. If you are a relative beginner (Rubank Elementary Method), perhaps when the squeaks begin it's an indication the muscles used in your embouchure are tiring. You rest for a few minutes, then are able to play OK again for awhile (second statement). Since there is a lot of finger movement when going from second space A to middle line B or 3rd space C, it may be that you are moving the clarinet just a bit, and as you tire your embouchure is not firm enough to compensate for the wobbling.
Todd W.
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Author: 3dogmom
Date: 2005-02-21 20:11
Consider this possibility -
I had a problem last summer for a while after my instrument had had some work done. Checking with the folks on this board was very helpful. What was happening with me was that moisture (i.e. spit) was collecting in the register key vent. I was getting a squeak or non-playing of sound. Pad change, new mouthiece, problem solved. Good luck. You'll figure it out.
Sue
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-02-22 18:08
If changing the reed helps, then the problem is probably with the reed or the mouthpiece. Take off the reed, gently wipe the lay of the mouthpiece clean (under a faucet with warm water helps) and examine it under a bright light. You may well have dinged the corner of the mouthpiece. It's very easy to do, just by bumping against a chair or stand. If the shininess of the lay changes at the corner, then you have a leak that's causing the squeaks.
A quick check is to try another mouthpiece, if you have one, or borrow someone else's for a few minutes (with their permission, of course). If you're too shy to do this, get a plastic mouthpiece at a music store. (The Yamaha, at about $20, is a good one.)
If your mouthpiece lay surface is OK, then the trouble could be that the lay has is warped -- i.e., higher on one side than the other. Cut a strip of typewriter paper and put it between the mouthpiece and the reed. Then do the same with a business card and a matchbook (each one thicker than the one before). If one or more of these tips to the side, it means that the lay is uneven.
Some mouthpieces have an indentation in the table (the part on which the bottom of the reed goes). If so, you need to make sure the ligature is well tightened. Tighten up the screws quite snug, and then back off 1/4 turn.
Reeds often warp with a high place down the bottom at the center. Also, if you keep them on too long or tighten the ligature too much, the reed can swell into the window area between the rails. Run your finger along the bottom of the reed to see if it has this kind of impression. If it does, you need to flatten the bottom. 400 or 600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper over a flat surface will make the bottom flat. Press down hard on the bark, and very lightly on the vamp.
And of course any leak will cause squeaks. Take off the upper joint, lick the meaty area below your right thumb, block the bottom of the joint there, cover the tone holes and suck as much air out of the joint as you can. It should hold the vacuum for several seconds. If it doesn't, you need to go to a repair shop and get things tightened up.
Finally, once you're sure the reed and the instrument are working well, it will help to work on Charles Neidich's exercises in voicing the various registers. See http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=101441&t=101441.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Sonny
Date: 2005-02-24 03:44
Moisture in register vent;
I guess that's why they put the pad on the top w/ a "wrap around" register lever on my 1920 era Buffet. Learn something new every day.
practice,practice,practice
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-02-24 13:20
You are unconsciously opening a key slightly that should stay closed. Look for left hand finger movement.
Bob Draznik
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