 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Foster
Date: 2005-08-10 16:02
Hi, I'm new to these forums :D
Here's the deal, after a quick rummage i found my clarinet and thought it was about time i learnt to play it properly.
It could do with a new reed, but after a good clean it was alright.
I came to play it today and i cannot get the thing to play any of the lower notes!
for example, when i try to play a low G i end up getting a high C!
It sounds as though i am pressing the the lever thing (oooh, technical) on the back of my clarient when i'm not. If i do press it i get exactly the same note.
Could it be the reed that is at fault? I think its 3 or 4 years old and i am awaiting some new reeds through the post.
Thank yee!
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Author: D
Date: 2005-08-10 16:36
Try a few of these things:
get friend to apply pressure to the register key at the end where it covers the hole. If that drops the note then you probably have a leak in that pad or else the key/spring of the register key have become bent or weak.
do a search on this board for lots of instructions on testing for leaks.
find someone who plays clarinet well and ask them to have a look.
find a repair tech and ask them to have a look (expensive).
take up recorder.
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2005-08-10 17:28
Although this is unlikely, it is possible that your embouchure (mouth position) is too tight and/or that you are blowing too hard. A leak, which D discusses above, is much more likely. A good test as to whether the problem is the instrument or you is to have that clarinet-playing acquaintance that D mentions try playing your instrument. If they use their own mouthpiece and reed and have no problems, then the problem is with you or your choice of mouthpiece and/or reed.
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Author: Foster
Date: 2005-08-10 17:31
I used to have clarinet lessons for 7 years or so. gods how i hated them...
I'm going to go down the self-taught route and just play whats inside my head. I find i enjoy music more this way.
Also i had my girlfriend push in the register key and there was no difference, so now i am unsure if there is a leak.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-08-10 17:37
I reiterate my suggestion, so that in the future we don't have to find out all the details of what's inside your head. It's really hard for us to diagnose the problems of a beginner from thousands of miles away. It could be anything, or everything, or something in between causing you grief. A professional clarinetist seeing you in person would be able to identify your problem(s) immediately, if not sooner.
If your car wouldn't start, would you email a bulletin board to figure out what was wrong, and have your girlfriend hold onto the ignition coil while you crank the engine?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-08-10 17:42
Dave -
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it irritates the pig." ...GBK
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Author: Foster
Date: 2005-08-10 17:46
No, if my car wouldn't start i would first try and get someone else with a car to help jump start it, then i would try pushing it, then i would check the battery, etc, etc.
but as i am a beginner i shall refrain from asking for help untill i am a professional. Thank you for showing me the error of my ways.
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2005-08-10 17:51
Hey, Dave, I frequently visit a car bulletin board and people regularly post with questions regarding what might be wrong with their cars. Sometimes they get information that allows them to fix it themselves and other times it still requires a visit to the mechanic, but they are armed with more information.
This isn't to demean the value of a visit to a competent clarinetist/instructor, just to (sarcastically) point out that your analogy isn't the greatest one for illustrating your point. To help you out, I'll offer a slightly different analogy: Learning to drive that car, especially if it is a stick shift, is best done with a professional instructor.
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2005-08-10 22:55
As an alternative to a teacher, take it to a music store where one of the sales people is a woodwind player. Then, you can get someone who will be able to test-play it and also watch you play it and figure out what's possibly wrong with the horn and possibly wrong with you, in an atmosphere that's unlikely to be humiliating; after all, they'd want your business, and so treat you like a customer, rather than a student.
Steve Epstein
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