 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bean52
Date: 2007-03-07 16:40
I'd been practising my clarinet every day since taking it up about 4 months ago until an unwitnessed suspected child or domestic pet related incident meant me having to take it in for repair! I just got it back today but when I've tried to play I'm getting all kinds of squeals and squawks, particularly when I play "above the break" - so much so that I actually took it back to the repair shop where the repair man reassembled it and played it very nicely for me, much to my embarassment. Is it possible that the unpleasant noises could be down to my embouchure having deteriorated in the time I haven't been able to play? It's only been 5 days - can it happen that quickly?
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Author: Elkwoman46
Date: 2007-03-07 17:43
Hey there, what size reed are you using? Or did you change reeds?
I was using old 2.0 Rico reeds when I got my clarinet not too long ago, then I ordered Vandoren V12 reeds size 3.0---
and well, first when I got it and on the 2.0 Rico reeds with the Normandy 4 wood clarinet with a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece that it came with, I immediately got low sounds and very pleasant, I was so amazed, but it was kind of hard to get the high sounds (and that puzzled me because years ago I was great at finding the high register sounds, but no so on the low sounds! LOL). Well, then the upgrade to the other reeds, it was exactly opposite experience!!! Suddenly, I was getting all the high registers and some great squeaks too, but what happened to the low sounds??? LOL I am thinking I might be perfect on a Vandoren 2.5 reed right now...
So, I say all that to say, that maybe your reed with your new repairs might be just enough to get a reverse affect or something.
Try a few different size reeds, would be my recommendation.
I am sorry for your bad experience with the hurt clarinet.
I don't think your embouchure deteriorated at all.
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Author: jane84
Date: 2007-03-07 18:01
If it has deteriorated - well, depends how much you've played per day. I'd say a little, perhaps, but not that much.. Try to notice if you're doing exactly the same when you play, or if any bad habit has snuck in.
It could also be the repairman is playing on significantly lighter/heavier reeds then you so that he doesn't notice - sounds a bit weird, though.
-jane
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2007-03-07 19:28
I'm playing like 18 months but when I abstain from practising for more than maybe four days I will need a significantly longer warm-up until I feel comfortable again....
--
Ben
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Author: bahamutofskycon
Date: 2007-03-07 19:29
Probably not too much deterioration happening. I second Jane's recommendation of checking for bad habits.
Be sure you are not biting down. A firm lower lip cushion is a good thing. Also try taking less mouthpiece into your mouth (or alternatively more mouthpiece, but that is less likely.)
Be very methodical in your experiments - only change one variable at a time.
Hope that helps some.
Steve
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Author: bean52
Date: 2007-03-07 19:36
Thanks for the helpful replies. I haven't changed reed, or anything else come to that. I'm still playing on Vandoren Blue 1.5 on a 5RV mouthpiece. Since posting I've spoken to my teacher who seems to think that at my stage it is feasible that my relatively undeveloped embouchure could weaken to a noticeable extent in the space of 5 days without any playing at all. I've also tried again and consciously focused on keeping my embouchure as tight as possible and it has made a difference. So perhaps I'd just got sloppy. I was just surprised that it had happened so quickly!
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Author: hans
Date: 2007-03-07 21:41
Common Causes of Squeaks (the list is not exhaustive), in no particular order:
- a dry reed
- overblowing
- accidentally touching a key
- the middle ("bridge") joint in a clarinet is not properly aligned
- using a "wrong" fingering instead of a better alternate
- a finger not covering a hole
- a pad not seating properly
- a weak spring not holding a key closed
- 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 mouthpiece can be refaced)
- the mouthpiece baffle (the slanted top inside the tip) is too high
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Author: samohan245
Date: 2007-03-08 22:44
ive been playing four almost 4 years
when i started out on my good ol' Bb soprano clarinet ive all kinds of squeaks!!
well now im almost advanced
a few thing to tell you-
1.5sized reads give you a very bright sound so i would constrick your air pressure,make sure u have perfect embouchure when u play for a beginer like u i would like to suggest a 2.o or 2.5 sized rico read .
--
sam
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Author: RAB
Date: 2007-03-09 12:23
I suggest that you have several other clarinet players play the instrument. Don't tell them what you are looking for .
See if they have the same problem as you do. If they all play without any "problem" then you should try different reeds and perhaps another mouthpiece to see if that could be an issue.
If they squeak and have chirping problems then perhaps the repair tech is playing with "heavy" hand and closing some pads by brute force instead of using a "light" touch on the keys.
Hope this helps isolate the squeaking problem.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2007-03-09 12:25
Since the problem occurred after a child-related or pet-related incident (I can relate to the pet-related: Shadow Cat got hold of a mousepiece, oops, I mean mouthpiece once, and rolled it down two flights of stairs to the basement), followed by a visit to the repair shop, I think it's more likely that there is something wrong with the instrument. Five days shouldn't be enough to wreck either your embouchure or your reeds. My guess is that the repair tech has stronger fingers than yours, and presses the keys down with more force: he's making a pad seat that leaks for you because your fingers aren't mashing it down as hard. Leak = squeak. The reason it leaks is probably that when the miscreant dropped the clarinet (that is what you think happened to it, right?), a key bent slightly, or a spring got bent and the technician hasn't bent it back to quite the right angle.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: old john
Date: 2008-12-27 03:00
Have you tried sandpapering the flat side of the reed to where the end of the thin end of the reed is glossy to the point where the reed is no longer shaped?
Also rubbing the othere side of the reed from those points with your thumb, only in the direction towards the small end and preferably with the reed on a glass surface. I have been shown this by my instructor (I am 73 and have only started to learn the clarinet), but this has worked for me.
Surrey, BC
Post Edited (2008-12-27 12:46)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2008-12-27 04:08
A five day break could make you feel uncomfortable for a few minutes when you first start to play, but it isn't likely your embouchure muscles have deteriorated. It's likely there's still something wrong with the clarinet - some pad may still be letting air escape. The repair tech needs to check for an air leak in some more sophisticated way than by playing the clarinet himself. A decent player can get around a lot of small problems, and your tech may just be compensating for a small leak, although in fairness, a leak that makes the upper register squeak should also be causing a problem in the low register (are you squeaking in the low register also?).
Testing for leaks is normally done by closing all the holes and an open end on one section at a time and either blowing gently through it from the other end (he shouldn't be able to feel a draft from any of the pads), sucking the air out of it (he should be able to create a strong suction) or attaching a machine that measures the vacuum when it pulls the air out.
By the way - since you didn't see the "incident," are you sure something actually happened to the clarinet? Was there visible damage or did it just seem to stop working suddenly?
In any case it's likely also that you'd be more successful with a harder reed than a #1.5 on a 5RV. You ought at least to try progressively harder strengths and see if they're easier or harder for you to play on.
Karl
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Author: pewd
Date: 2008-12-27 14:48
old thread, check the dates
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: kdk
Date: 2008-12-27 15:07
Oops! For some reason it had popped up to the top of my topic listing - I guess it was old john's post that re-opened it - and I didn't look at the rest of the dates. I wonder what turned out to be the problem??? :-)
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2008-12-28 17:57
Is your mouthpiece too far in your mouth? Is your reed dry, or worse, is it warped from drying out? If so, wet it thoroughly, put it on the mouthpiece perpendicularly sticking out to the right, with the tip on the facing of the MP. Tick it with your for- finger--like motioning someone to "come here". Be gentle. Eventually all warps will come out.
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Author: old john
Date: 2008-12-28 19:01
Ooops on my part. I am both new to the clarinet and new to this communication. All is well that ends well, John White Rock BC canada
Surrey, BC
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