 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Niente
Date: 2007-04-19 03:32
Well, recently, I've been trying to solve some old bad habits when playing my clarinet. I've been using a crushed embouchure and flat fingers. I've been working on fixing my embouchure for a while, and when I went to try and hold my hand more correctly, I found that on three particular notes by the break, I was having trouble. Not only were they difficult to get out, but at times, they would go up over an octave! Now, I tried playing with my embouchure crushed and my hand correctly set, and there were no problems. However, while playing the note, I corrected my embouchure, and the note changed into a high squeak, yet again! Can someone help me figure out what is going on?
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Author: Jhall
Date: 2007-04-19 11:35
It seems that a few lessons with a good clarinet teacher would get this cleared up to your satisfaction. One would need to actually see what's happening and take it from there.
Good Luck!
John
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-04-19 12:10
You could be tensing up too much worrying about what you're doing - try to relax and see if this helps.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2007-04-19 15:54
A small leak where any one of your fingers covers a tone hole will cause the clarion to squeak or prevent the note from "speaking." Unsufficient support and a mis-set embochure will give the same results.
Thus, there are three ways to err in going over the break, and you expressed concern about two of them. Yet the third, support, is equally (more?) important.
In the absence of a teacher who can look at all the problem areas and help you focus, you might try standing before a mirror. Set a tone in the upper chaleaumeu say bottom line E, get it well supported, shape your embochure and then finger the clarion long B. Watch your fingers in the mirror. Try the switch again, using the other pinkie. You may be able to see which finger(s) are giving you trouble.
You'll need to do the same drill crossing the upper break. That switch puts more demands on your support.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Niente
Date: 2007-04-19 18:09
Thank you all for your suggestions. I have a teacher, but I won't be having a lesson until 8 days from now, due to scheduling reasons.
Also, I had thought that perhaps it was my fingers not covering the holes that was the problem. However, when I simply changed my embouchure and not my fingers, the sound changed to a squeak.
I will try and watch in a mirror, and hopefully, my teacher will be able to help me out by next week.
Again, thank you all for your advice.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2007-04-19 22:55
Possibilities:
- Too much mouthpiece in the mouth.
- Insufficient pressure on the reed from the lower lip. (And IMO relative beginners, and those whose practice is eratic, may have softer lip tissue and less developed lip muscles, and NEED a little more asistance from the teeth, just as long as you don't call it that dreaded word "biting"!!)
- Insufficient breath pressure. (Is that what was meant by 'support")
- Inappropriate reed or mouthpiece.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-04-19 23:58
Sorry I don't want to be rude but can someone tell me why people are asking such questions on the net when you should know that one actually need to see and here the player to be able to help out ?
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2007-04-20 10:12
It is just possible, that a person with a problem may be able to look through lists of possible causes and quickly identify the most likely one.
Better SOME help than no help at all.
Post Edited (2007-04-20 10:13)
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Author: Niente
Date: 2008-01-16 13:25
Right, so this post is rather old, but at this point I've fixed everything I had previously been asking about. Buying a new mouthpiece, changing my hand position, and switching from blue box to gray box fours seems to have done it. Thank you all so much for your help!!!
Niente.
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