 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Tim
Date: 2000-09-03 10:52
Hello everyone,
I posted a topic a while ago to do with the above problems and said that I’d do some experimenting with 3-stength reeds. I am still having problems, which I will try to outline as best as I can:
I am using an E-13 with a 5RV-lyre mouthpiece and a BG super-revelation ligature. I was using 2.5’s (rico gc select thick blank’s) but the problem was that my mouthpiece was designed for 3+ strength reeds in Vandoren trad. and 3.5+ in V12. The problem there was that my 2.5 was producing a flat tone.
So I got a couple of Vandoren 3’s and having been using them for a while. However, I had a terrible biting problem and so have adopted the double-lip embouchure since about a month ago. I am just about getting used to it – the muscles around my lips are just getting strong enough to support the clarinet without the use of my front teeth. But they aren’t strong enough to play very long and I don’t think I have the strength there yet to support a 3. There is the added problem of me not supporting enough with the diaphragm, and although it’s improving, it’s not the kind of thing that you can pick up overnight.
So, in short, when I play with a 3, there’s better intonation, but poorer quality of sound, with squeaks a-plenty. And when I try with a 2.5, I can play more fluently, but it’s about as flat as you can get. So, is there much I can do short of getting a new mouthpiece?
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-09-03 13:25
Lots of practice. One month is not enough to build up the strength you need.
Also in each session, play for a while with the double lip embouchure to remind yourself not to bite. Then play for a while with the single lip so that you can practice longer and build up your breath support.
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Author: Tim
Date: 2000-09-03 18:30
Thank you for your advice - I'll try to do lots of practice, despite the frustration. But do you think that I should stick with 2.5's until I build up the strength and just put up with the poor intonation for now?
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-09-03 18:48
Tim wrote:
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Thank you for your advice - I'll try to do lots of practice, despite the frustration. But do you think that I should stick with 2.5's until I build up the strength and just put up with the poor intonation for now?
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I think so as there is the possibility that you might not build up the necessary strength on a softer one. But what you can do to help you practice for longer periods is to start with the 2.5 reed, first play double lip, then play single lip, and then as you start to tire, play a softer reed for the last portion of the session.
For breath support, think of your abdominal muscles as steel bands. These are the muscles that you need to push with to get good air support from the diaphragm. Watch classically trained singers. Those stomach muscles are working all the time.
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Author: Ginny
Date: 2000-09-04 03:39
My kid got an 2RV and a Rovner lig this summer, suing Vdor 2.5. This set up plays really sharp, for him or me! We went back to my old silver Vandoren lig, and he's in tune. Maybe a different lig. I don't notice that big a difference between 2.5 and 3 any more, I usually sand the 3's down a bit.
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