 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: deagle
Date: 2009-01-19 05:35
About 50% of the time, when I'm playing D3, Eb3, or E3, I hit the G4, G#4, or A4 instead. I had a lesson with my private teacher, and he was saying that I need to focus more on a less tense throat, breathing from the abdomen, keeping the head and chin position up, keeping the clarinet closer to my body, taking in a little more mouthpiece, keeping the corners and my top lips applying pressure, and stretching the lower lip.
As impossible as it is, I have been doing my best to think of all these things while playing, and doing exercises such as C1-G3-C3, C#1-G#-C# ect... F2-C3-F4.
Most of the time, at the beginning of practicing, I can play this well. Then, I'll get into music that has a run to D3, and hit the G4. What are the most likely culprits of this problem? I don't have another lesson for a couple weeks, and I hate spending my entire practice time feeling like I'm not making any progress.
Thank you!
(Buffet E11, M15, V12 3.5)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-01-19 13:22
deagle -
You're not voicing the notes properly. The back 1/3 of your tongue is probably too high.
To learn the proper voicing, stuff a cloth swab or a handkerchief in the bell, finger middle (3rd line) B and blow like the wind until you get a solid 4th space Eb. Then experiment to find the higher overtones. Play bugle calls until each voicing is familiar. See http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=44343&t=44230.
For more on voicing, go to http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=20&i=757&t=757 and read the section "TECHNICAL DIGRESSION: The clarinet overtone series and voicing>.
Finally, check how far your register key opens. If it's too open, the altissimo is unstable. It should open just barely enough to slide a nickel coin under.
Ken Shaw
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2009-01-19 21:28
Can you play C#? If so, hold C# and just lift the RH ring finger. Go back and forth slowly until you feel it is solid. Then try it on its own.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2009-01-20 04:41
You know, most people would have simply said they couldn't play D, Eb and E without squeaking. It amounts to the same thing, but it would be interesting to see what kind of answers you might have gotten if you'd only asked about a squeaking problem.
Ken may be right - you may be voicing the notes incorrectly, holding your tongue too high, which could cause the problem you're describing. Raising your tongue position is, in fact, part of the technique many players use for making the higher notes (G, G#, A) speak without biting a hole through their lower lip (and the upper one if they're playing double-lip).
But other causes could also be at work. Make sure the pads that are supposed to close when you play the three problem notes really are closing. Especially the one just above the first fingered right-hand tone hole. Or that it isn't closing before your finger is all the way down. Sometimes the adjustment isn't precise between that pad and the ring on rh first finger and a small air leak happens around either the pad or the finger.
Sounds like a silly question, but, without meaning to sound condescending, have you tried different reeds, or do you like to play one reed to death and haven't changed reeds since this problem developed?
M15 is a decent mouthpiece and a #3-1/2 V-12 may be alright - although you might try a #4 just to see if it helps or makes things generally worse - but is there any damage, even very insignificant-looking, to the tip or side rails?
Are you having any squeaking issues or response problems at all in the clarion or chalumeau? Sometimes leaks that you can accommodate in the lower registers become unmanageable once you get into the third (altissimo) register.
Your teacher's reminders are probably all good things to keep in mind in themselves (although taking more mouthpiece, unless you're really all the way out at the tip, in my experience would exacerbate the problem you're having rather than solve it), but they cover a lot of ground at once, and are generally things that will affect everything you play. They aren't wrong - they just don't seem to be addressing your specific problem and should in any case be part of your general approach to producing a tone on the clarinet. If you're not doing those things correctly, there should be consequences over other parts of the clarinet's range.
You do have to be aware of possible tension that can result from trying to concentrate on too many of those technical issues of embouchure, mouthpiece and head angle, breathing technique, etc. at once. Trying to do everything "right" can sometimes tighten you up to the point that nothing works. Better sometimes to just back off a little and get back to enjoying what you *can* do well.
Karl
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