 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mozartklar
Date: 2009-02-26 02:14
Hi Everyone,
I found myself working on Grand Canyon Suite a couple of days ago and I noticed that I was making a "chirp" in the descending triplet line. It's been off and on recently. I own an 1193-2 Bass that was just in the shop for normal adjustment. I own a Vandoren B44 and use Vandoren 3.5 reeds. The mouthpiece is fairly new so I'm not quite sure if the table is warped or if it's me.
Does anyone have any ideas about the cause?
Thanks!!
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-02-26 02:53
Well let's see, let me count the ways. Without seeing and hearing you I can't say for certian what you're doing wrong because it could be any number of things. You might be pinching the reed on one side as you go down. You may be choking or closing your throat. It may be a finger before the tongue problem, not being on all the keys before your tongue actually touches the reed or you may be touching the reed to hard with your tongue or using too much of the back of the tongue. Aside from those few things I can't say what it could be. ESP
www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-02-26 03:15
In addition to Ed's diagnoses (one of which is probably the case), you could also try experimenting with the angle at which your mouth meets the mouthpiece.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-02-26 04:27
You don't say where the "chirp" is in the passage. Is it on random notes or the same place all the time?
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-02-26 12:03
Make sure the reed is sealing on the mouthpiece all the way around. On bass clarinet, you must set the tip of the reed slightly higher than the mouthpiece tip (maybe 1/2 mm.), so that when the reed bends along the lay, it comes out even with the tip, particularly at the corners.
Good luck.
Ken Shaw
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2009-02-26 14:22
I hate to always blame the equipment, but a slight asymmettry of the tip rails of the mouthpiece, or of the baffle at the tip, can result in a tendency to chirp. The fact that the mouthpiece is new or nearly so doesn't matter --- many mouthpieces come from the factory with such imperfections.
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Author: William
Date: 2009-02-26 15:06
I also play an 1193-2 bass clarinet but use a Grabner CX_BS mouthpiece, Legere #3.0 reed(s) with a hybred lig and have no chronic squeeking problems in the register you allude to. So, in addition to all the above possible causes--and along with David, I would suggest that the real "culpert" may be your mouthpiece and reed set-up that is causing your chirps. FWIW, I have an old Vandoran B45 bass mouthpiece that sqweeks like a toy mouse, but that is not to say that all VD's are like that. You just have to find a "good one"--no matter the brand name-- by trial & error (just like a decent reed).
Try some different mpcies and see if that helps chase away the chirps.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2009-02-26 15:38
In my experience, it is the mouthpiece. I'd try swapping mouthpieces to see if the problem goes away.
It is a bummer when a new tool fails to work well.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2009-02-26 15:42
As pointed out above, the possible changes in dimensions of hard rubber/plastic mps, bass cl in partic., is my reason for preferring glass/crystal mps in spite of their fragility in case of accident, as William so well posted above. Some new mps may need refacing to the players liking, but to me, well worth while. AM thots, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2009-02-26 15:43
I play an 1193-2 with a Grabner CX_BB and Vandoren reeds ALWAYS chip, I sound like the budgie cage in a pet store. Gonzalez reeds never chirp, go figure.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: Don Gross
Date: 2009-03-01 03:04
I have had a more "focused" problem with my 1950 vintage Selmer bass to low Eb. In several orchestral solo passages including the Bernstein "Symphonic Dances from West Side Story" articulating the D and Eb in the middle of the staff (just before the register key on the neck opens) have about a 50/50 chance of "chirping" which is unacceptable when an entire orchestra is listening.
Because I play on a "vintage" Richard Hawkins' mpc that I actually bought on eBay from Richard Faria at Ithaca College, Richard (Hawkings) graciously made sure that it was NOT the mpc and brought it up to his current "standards." Using Vandoren 3's, the "problem" was much better, but still a crap shoot when it came to the dreaded "chirps."
So...I dug out an old Legere 3.0 and the chirps disappeared. Because the reed was way too hard for my Hawkins mpc, I settled on a 2.25 Legere and never looked back. My colleagues sitting around me and my "listeners" in the audience could not hear any difference in tonal quality and, believe me, knowing that the risk of chriping was over was well worth the change.
Of course, It could be also any one of the causes that Eddie Pelanker mentioned (he was the first one I contacted when all chirping hell broke loose), but right now I'm a VERY happy camper.
Don Gross
P.s. I also use a Legere 2-1/2 on my Selmer Bundy contra alto with a stock Selmer C* mpc but cannot get Legeres to work at all with my Leblanc paperclip contrabass and a Woodwind mpc which was refaced by Tom Ridenaur while he was still at Leblanc. Ain't this fun!
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-03-01 05:31
The main reason I found to cause chirping is the player, especially if they are not experienced. For example a lot of sax players tend to have chirps with clarinet and bass clarinet when they first try them.
If it's not the player the most common problem is the reed. Some reeds just chirp for some players with some mouthpieces. Reed strength is part of it obviously but some reeds in correct strength also chirp.
If it's not the player or the reed (i.e. happens with several different reed types) then most likely the mouthpiece. But if you have chirps with most reeds it is still possible you won't have them a specific type.
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