 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: moolatte
Date: 2009-11-18 03:05
I don't know what I'm doing wrong, so I'm gonna ask you guys... again...
When I play Thumb-Register Key C and B, the notes don't always speak. My private lesson teacher suggested that I tighten up my embouchure. Guess what? It doesn't exactly help. And I think I'm doing it wrong too. I've tried several different combinations that only work sometimes. She also suggested that I raise the tongue extremely high on those notes. That's really hard to do if you have to tongue really fast up from above staff space G to high G(4 LL above staff)
I will absolutely love you forever if you can help out.
Post Edited (2009-11-18 03:59)
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2009-11-18 04:12
Not sure which notes you're referring to, and not sure how far along you are in your studies. But if this isn't your first attempt at getting the notes in the high clarion register,
- You're talking about the B and C above the staff, correct?
- Are you having any problems with other pitches?
If the answer to both questions is "yes," then it sounds like you may have crud in the register tube.
If you're careful, you can easily remove the register key, and clean the register tube out with a pipe cleaner dampened SLIGHTLY with alcohol.
If that isn't it, then ask again; there are many reasons why this could happen, and you'll get a hundred answers here, but it's best to try the simplest thing first.
B.
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2009-11-18 09:43
It may be fingers but whenever my students are having trouble getting notes, it usually means they're tense and not putting air through the instrument.
Relax, take a mental step back, take a nice organic breath and just focus on the flow of air through the instrument; the notes are secondary to this but they usually just magically happen once the basics are in place.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-11-18 10:30
All of the above answers are possibilities. Another is that your reeds are a little too soft on your mouthpiece. You can get away with a much softer reed in the Chalumeau register and even up to about F5 (top line of the staff). Above that, the soft reeds most beginners start with will not easily produce focused sound, accurate pitch or reliable response. Try a half strength higher (or a quarter if your reeds come that way) in the same reed brand you're using. If it helps, stay with the higher strength. If it makes the rest of the instrument's range stuffy or airy, go back to what you were using. If the strength benefits the upper register, it should give you more richness at the bottom as well.
Karl
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-11-18 10:49
I'm not sure if you are a beginner. The notes from approx clarion A and above up to C are usually harder for beginners, gradually harder from A to C. Especially high C is hard because it is not stable to hold the clarinet. Also same reason but considerably less for high B. You can check if somehow holding the clarinet firmly (maybe someone else holding it) and allowing you to just play the notes helps.
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Author: moolatte
Date: 2009-11-18 11:21
Okay... let's see here...
Embouchure wise... To produce a stable and non spread sound, press my bottom teeth against against the tip of my bottom lip. It leaves a mark. Good? Bad?
1) Stuff in the register tube... I don't have problems in any register except almost everything above the staff. B and above is what I have trouble with. With a good reed, high D to high G come out really well while the B and C refuse to come out. I also think I may have bent the register tube inside the clarinet. My swab sometimes gets stuck inside, and it's a pretty thick swab. Keep in mind, no other note I have trouble with.
2) There really aren't any fingers to cover with the notes I'm talking about. Just the thumb & register key for C... And first finger for B
3) On my regular clarinet, I play on a Vandoren Blue Box 3.5. Those, for me, play right out of the box. On my Eb, I play on Vandoren 3.5s also. Just the Eb brand. I'm going to soon try the White Master reeds. For those, what should I try?
4) Tenseness. I think with the Eb, my back curves backward when I play. Even when I try relaxing it doesn't help.
I let my lesson teacher play on my instrument, and at first she had some trouble getting those notes in particular, but she started getting it, and was like, "Yeah, you just gotta raise your tongue, etc." For me, as I mentioned, have to tongue from G5 to G6, so unless you're supposed to raise the back of the tongue, not the front, then I don't know what else to do.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2009-11-18 11:31
- You're talking about the B and C above the staff, correct?
More breath pressure needed, along with a little firmer pressure on the reed from the bottom lip.
Or could it be that the small tone holes are almost filled with a lining of lint from your pull-through.
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2009-11-18 12:13
>4) Tenseness. I think with the Eb, my back curves backward when I play. Even when I try relaxing it doesn't help.
A few days ago, someone posted a link to a Mark Nuccio masterclass at Northwestern (in response to a question about the Firebird). I watched the first part of it. Nuccio said something I had never really thought about. He mentioned not leaning backward while playing, because doing so tended to make the throat tighten. It sounds like great advice.
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Author: RAB
Date: 2009-11-18 12:17
Just a thought here, Have the instrument checked for any leaks, or perhaps the springs on the throat A, Ab, or one of the side trill keys are lose and allowing the pad to "blow" open causing the problem. Just a thought.
RAB
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Author: moolatte
Date: 2009-11-18 22:18
I just checked the middle joint for leaks. The only one that leaks is the Eb/Ab pad on the lower half (Since it's just 1 joint. Hah). Is that supposed to happen?
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2009-11-20 03:16
The pad you refer to on the lower joint will leak if you blow hard enough. Try applying suction and see if it still leaks. If your swab is tight enough to possibly bend the speaker tube (that, too could cause a problem), it is likely to have left lint in vent holes. Problems with gunk in vents will have a greater impact on notes higher in the upper register than on those lower (including gunk in the speaker tube). Among the other suggestions, I will second looking for problems with vent holes and/or keys on the upper joint.
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Author: pdkbach
Date: 2009-11-21 01:37
Did you try playing those same notes with your teacher's clarinet and your mouthpiece?? to see if indeed it might be a mechanical problem with your instrument.
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