The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Joey
Date: 2000-12-10 14:41
Hi, I have been trying to achieve a fat round tone from my clarinet but without much success. I have tried playing long notes but it still doesnt seem to improve. I practice with soft reeds like Vand 3.5. When I try to project, I try to pump in more air but the sound becomes thinner. How do u practise to achieve a focused tone? I find that when I play with soft reeds, its difficult to control the sound. Legato tongueing doesnt seem that smooth as the reed seems to be too responsive. Any suggestions?
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Author: bob gardner
Date: 2000-12-10 16:11
Check your posture. Sit up straight and take in as much air as you can and then let it out as evenly as you can. I was to casual in my posture and found a vast improvement as soon as I started sitting properly. Look at the posture of players in a big band. Non sit with thier legs crossed etc. This may or may not help.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-12-10 16:16
1. Good quantity of air
2. High air pressure
3. Don't pinch with the embouchure. Pinching will counteract the benefits of breath support.
4. What mouthpiece are you using? A lot of stock mouthpieces are rather poor.
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Author: Nick Conner
Date: 2000-12-10 18:17
Also, you may want to take in more mouthpiece. I don't know how you play, but you should have a fair amount in your mouth. At first, this will be hard to control, but after a while muscles will develop and you will find comfort. I had to do this earlier in the year, and it's help my tone greatly. Everybody in my section has noticed that my tone has gotten a lot fuller, and my dynamic contrast has greatly improved. It will seem really weird at first, but then you'll learn to control it, and find that you can finally achieve the depth of tone that many great players possess. Hope I helped.
Nick Conner
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Author: Jenn
Date: 2000-12-11 21:41
Another thing that can make a difference is your throat. I find it helps to play with a more open throat and that this can really affect your sound. You can open your throat a little bit by holding the clarinet up more and dropping your jaw as much as you can. This helps me a lot, good luck!
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Author: Rene
Date: 2000-12-12 06:18
To Jenn,
I'm sure your method works. But maybe that has nothing to do with the throat. Holding up the clarinet and dropping the jaw seem to be just ways to remove unnecessary pressure off the reed. Also it helps to bring the lip more downwards on the reed.
Rene
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