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Re: Tone Quality

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-09-20 19:46

You've presented two different problems. One is that you want to sound good enough on clarinet "to remain first chair." The other is that you want to improve your tone quality.

To keep your first chair position in wind ensemble, you probably only need to get back in control of the clarinet and undo whatever changes playing alto sax and marching have produced. That's relatively easy if you sit down with some fresh reeds - of the same brand, model and strength you were using before - and just relax and remember what things felt like before this year's marching band season started. Next week is too soon to make any meaningful changes in your approach, especially without a clarinet teacher to help with an outside pair of ears and some longer experience. Hopefully, what got you into the first chair on the last audition will be enough next week to keep you in it.

For the longer term, improving tone is a question of developing a consistent concept in your imagination that you can use as a point of comparison to the tone you actually produce. That takes time and a good deal of listening. The basics of tone production are simple (not necessarily easy - simple and easy aren't the same) enough. The tone needs to be supported by a steady stream of air that flows unobstructed through your airway and into the mouthpiece and instrument. Your embouchure needs to provide support for the reed's vibration without interfering with it or choking it off. Your reed needs to vibrate easily (not too hard) but be resilient enough (not too soft for your mouthpiece) to vibrate even with the controlled embouchure force needed to provide support. Your mouthpiece and instrument need to be in good condition so they don't introduce unnecessary strain and resistance into the whole process.

There's a lot here in the archives (use the search function) and a lot more written in a hundred books by knowledgeable authors about details of approach to sound. Ed's advice is certainly useful and reflects what many other player/writers have written and taught. But most of us, at least at the beginning, have needed a model - usually a teacher or sometimes a particular performer - to get a concept started. After that the concept evolves and, given time, becomes a very personal thing.

But none of this is of much use in getting things put back together for your upcoming audition. Concentrate on restoring what you had already accomplished and leave the rest for later.

Karl

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