 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: FWAKlarinette
Date: 2013-11-05 03:55
Hey all,
I'm a longtime lurker and occasional user of the site and I've finally made an account to say hello and to to join the community here.
I've recently begun playing quite a bit of Eb clarinet and I'm having a lot of fun with it. I'm not having a hard time technically or getting it to sound good. I am, however, having a great deal of difficulty getting anything above C#6 to sound good. It's all terribly, terribly, TERRIBLY flat. What are some good exercises for getting those notes to sound good? Are long tones the way to go?
My reed thickness is fine, I think, but I'm compensating for the difficulty of playing up there by biting quite a bit, and for now, have had to use cigarette paper to keep my lip from getting worn out when I practice.
I appreciate the help!
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Author: AAAClarinet
Date: 2013-11-05 05:37
Alternate fingerings may be necessary, also try fingering a half step higher.
AAAClarinet
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2013-11-05 10:01
What you're experiencing is pretty common when playing Eb, and, in fact, is the toughest part of playing the little beast!
A few approaches.....
*A stiffer reed than you generally use can help (I use a 4 on Eb where I use a 3.5 on Bb)
*Lots of air, and aim high. Be mindful of tongue position.
*Some mouthpieces are easier than others to play in tune in the altissimo. I use a Fobes, which seems to really help this.
*Explore many different alternate fingerings (the Ridenour book is invaluable on this topic)
*Some altissimo notes just refuse to be in tune....those are the ones you may wish to finger a half step up.
*There's a fine line between biting and lipping up. Practice lipping up without biting.
Hope these help! Good luck!
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2013-11-05 15:28
It could be a problem with the clarinet. What brand - model do you have? A lot has to do with voicing. You may have to experiment with the placing of your tongue when you go up high. Too low will make you flat, to high makes the tone choked. The front of the tongue and or the back of the tongue. All else fails, use the G# throat tone key and or the RH fork (banana) key to raise the pitch on most of those notes along with the fingering you use. Also, using the F#-C# pinky key instead of the Ab-Eb pinky key will make some notes sharper. For High E, F, F#, G, G# and A there are many alternate fingerings that work well of all clarinets. It just depends on you and the instrument. I have a fingering chart on my website. Some work better on the Bb clarinet, the A or the Eb clarinet and often depends on the instrument.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2013-11-05 18:58
The Eb clarinet really comes into its own above high-C so these notes are its "bread-and-butter". Unfortunately, they can be difficult to play in tune at the required dynamic.
I have found the following to be critical in getting good performance in this range of the instrument:
1) Focusing the airstream - I had a teacher (Mel Warner) once who talked about visualizing where you "point" the airstream. Pointing it "down" can lower pitch, improve tone and increase resonance. Point it "up" helps focus the tone, raise pitch and help hitting altissimo notes. Visualization is one thing, but a good way to learn what this feels like is to work on overblowing harmonics. For example, play a low C and, without changing fingerings, think of pointing your airstream higher (i.e., by changing the tongue/throat configuration to focus and speed up the airstream), increase your breath support, and overblow the note to the G a 12th above it. Practice this technique with other notes as well while visualizing where you are trying to point the airstream and this can become a valuable tool in playing altissimo notes on A/Bb/Eb clarinet.
2) Adjusting the reed - a stiffer reed is not the complete answer because it will make playing softer dynamics (in tune) harder and impair flexibility. It is important that the reed really match the mouthpiece facing. Flattening the back and balancing/contouring the vamp can be very helpful. At a minimum, try several brands/strength of Eb reeds (VD now has Traditional and V12 Eb reeds, and may folks have tried cut-down Black Masters or even Bb reeds) to see which one(s) work best with your mouthpiece. With the right reed, even the altissimo notes can speak without straining or biting.
3) Fingerings - Acoustically, the Eb is a different beast, so we often have to employ alternate fingerings especially for the notes above high C. Peter Hadcock's Orchestral Studies for Eb clarinet provides a wealth of information on how to play individual passages as well as alternate fingers (as does his book The Working Clarinettist). Also there Jessica Phillips (Met Eb) has some interesting YouTube videos that suggest possibilities for troublesome fingerings. In the end though, you just have to try things out and see what works with you.
4) Mouthpiece - In 10 years playing Eb with the San Diego Symphony, I started with a VD 5RV then went to Jim Kantor for an Eb mouthpiece that I played for most of that time. However, in all those years, I really had to work to play the altissimo in tune at the required dynamics. Some years ago Ben Redwine brought a number of mouthpieces to the San Diego Clarinet Society and I would up buying one of his Zinner Eb mouthpieces (1.05 facing). For me, with the right reed, this mouthpiece seems to play better in tune with easier and more dependable altissimo response than other mouthpieces I've played. I know may folks like the Fobes Eb as well. Some also like the VD B44 (doesn't work so well for me) and the B40, and perhaps even the M30. In any case, finding the right mouthpiece/reed combination will make a big difference in response, intonation and comfort.
While these are important points, to play Eb well you have to play it a lot. I would practice all the things you like on Eb as well as Bb. With practice, you can learn to play it more easily and with more enjoyment.
Good luck!
Bob Barnhart
Post Edited (2013-11-05 19:00)
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