 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Amy_M
Date: 2013-12-18 05:43
Hey all!
So I have been working hard and trying to get ready for my graduate school auditions. One big problem I notice with my playing is my intonation. I have a real problem staying in tune over a long rehearsal or practice session.
I know it is common for clarinetists to go sharp over a period of time, but I seem to get waaaaay sharper and much faster than many of my peers. I was wondering what the reasons for this could be. I practice quite a bit, so I am pretty sure it isn't an endurance thing... maybe an embouchure problem?
Also, I was wondering if there were any exercises I could be doing on clarinet to improve my ear to be able to hear intonation problems and such.
Thanks in advance for the help/advice!
Amy
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-12-18 09:00
Does changing reeds in mid-session make any difference?
Tony F.
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2013-12-18 11:46
there is no problem with barrel sliding down?
have you tried to warm clarinet before initial tuning?
also when you practice home, check to see how fast it warms up and much adjustment it needs. If it is .5 or .7mm, you can pull as much in rehearsal where you don't have opportunity to re-tune.
here is Tom Ridenour's article on how to tune clarinet.. seems to produce more stable results, just a thought
http://www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com/tuningBb.htm
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-12-18 11:56
Ok, there are a LOT of us who don't have perfect pitch. So working with a tuner ALL THE TIME is a must. I prefer to have a tuner that generates pitch so you have and audible reference point rather than just a green dot (I hate seeing students ONLY use a meter). During some point in my daily grind of scales I will set the generated tone on the tonic and just play the scale or scale-like exercise (such as a two line Kroepsch exercise). It will also help immensely in your case to do this at the beginning of a practice session AND at the end.
I would humbly suggest that your issue is related to (dare I say) biting. We use are jaw muscles all the time talking and eating (particularly eating, all that chewing and grinding). So it is easy to fall into substituting the jaw muscle (easy) for the lip and cheek muscles (not so easy). Remember, you must apply the muscles of you UPPER lip and cheeks as well to completely surround your mouthpiece. This is where the support comes from, not the jaw. In clarinet playing you really are just maintaining the opening with your jaw.....NOT clamping down.
But the main thing is to practice hearing the pitch throughout your playing time. When it comes down to it, everything about producing music is LISTENING.
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2013-12-18 12:06
> But the main thing is to practice hearing the pitch throughout your playing
> time. When it comes down to it, everything about producing music is
> LISTENING.
Agree 100%. Perfect intonation is moot when it doesn't match other players' intonation.
--
Ben
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Author: kdk
Date: 2013-12-18 13:02
Amy_M wrote:
> I have a real problem staying in tune
> over a long rehearsal or practice session.
>
Do you mean by this that the problem happens when you're practicing alone? If so, the first thing I would do is check with a tuner to see just how sharp you're getting relative to where your pitch started at the beginning of the session. This might be awkward to do at an ensemble rehearsal but is easy during or after an individual session in your practice room or studio.
It certainly could be a biting problem, as Paul suggests. It could be that your ear is over-reacting to the sharpness, and you aren't as sharp as you think, which might just be an issue of temperature change in the clarinet as you play. It could be that you tune with one oral shape but end up reverting to a different one when you get into the thick of playing, especially difficult material.
Start by measuring just how much of a problem you're having and maybe when it begins to show up.
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2013-12-18 14:09
If your main problem is that you get very sharp after playing a while you're probably using to short a barrel. As you know, when the clarinet is cold it plays flat and as you warm it up it gets sharper. I'd suggest you find the right size barrel that allows you to play better in tune over all with a larger barrel. Either warm up more before playing with others or start with your regular barrel and change and a while. There's nothing you can do about your clarinet getting sharper as you play for a while. The trick is to find the pitch you end up at and keep that as close a possible. Then it's a matter of listening to others and being able to adjust. I always told my students to sit at a piano and match pitches, using a tuner to check when you're not sure. Learn to recognize what sharp and flat sound like. It may take time and patience.
If your clarinet plays A440 with say a 67mm barrel when you're warmed up then I suggest getting a 66mm so you have a tiny bit of flexibility. Different make barrels may vary in pitch too so it's possible that one brand plays a bit sharper of flatter than another, especially in different registers. The bores make a difference.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: William
Date: 2013-12-18 14:40
Using a tuner "ALL THE TIME" is not the answer. Eventually, you must learn to use your ear to adjust to the ensemble and others that you may be playing with. No one--orchestra, band or piano--is perfectly in tune, there is always some fluctuation of pitch that must be dealt with. Matching pitches on the piano is a good exercise, playing duets is another. Learn to listen as clarinets are do not play in tune, they must be *played* in tune. One of my good clarinetist friends--who, btw, has perfect pitch--coined the phrase, "Good intonation is good cooperation" between yourself and others around you. As for playing unusually sharp, either your barrel is too short or you are biting too hard. Practice some double lip playing to help relax your embouchure and gain flexability of pitch. Above all, listen all the time.
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2013-12-18 14:52
Paul, do you just set the tuner to generate a certain pitch (based on what kehy you're playing in???) then listen for the wobblies as you play your scales and exercises?
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2013-12-18 15:53
I hate it when my tuner is at sales pitch. I then have to tune into a different station. ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
--
Ben
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Author: Jerry
Date: 2013-12-18 16:13
Suggestions are being made based on too little info and too many assumptions. Are you referring to "intonation", as in a couple or several notes becoming sharp relative to other notes? Or are you referring to the entire instrument becoming sharp over a one or two hour rehearsal or practice session?
If the latter, wouldn't just pulling out here and there during your session help? Or as another poster suggested, thoroughly warm up (15-20 minutes) prior to serious intonation critiquing.
Jerry
The Villages, FL
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-12-18 21:09
Using an electronic tuner to hit 0 cents sharp or flat on the dial is only the first step.
Then set the tuner to have it play a pitch and you match it, listening for beats. Then play a fifth and a fourth above and below, zeroing out the beats. With practice, you can hear beats in major and minor thirds above and below.
It's about training your ear to hear relative pitch.
Ken Shaw
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Author: RCeres
Date: 2013-12-20 00:35
Violin players practice intonation by listening to the ring tones on the strings other than the one they happen to be playing on. Not so easy for a clarinet unless you are in a practice room with a well tuned piano. Just step on the sustain key! Voila! Ringtones. When I was in high school (a long time ago) I spent some practice time with a multi dial strobe tuner. You could freeze the dials and see them out of the corner of your eye. This really helped me with both overall pitch and big intervals. Now learning violin is helping me "remember" pitches. After you tune a violin for a few weeks your ear definitely improves.
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Author: TJTG
Date: 2013-12-20 03:07
A long while back I increased my reed strength 1/2 and it improved a great deal.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2013-12-20 03:08
The clarinet should be below the standard pitch until it is warmed up. After that, it should not be easy to pinch it to a higher pitch. However, if you have a distorted facing on your mouthpiece, the pitch can be hard to control and you may get the results you are having. Can you try a different mouthpiece, perhaps one from a friend?
It also helps if you focus your air and your embouchure. Try saying eeee when playing not awww. Good luck!
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