 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: MomMagin
Date: 2014-02-04 03:49
I played clarinet through high school and absolutely loved it. I did not have to be told to practice- I couldn't wait to get home so I could practice! I did not have a lot of resources then- no private lessons, not many practice books, but tried to do all I learned in band and took advantage of clarinet sectionals. I wanted to continue in college but chickened out- both in going to college and attempting college orchestra. I sat in with a friend, watched the notes fly by and gave up. Now that I have bored you with my history, I am married to a musician and I wil be joining the civic band with him. I did not really play for 17 yrs. I got a clarinet last year and have practiced a great deal- I have taken a lot of his tips (playing with a metronome, learning scales, etc. I am a stay-home mom, so while kids are in school, I enjoy a good 2 hrs of practice. Question: staccato in the lower register sounds well, good response. Upper register, I have to work hard to not make an annoying "Tu" sound. Is this a mouthpiece issue or a practice issue- what do I do to get rid of it?
Thanks.
Michelle
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Author: ThatPerfectReed
Date: 2014-02-04 02:43
Michelle: while I really think this is hard to diagnose without seeing you play, and noting the setup you have, let me ask you this:
Are you tensing the muscles in your neck or jaw? If so, relax them.
The clarinet playing paradox: we tense up on the hardest sections of music, when in fact being relaxed but focused is necessary to master them.
Also: tip of tongue on tip of reed.
Share more details about your hardware (mouthpiece/reed) and record yourself to put on a private youtube video. More, and more precise advise can then be dispensed.
Good luck.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-02-04 03:58
The MOST important concept to keep in mind when addressing articulation is this: the tongue is ONLY a damper. You only put as much pressure on a reed to stop the sound as you would pronouncing the "Ts" in the word "articulate" when you say it.
The production of sound results from RELEASING the tongue from the reed. PERIOD. There is NO striking of the reed, only releasing of the reed. Learning to do this well is a matter of practicing this S-L-O-W-L-Y (something like a pulse of quarter note equals 50 beats per minute, play an eighth note then eighth rest, eighth note then eighth rest....etc.) ONLY stopping the sound with your tongue (the air pressure ALWAYS keeps coming!).
And I wholeheartedly agree with the above suggestion that "tip of tongue to tip of reed" is THE best way to go. Larry Combs would draw a dot at the very middle of a reed right at the very tip (literally right up against the edge) and say to aim for that dot with the tip of your tongue. The reality may be somewhat different (your tongue is not that pointed for starters) but that is the visualization you want. There are a LOT of advantages to this but the first is the ability to have complete control over how the starts of your notes sound.
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2014-02-04 17:32
Paul Aviles wrote:
> The MOST important concept to keep in mind when addressing
> articulation is this: the tongue is ONLY a damper. You only
> put as much pressure on a reed to stop the sound as you would
> pronouncing the "Ts" in the word "articulate" when you say it.
>
> The production of sound results from RELEASING the tongue from
> the reed. PERIOD. There is NO striking of the reed, only
> releasing of the reed. Learning to do this well is a matter of
> practicing this S-L-O-W-L-Y (something like a pulse of quarter
> note equals 50 beats per minute, play an eighth note then
> eighth rest, eighth note then eighth rest....etc.) ONLY
> stopping the sound with your tongue (the air pressure ALWAYS
> keeps coming!).
>
>
> And I wholeheartedly agree with the above suggestion that "tip
> of tongue to tip of reed" is THE best way to go. Larry Combs
> would draw a dot at the very middle of a reed right at the very
> tip (literally right up against the edge) and say to aim for
> that dot with the tip of your tongue. The reality may be
> somewhat different (your tongue is not that pointed for
> starters) but that is the visualization you want. There are a
> LOT of advantages to this but the first is the ability to have
> complete control over how the starts of your notes sound.
>
>
>
>
> ..................Paul Aviles
>
I agree with Paul, with one option (which may or may not work for you). I find that (for myself) when I pronounce a tonguing with a "T" sound, it's harsh. I suggest trying a "D" sound. So a slow tonguing exercises, constant air pressure, slowling going "daaaaaa.......daaaaaa........daaaaa". The change from "ta" to "da" for me helped me to tongue lighter and helped me realize you do not NEED need a lot of tongue pressure to stop the reed from vibrating. Consider thinking "da" instead of "ta".
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-02-04 15:56
Hey sflaxi,
I would only like to make a broader point about how we perhaps muddy the exactitude of what we do to execute clarinet playing with terms and concepts from "vocalizations." This may seem as the easiest way to communicate what we mean but there is SOOOOO much baggage that we learn in infancy associated with all things "vocal" that perhaps we may even miss the point ourselves in the telling.
So I am only asking really.
Doesn't your tongue start in EXACTLY the same place on the roof of your mouth and make EXACTLY the same movement as it does for the letter "T" as it does for the letter "D.?" And if so, isn't the ONLY difference a slight more force of air to make the tongue moving off the roof of the mouth more percussive in sound?
...................Paul Aviles
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Author: MomMagin
Date: 2014-02-05 00:59
Thanks for the tips. I noticed I do tense up, so will work on relaxing more. I think(?) I am following the other suggestions. I use a Vandoran B45 mouthpiece and a Buffet E11 clarinet.
Michelle
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Author: pewd
Date: 2014-02-05 15:40
What brand and strength of reed are you using?
Try a Vandoren 3.5 and a m13-lyre mouthpiece?
Finding a good private teacher for some lessons would help. Very hard to fix this over the internet.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2014-02-06 01:06
With a B45 mouthpiece you need a not too hard reed - Blue box 2.5 or 3 would be plenty strong enough probably 2.5 best and if using V12 then about 1/2 strength up say 3.
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Author: MomMagin
Date: 2014-02-06 16:39
My husband is a sax player and absolutely loves Vandoran reeds. Every time I try them I get frustrated. I started using Rico (which he thought was a bad idea, but they seem to work better for me) I use a 3 1/2. It seems the softer the reed, it seems I squeak more if they are softer. I never had private lessons- would gave loved them, but my parents couldn't afford them. Now I have 5 kids, and well..... Yeah. I try to get as much advice as I can from my husband but his main instrument is the sax.
Michelle
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