 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bjazz
Date: 2015-08-16 20:09
Hi,
I am a student clarinetist and have not been playing long, my embouchure is not very strong but is improving, I am playing an SMS Academy budget line student clarinet with a yamaha 4c mouthpiece and using both vandoren and rico standard 3.5 strength reeds.
The instrument is sound and is not leaking or anything like that, it is quite new, has recently been checked by a technician and plays very well in the lower register through all the notes, especially with low strength reeds.
But in the clarinet register the notes high G, B and C keep fading out leaving behind a strange undertone and it is almost imposible to play them reliably even with good air flow, and then with good air flow the tone is really loud and harsh. I check my posture and voicing also but it keeps happening.
Should I carry on and hope that is an issue with my Embouchure or could it be my reed strenth is too low, I have 4 strength vandoren reeds but I have not tried them yet because it may not be the answer.
I would really appreciate any ideas?
Thanks guys,
cliff
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-08-16 21:10
My experience with the 4C is that a #4 of any brand would be too stiff. It's possible the #3-1/2 Vandoren is too stiff and even, maybe, the Rico #3-1/2, although Ricos tend to be softer than Vandorens for the same strength. Most of the beginners in the school district where I worked were supplied with Rico #2 with the instrument, which I generally upgraded to #2-1/2 pretty much immediately. After that it was a matter of the individual mouthpieces, because they, like most mass-produced mouthpieces, have a lot of variation among individual specimens. Some students moved to #3 within a few months, some to #3-1/2 (still Ricos) by their second year.
Your problem with G5 - C6 (high G to C just above the staff) could be from either too soft or too stiff a reed, although hearing the sound in person the two problems could be distinguished from each other, so a pair of live, experienced ears (a teacher, a friend who is more experienced, etc.) might be helpful. Absent someone knowledgeable to listen to you, try a couple of #4s and a couple of #3s and even a couple of #2-1/2s (if you can get all of this without buying whole boxes) and if one works better than the others, stay with that.
If no strength seems to solve your high note problem, it probably isn't the reeds, but something about the way you're using your embouchure muscles or perhaps how much reed you're taking into your mouth. Too little mouthpiece will probably keep you from producing those high notes. Too much will cause uncontrolled squeaking and wildness in the tone, but these problems will happen in all registers.
Karl
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Author: Bjazz
Date: 2015-08-16 23:03
Hi,
Thanks Karl for your input and advice, it does make sense, I think that of all the reed strenghts up tp 3.5 this problem has been there and the tone when it comes out with the 3 and 3.5 can be wild sounding before it cuts out. I am learning about how much mouthpiece to put into my mouth for different results and it has worked on occasion with the 3.5 putting more of it in than less, I know I don't have that yet though. And I will definately try the strength 4 reeds and maybe some other 3.5 reeds before thinking about changing the mouthpiece.
Thanks again for your help. :-)
cliff
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Author: knotty
Date: 2015-08-17 00:34
I'll just throw this out there in case it's been missed, is the oral cavity or tongue position correct, what they call "fast air"? I know in my experience, the more narrow the air stream as you go upper altissimo, the easier it is.
Michelle Anderson and others on Youtube have techniques for the upper range.
~ Musical Progress: None ~
Post Edited (2015-08-17 00:36)
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Author: Bjazz
Date: 2015-08-17 00:45
Hi Knotty,
well yes I think they call this the voicing, and I have only just started practicing raising and lowering the tongue, it 's pretty tricky but does seem to work so I will keep working on that as well as it could be the cause.
Thanks for your reply,
cliff
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-08-17 02:47
You're using far too strong reeds, so drop down to a 2, sort out your embouchure and then consider upping your reed strength once you've got your chops in order and can make a good tone with a much softer reed.
The reason why the sound is cutting out is the reeds you're using are too strong for your developing embouchure.
You wouldn't start out weight training by lifting 50kg weights, you'd start with around 5-10kg and work up from there. Same with clarinet playing - start out on an easy reed to get your embouchure muscles used to a new discipline, then only move up half a strength once you've become accustomed to the softer reeds and are finding their limitations.
Reed strength isn't a competition with your other clarinet playing peers - use the reed strength that you're comfortable with and not the next strength higher as a matter of personal pride or one-upmanship with your peers.
Your opening statement "I am a student clarinettist and have not been playing long, my embouchure is not very strong but is improving" has made things clear, so do the right thing and back off the reed strength until your embouchure has strengthened. The low register will be far clearer with a softer reed and the upper register will require more embouchure development to make it sound better - using hard reeds isn't the alternative or a quick fix to making a better sound here, your embouchure working with correct strength reeds is the best course of action as you have to learn control which you won't have with hard reeds as you'll only be struggling.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2015-08-17 09:21)
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2015-08-17 09:00
Unless things have changed since the last time I spoke with him, Luis Rossi was using 2.5s on a medium-tip mouthpiece. He's not alone among top players in using "soft" reeds.
It's all about embouchure, air, and control.
B.
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Author: Bjazz
Date: 2015-08-17 17:22
Chris and bmcgar,
Thanks very much for your advice and you are of course very right, it is my technique and not the reeds which was the problem, I just needed to eliminate the reeds as the cause because there are so many possible reasons with this instrument.
Turns out I didn't have enough of the mouthpiece in my mouth and my emboucure was not working in the right way as a result, I tried today with a strenght 3 vandoren and the high notes including high C came out with a lot more ease although a bit shakey.
So more practice. I will try dropping down to the 2.5 as well, just to see.
Thanks very much for taking the time to respond and sharing your knowledge, I appreciate it.
:-)
cheers,
cliff
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