 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: parkerjerparker
Date: 2015-10-13 21:00
I have been playing the saxophone for 15 years but I am much newer to the clarinet. I am the band director at a small school and I noticed that I can play the upper register on some instruments very easily while on others I can't play the upper register at all. I don't see anything wrong with the register key, but I am still unable to play in the upper register on certain clarinets.
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Author: fuzzystradjazz
Date: 2015-10-14 00:06
Hello Jerod,
Please don't take offense if this advice is "below" your level...I just wanted to cover one of the "basics".
Many times, a slight leak (caused by improper finger coverage of the tone holes) will go unnoticed in the lower register, yet cause issues when trying to play in the upper register. The same is true for small leaks on the upper joint's pads.
These would be the first two issues I would look for.
The register key is pretty simple in design, and (unless there is something stuck in the tone hole, or the pad has broken free, etc.) I wouldn't suspect the register key or mechanism.
Cheers,
Fuzzy
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-10-14 00:25
I'll ask an even more basic question: When you play the different instruments are you using the mouthpiece and reed in the case, or do you have a setup of your own that you use consistently?
It is more than possible that different key layouts will cause leak problems on some instruments more than on others. But those would normally happen in the chalumeau register as well unless the leak is directly associated with your left thumb and some problem with opening the register key and still keeping the thumb hole completely covered (there's no thumb hole on a sax).
Karl
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-10-14 08:18
I think you mean clarinet in general.
It is different from sax and flute in that it over blows the twelfth. It is also different from the sax in that it is a cylindrical bore instrument, not conical. Getting the the next partial on clarinet IS a bit trickier.
My suggestion is to try moving from the low "C" to the "G" sitting upon the staff WITHOUT using the register key. It is a matter of using a sudden shift of MORE air and a bit more embouchure control. Once you can do this (and perhaps even branch out to more examples - the shifts up from low "E" and "F" will be the hardest without the register key) well, then using the register key makes it a snap!
...............Paul Aviles
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