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Re: hissing/airy sound

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-09-22 17:28

g81gr wrote:

> I will try a 2 1/2 but i always feared that it would struggle
> with the altissimo range thats why i was reluctant to use it...

Whenever there's a question that involves reeds and reed choices, there's only one way really to answer it - try it and see what happens. As an investment it isn't like trying different clarinets or even different mouthpieces. So, "fear" that something bad will result isn't a reason not to experiment. Yes, if the #2.5 is too soft for the mouthpiece you're using, altissimo may be the first place you'll notice the symptoms. But if the #3 is just too stiff, the softer strength may work out well.

There aren't too many things that could cause a consistent hiss over the entire compass.
- There could be something wrong with the mouthpiece - the facing could be warped, or a tiny nick in one of the rails, especially the tip rail, could be letting air through without engaging the reed.
- A "singing" pad (one with loose or torn skin that vibrates when not closed) would stop when it closes on its tone hole.
- Leaky pads tend to cause whatever harm they do in more local areas of the range, generally on notes below the leak.
- Some kind of small air leak through your nose would be audible to you, but maybe not to a listener. A larger one that someone else would hear would probably cause other problems of tone control, response and endurance.

There are probably other possible causes that I'm not coming up with at the moment, but, as I've said, few would cause a hiss throughout the entire range.

Try the softer reed and, if it doesn't stop the hiss, let the BB know. If it stops the hiss but causes other unwanted consequences, then at least it will narrow the problem down a little.

Karl

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