 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jlynns
Date: 2016-09-22 11:33
Hi! ..new here! I have a problem that maybe someone out there can help me with. A young child,8 years cannot produce a (good) tone! It comes out almost like he is flutter tonguing, and it sounds like he is also hummimg and grunting at the same time. We are still working on his embouchure,but it can't be just because his embouchure is not yet perfect. My gut feeling is that he's blowing or breathing more from his throat. Any other ideas...or tips on how to fix this problem? Many thanks! -jlynns
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2016-09-22 12:08
I've seen something similar, and in that case the student was unable to blow without humming. He had a hearing deficiency and until then was unaware that he was doing it. He overcame the problem, but it took a while.
Tony F.
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2016-09-22 15:08
Sounds to me like he thinks he has to hum or sing the note while blowing. Try recreating the sound by doing it yourself and you'll see if that makes it happen!
Katrina
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2016-09-22 16:43
Both my daughter and son have done that while playing my instrument.
Try this: get the child a straw and have them blow through it without humming. Maybe make a goal to flutter the papers on the stand, blow out a candle, or just feel the air rushing out the end. This way you can disassociate blowing fast air from humming/vocalizing. Then have them return to the clarinet -- concentrating on blowing like they did through the straw.
Additionally: having them suck in through the straw is a great way to get kids to learn what it feels like to keep the corners in and the cheeks against the teeth as wind is moving. Have them blow out and keep the musculature in the same position.
Good luck!
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: jlynns
Date: 2016-09-22 17:45
Thanks for the feedback! i'll try the straw idea..make a game of it for all the kids (it's a group class with 8 kids in groups of 2..so that means I only get ca.25 minutes for each group.So everything has to go fast.Not the ideal situation,but I try and make the best of it.
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2016-09-23 17:29
You might also try getting him CONSCIOUSLY to simultaneously sing and blow down the instrument.
Trying to do something that you're unaware of doing can bring it under control, so that you can then more easily 'not do it'.
Though it's of course a different issue, the idea of actually practising playing the subtones of upper register fingerings (sometimes also called 'grunts') is similarly a good way of learning to avoid them:
http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/lookup.php/Klarinet/1998/10/000872.txt
Tony
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2016-09-24 02:55
I agree, wholeheartedly, with Tony Pay's suggestion.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2016-09-24 21:09
Along the line of Tobin's response: a good control exercise (credit to a friend of mine) is to use a straw to blow through to keep a small piece of tissue paper against the wall.
Fuzzy
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