 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BAC
Date: 2017-02-27 04:30
I am a senior adult who began taking clarinet lessons about 5 months ago. I am working with my piano teacher, who also plays sax and teaches in a elementary-middle school. I was doing okay (decent tone, fingers are somewhat cooperating) until I started notes that use the register key. I am having limited success with D,E,F,and G but no success at all with C above middle C. After several weeks of practice, getting a C tone is sporadic. My teacher and I are stumped. I have watched numerous online videos on embouchure and I don't know where I am going wrong. Any suggestions?
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2017-02-27 05:21
You need to establish where the problem lies. Is it you or is it the instrument? Have your teacher play your instrument and see if they experience a similar problem. That gives you a starting point.
Tony F.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2017-02-27 05:46
I understand from your post that the teacher you're working with isn't primarily a clarinetist, if he plays it at all, and saxophone doesn't present nearly as much trouble with notes "above the break" because the fingers don't close the holes directly. Still, it's puzzling that he's so stumped that he seemingly can't help at all. What does he do with his beginners at school?
Tony is right - first you need to make sure the pads, especially the lower ones and even more especially the one that closes when you press the F/C key is actually covering the hole and not leaking. Can you play a low F3 (3 leger lines below the staff)? If that comes out clearly, then you've probably eliminated a serious leak as a cause.
If low F comes out solidly, ask our teacher to reach around and press the register key while you play it. If C comes out when you play F and he presses the register key, then the problem is most likely that one or more of your fingers are moving slightly off their holes when you press the register key yourself. If C doesn't come out with you playing F and the teacher opening the RK, then the problem is most likely to be a leak and some mechanical troubleshooting is in order.
You can also check the entire clarinet for mechanical problems if you turn the mouthpiece around so the tone holes face toward you and blow into the mouthpiece with your best embouchure while your teacher fingers the notes. If he can get around where you can't, then, again, it's most likely that your fingers are leaving holes partially open because you're somehow changing your hand position to press the register key.
The most likely hole you could be opening is the thumb hole. It needs to stay completely covered when you press the RK. Sometimes beginners rock or move the thumb too much and the bottom of the thumb hole opens. Other suspects, if that's not the issue, are the index fingers of each hand and the 4th fingers (next to the pinkies) of each hand.
I find that it can make the upper register notes easier to get used to if you start on F5 (top line of the staff) or G5 a step higher and work downward a note at a time instead of trying to go up from A4 to B4 or Bb4 to C5. Once you get the feel in your head, you can work on going upward over the "break" more easily than if the upward climb is your first experience with those notes.
Let us know what happens.
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-02-27 09:31
Can you get low F easily? If you're having trouble with that note as well, then you're having to stretch your fingers more than your hands will allow and some of your RH fingers may be slightly uncovering the toneholes on the lower joint.
Not so long ago I did some fairly drastic touchpiece repositioning on a Yamaha 250 for an adult beginner who had a lot of trouble reaching the RH pinky keys. Her main problem was her RH finger 3 was uncovering the RH3 tonehole chimney when she went for a low F or upper register C due to the stretch causing her fingers to shift due to the stretch.
I angled them all towards the RH ring key pillar and even filed the lower side of the pillar down to get the F#/C# key in nice and tight as it is on my old Selmers which she had no problem reaching.
I also repositioned the thumbrest to allow her to hold the clarinet more comfortably - it's an adjustable thumbrest, but I repositioned it further over to the right of the lower joint (as you're looking at the back of the clarinet when held upright) and the baseplate in a better location north-south to allow for more adjustment.
So if it's a matter of stretching to reach the keys and then you're squeaking, then find a good woodwind specialist who can reposition the keywork to suit your hands to make things easy for you. Not all clarinets suit everyone, but they can always be tailored to suit anyone.
Keywork can be bent when cold as the metal is already soft from having the pieces all silver soldered together, so unless there's a dry joint (where the solder hasn't flowed through the entire joint but only around the surface edges) or the keys are made of a cheap alloy such as Mazak, then bending keys can be done with no risk of breakage.
Always leave this sort of thing to a specialist as they have the experience, knowledge and feel when it comes to keywork adjustments. You will need to be present so you can check the progress and the repairer will need to see how the keys fit your hands, so book a couple or so hours with them to do this.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2017-02-27 09:34)
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Author: KSCop
Date: 2017-02-27 23:16
It could also be air support. While it's pretty easy to hit notes in the low register with so so air support, going into the upper registers requires better air from my experience. No change in embouchure or such, just good strong air.
It's also common to have folks uncover the thumb a little when they hit the register key, or to move other fingers.
One thing to try; hit the low E and then have someone else pop the register key. If you get a good note, it's your fingers moving. If not, I'd be looking at your air or the instrument itself.
It's common for the low keys to get out of adjustment and leak a little. Clarinet Mentor's has a good video on just that issue.
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Author: BAC
Date: 2017-03-02 22:58
Thank you for all the suggestions. I had my teacher check the instrument and it is in good working order, no leaks or mechanical problems. Having someone pop the register key for me was hit or miss. Sometimes, I got a good sound other times I got a squeak or just the sound of air. It's probably a combo of my air and fingering leaks. Working down from F5 helps. At my next lesson, we are also going to try different reeds. I have been using a 2 1/2.
Thanks again!
BAC
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