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The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

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Re: Teachers: Why is crossing the break hard?

Author: seabreeze
Date: 2017-12-04 08:21

Agreed, that the most experienced players have little or no trouble going across the break from the throat register--the "first" break of Bb to the B in the clarion register. so long as their fingers are cupped and their hands are relaxed and in position. What helps is the register key. Opening the register key does most of the work in making the transition from throat tone to clarion tone. You don't have to revoice the tone or change the air column with your tongue position.

It is a very different story going across the "second" break from clarion to altissimo. The register key is already open in the clarion so it cannot assist you by automatically voicing the altissimo. That difficult task is up to you. Control of air pressure and shape by tongue placement is necessary to get you over that hurdle.
The altissimo wants to squeal out with a louder, more strident tone and a potentially unstable pitch that needs to be stabilized. Of course, pros achieve stability and equality of dynamic range and timbre over the upper break too--but that can take much more work and practice time than overcoming the smaller hurdle of getting smoothly over the first break.

Post Edited (2017-12-04 09:19)

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