 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kbclanton
Date: 2018-01-09 19:25
Out of nowhere, I am suddenly significantly flat. I am pushed in all the way. I think I need a shorter barrel joint but I don't know what I should get. I play an old Buffett (R13, I think). Any suggestions?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2018-01-09 19:38
Before going to a shorter barrel, trying changing to a slightly higher strength reed.
...GBK
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2018-01-09 22:08
Quote:
Out of nowhere, I am suddenly significantly flat.
Do you mean:
1. You were playing along, and suddenly certain notes started playing flat?
2. Over the course of a few months, you realized you were playing flat?
The reason I'm asking, is because to me "suddenly" might mean something different than how you meant it. For me, any "sudden" changes are usually pad issues/spring issues/tone hole gunk issues, etc. whereas other reasons for going flat would be as the others suggest.
For what it's worth - during a performance two weeks ago, I was certain that three or four notes on my instrument were suddenly playing flat, but I couldn't find the problem during the short performance. Upon returning home, I had no problems with the instrument. Later that week, when I took the instrument out for one of my practice sessions, there it was again - definitely flat. Closer inspection found a pad which had broken partly loose, and would hover slightly over the tone hole - making the surrounding notes flat. Other times, the pad stuck in the cup and everything played fine. I had practiced several times between the two occurrences, and it had played just fine. I replaced the pad and everything was hunky dory again. ;^)>>>
Once a friend of mine was playing a tenor solo...it sounded pretty good from out in the crowd, but he looked exasperated on stage. As soon as his solo was completed I saw him tinkering with his tenor. After the performance, he came up to me, with an embarrassed grin and showed me the $1 bill which had been stuck inside his instrument during the performance.
Fuzzy
[EDIT]: Corrected spelling
Post Edited (2018-01-09 22:08)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2018-01-09 23:32
One of my favorites stories from here on BBoard is the angry Dad bringing his son's recently serviced clarinet back to the tech- "It won't play!". And the tech removing the swab stuck in the middle and then all was good.
As far as "suddenly" playing flat, odd things can happen to embouchure without being obvious to us. Too bad we can't play "by the numbers", with gages showing us every day air pressure levels inside our mouths, and the pressure of our lips around the mouthpiece. I bet that's going on at some university, though.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2018-01-10 11:38
Need a whole lot more information. Something changed!
1 - a mouthpiece change
2 - reed change or reed strength change, different brands
3 - practice habits changed
4 - mouthpiece damaged
5 - dirty key holes, horn leaks slightly
6 - what notes went flat? All of them? Some of them? the lower register? the
upper register? The throat notes?
7 - patch change on the mouthpiece?
8 - cracked barrel inside.
9 - embouchure change
10 - cold weather, dry weather, the bores got larger. do you live where it's
been really cold lately?
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2018-01-10 11:48)
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