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Re: mouthpiece squaks

Author: hans
Date: 2019-06-11 07:23

Paul has given you good advice and I agree with him that "At a decent angle your lower lip/teeth is much further along the mouthpiece than your upper teeth. In other words, they should NOT oppose each other..".
Many clarinet players do not have perfectly aligned teeth and also do not have squeaking issues.

There are many possible causes of squeaks. Following is a list (not exhaustive) of some common ones that you could investigate (in addition to some easy ones; i.e., trying a different mouthpiece and having your teacher play-test your instrument):

Causes of Squeaks

- a dry reed
- overblowing
- accidentally touching a key
- the middle joint in a clarinet is not properly aligned
- using a "wrong" fingering instead of a better alternate
- a finger not covering a hole
- a pad not seating properly
- a weak spring not holding a key closed
- keys out of adjustment (e.g., the A key)
- uncoordinated fingering
- a leaking joint
- a cracked instrument (in a wood clarinet)
- too much mouthpiece in the mouth
- a burr on the mouthpiece top rail
- misapplied lip pressure
- a reed is split
- the reed is not perfectly sealed on the mouthpiece
- a reed is too thin at the center of the tip or is stiffer on one side than the other
- a poorly designed, worn, or warped mouthpiece
- the mouthpiece baffle (the slanted top inside the tip) is too high

Hans

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