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Re: back to basics - throat Bb to C

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2020-07-14 17:27

Maruja wrote:

> I cannot eliminate that slight bump between going from
> throat Bb to C - I have tried pretty well everything that has
> been suggested on this board, on line elsewhere etc - extra
> support, fingers down, fingers close to tone holes etc. Am I
> just going to have to live with this or is there any way I can
> improve?
>
> Any advice really welcome.

No, you don't have to live with it. Some of what you're trying to do may be getting in your way because you may be trying too hard and introducing tension into the process. A little clenching in your fingers or in your embouchure can defeat whatever you're trying so hard to do "right."

What matters most, IMO, are the continuity of your air stream, the mouthpiece's stability in your mouth and the accuracy of your fingers as they cover all those holes at once.

One important problem to guard against is letting the clarinet move even a little as you move your fingers. Movement can jar the mouthpiece out of position and potentially cause you ever so slightly to close the reed. On the same track, be sure you aren't inadvertently gripping the mouthpiece (and the reed) to compensate for not having as much control with your fingers when you play throat notes (putting some fingers down as Paul suggests can help keep the instrument stable).

Then, you have to be sure your fingers are closing all the holes you weren't covering already, and that they're coordinated well so everything closes at once. Check in particular that your "ring" fingers (next to your "pinkies") are covering and that you aren't bumping into the "sliver" keys above them.

You need to provide an uninterrupted air stream. It's really easy to unconsciously stop or reduce the air as you go over the break. You don't realize it if you aren't paying close attention. One thing I routinely do with younger students who are dealing with break crossings for the first time is to turn the mouthpiece around so the student blows into the clarinet while I do the fingering. If they don't know when I'm going to change notes, they can't change either their embouchure or their air and the upper note appears without any effort. Having experienced it with me doing the fingering it's easier for them to provide the continuity when they're in control of the whole process.

One other thing I do routinely with students is to have them do their first break crossings downward. Try starting with a good C5 and slur down to Bb. If that's smooth (it's much easier than going up), then try starting on C, slurring to Bb and then slurring back to C. Pay close attention to how the first C feels in your fingers and in your mouth, then try to return to exactly the same feel on the return. This can help by starting your fingers in the right places and giving you a clear sense of how your blowing feels as you play C. It's easier to return to what you started with than to start on Bb and have to more or less imagine what you're trying to do when you move to C.

> It is more obvious when playing long notes.

Just one last comment: don't spend a long time on either note (or any of the three notes if you try the descending version of the interval). The longer you stay on one note, the longer you have to tense everything up anticipating the next move. Tension is a major enemy, as it so often is. The muscles need to be engaged, but any anticipatory gripping or extra tightness can make everything harder. Just hold each note long enough to establish it - a beat or two.

Karl

Post Edited (2020-07-14 18:45)

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