 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ted Donaldson
Date: 2001-12-13 02:14
Ok... when I am playing, i notice that F# (pointy finger down) and low B natural sound bad. When I say this I mean they sound airy... So in my songs, my fingers are scurrying to play the chromatic fingerings for it to sound good. It gets really confusing >_< Note that i have a cork pad on the F# key... I know it's probably just leaks... but oh well
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Author: jenna
Date: 2001-12-13 02:18
You're not alone, I feel the F/F# is really weak on my bass, as well. For me I think it may just be a problem with the fact that my hands are so small and I've got such little air in me. A lot of the time i have to finger the note with my left hand, but hold the top of the horn steady with my right hand. It's a big pain. Maybe I should try alternate fingerings..
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Author: sarah
Date: 2001-12-13 02:22
If they sound airy then they are probably leaks. Or you might not be completly covering the tone hole; press a little harder. When I played bass, sometimes one of the long rods would get slightly bent, so you might want to have those checked too. With the F#, something might be a little wrong with the adjustment to the other key that it connects to, so that hole might not be covered. (assuming that by pointy finger you mean the throat F#. All of my fingers seem a bit pointy)
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Author: Wes
Date: 2001-12-13 06:33
Yes, the F#/B notes can be a little funny on a bass clarinet. If they still sound dim and fuzzy after making sure all leaks are fixed and checking that pad heights are proper, one can try wrapping a pad temporarily for a test with tinfoil to reflect more sound out. For example, if the middle finger F#/B is dull, wrap the tinfoil over the next open hole above the middle finger. If this improves it, one could consider replacing the pad with a resonator sax pad or gluing a disk of tinfoil onto the pad. Good luck!!!
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-12-13 13:04
In my experience "fuzzy" sounding notes on a bass are almost always caused by inadequate venting (pad opening) - often from new - which can be corrected by a considerably-better-than-average technician. Sometimes this is done by changes to cork thickness, sometimes from bending a key to a better 'geometry', but in other cases significant modification to keys may be required. Then they sing!
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Author: James
Date: 2001-12-13 17:42
Brannen woodwinds can certainly fix any type of instumental problems. So try them, then if there is anything wrong after that check all the ensentals to sure that you aren't the problem as well.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-12-13 17:51
Ted - In general I agree with the above posts, yes "airy" sounds may be due to leaks, using too-hard reeds and just be built into the clarinet. There are a number of "marginal-to-poor" notes on our horns, we have discussed the mid-staff Bb very often, and the C#/G# [poor hole size and location] at the bottom of the upper joint. The G/D on some insts. may also be improved by additional venting. Looking at a variety of cls will show you the methods taken to improve these notes. What I believe is being referred to here are notes produced by "fork fingerings", that is with an open hole just above the lowest closed hole. I try to avoid them if possible by using the "banana" keys, particularly for B nat/F# on long notes, and the 3rd -from-the-top trill key [with thumb] for the lower-staff F#. Likely some "fraizing" [undercutting] would help as on the more-expensive horns, but require expert-costly tuning work. I hope others more knowledgable than I will add here. Don
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Author: jenna
Date: 2001-12-14 01:37
Getting my bass to a tech is like pulling teeth. I have to go through the school since it's a school owned instruments. All repair costs have to be voted on by the Board before it can even be worked on. Last time it was out, I was without a bass for about a month and a half.
Oh well, at least they use my favorite tech.. All I have to do is let him know that the bass or alto that's coming in through the school is one of mine and he pulls it out of the pile ASAP, does the work, and delivers it to me at rehersal (we're in the same communitiy band) or let's me pick it up myself. That's <i>really</i> a time-saver. I'd trust him with anything of mine, though. Especially clarinets.. he's a fantastic clarinetist and his work is always thorough, solid, and fairly inexpensive.
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Author: R Simpson
Date: 2001-12-15 00:33
I use a buffet 1180 bass. When i first got the horn, the adjustment on the low b and Bb keys was off. It was like this on the 12 that my school ordered. This was easy to fix since there are two screws right above the keys that change how far down they will close. As for the F#, just use chromatic (like F natural, but add the two bottom side keys on the upper right portion of the horn.
-R. Simpson
NDrum2005@aol.com
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-12-15 14:53
I find that almost always when a regulating screw on those low notes needs tweaking there is also a problem of the pads closing securely at the back but not at the front, so that excessive finger pressure is required, which over time makes the condition worse.
This also applies to soprano clarinet for F/C & E/B.
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