 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: OboeAtHeart
Date: 2005-10-21 22:40
This drives me absolutely up the wall. My clarinet teacher doesn't hear it. My orchestra director doesn't hear it, neither do my directors, but -I- can hear it.
Have any of you ever had a reed that, when you played on it had a really reedy, edgy sound, but everyone around you said it sounded fine? It's like the reed is too weak or something, and almost all of my reeds are plagued with that sort of thing.
I do all the prep. sealing on reeds, sanding, polishing, all of that jazz, doesn't seem to help.
Playing on Vandoren V-12 3 1/2s. Should I move up to 4s? I'm also having problems overblowing my clarinet - I will never forget trying to play a throat Bb in a fast run at this years all-state audition and getting a high E instead.
I've oiled the bore of my horn recently, (In September) and the climate I live in is rather humid, so I don't think that has anything to do with it.
-Jenna.
*~"The clarinet, though appropriate to the expression of the most poetic ideas and sentiments, is really an epic instrument- the voice of heroic love."~*
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Author: Tyler
Date: 2005-10-21 23:18
Yeah- definitely sounds like a reed problem. You can try #4's; I play V12 4's and every once in a while one is just plain too hard for me, but usually they're about right with my VD M15. If you find them to be too hard, even after balancing the tips with a reed rush, knife, ATG system, or other method, then the only other thing I could think of would be modifying your break-in/sealing strategies until your reeds stop becoming so 'edgy'.
-Tyler
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Author: Steve B.
Date: 2005-10-22 13:24
Is it possible to try your reeds on another clarinet. That would let you know for sure if the buzz is coming from your reeds or the clarinet.
Steve
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2005-11-14 15:12
"Have any of you ever had a reed that, when you played on it had a really reedy, edgy sound, but everyone around you said it sounded fine?"
Yes! And now I've heard it once I'm hearing it everywhere. I get it with some brands more than others (and, yes, V12 is a culprit). Maybe I'm just beginning to get really 'picky' with the sound I make. Maybe other people think that reedy, edgy sound is normal or even desirable. But can it be right if it doesn't please you, the player? (deep question, actually).
I swear my clarinet sounds brighter when I oil the bore, but that could just be psychology... it's hard to take the oil off and put it back on a couple of times just to check!
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2005-11-14 17:32
Jenna,
I suspect that you are actually "feeling" the buzzy overtone rather than "hearing" it. What you hear when you play the clarinet differs from what an outsider hears because much of what you hear is actually being transmitted directly through your teeth, sinuses and facial bones. The only way you can really hear approximately how you sound to an outsider is by taping yourself with good equipment. If you sound good to outsiders, you may not have a reed problem at all.
You say that you are using Vandoren V12 3.5's. I did a quick check and found that, in the past, you have mentioned using a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece. This is a fairly resistant mouthpiece and a V12 3.5 is actually at the stiff end of Vandoren's reed recommendation for it. If you are still using that mouthpiece, and if your current combination works reasonably well in the altissimo range, I suspect that a harder reed is not the solution. On the other hand, as one who has been fiddling around with an oboe, I find that all my oboe playing friends prefer/are used to more resistance than I am. So you might try some 4's (or regular Vandoren 3.5's) to see if you like them better.
The "overblowing" problem may be reed related, particularly if it happens mostly on the throat Bb (at all-state, it might have been nerves), but, in my experience, is more often the result of a leaking pad at the upper end of the instrument. Check the adjusting screw on your Ab key for starters. Other potential culprits are the trill keys (particularly the two highest ones) and the key hidden under the touch for the throat A key. The "suck test" and "blow test" are two quick tests for a leak in one of your joints.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: sdr
Date: 2005-11-14 19:01
This is not always from the reed. Try lightly resting a pinky on each of the left hand pinky keys to see if you've got vibrating key work. Also consider a thick adhesive patch on the top of your mouthpiece to damp dental vibrations.
-sdr
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2005-11-14 20:32
jnk, I was going to say the same thing about the mouthpiece/reed set-up. It sounds like Jenna should try a 3 Vandoren V12 rather than a 4. Also, if the mouthpiece she's using is still the Vandoren B45, she might look into getting a custom model from Walter Grabner or Gregory Smith and see how that works.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2005-11-15 08:50
Ah, yes, leaky top trill key could cause throat Bb to do the most excellent squeaks... and the hiss of escaping sound would carry no more than a few inches. Good post, jnk.
Hold the top joint in your left hand with all the holes covered (playing low 'C'), stop the bottom end with your right hand, put the top tenon against your mouth and blow to try and inflate the joint. See what happens...
(Everyone should try this at least once, by the way)
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2005-11-15 11:13
Vibrations can also come from an insecure tenon ring, a loose part of a ligature, a side key against a guide, a spring if it almost touches another part that it shouldn't, a non-tight membrane on a pad, a split pad membrane, lack of oil in the pivots, etc.
But some buzzes are acoustic in origin, as opposed to mechanical resonance. I once tracked down a buzz in a flute to a minute hole right through the body.
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Author: OboeAtHeart
Date: 2005-11-15 21:52
Clarinetgrammy - I'm don't think I should go back down a reed size. I recently had to play on a softer reed that belonged to a friend, and the "edgy" sound was much worse.
I also play the oboe, flute and piccolo on a regular basis, however, and am used to a lot of resistance from an instrument. Esp. oboe. (hence the user name.)
Regular vandorens don't sit well with me. The rounded cut of the tip is difficult to get any air around, really, at any size.
I should be ordering a box of 4s from WWBW soon, so, we'll see how that goes.
Thank you for all your help though - some of you suggested things I hadn't even thought of!
~Jenna.
*~"The clarinet, though appropriate to the expression of the most poetic ideas and sentiments, is really an epic instrument- the voice of heroic love."~*
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-11-15 23:01
If the four doesn't cure it, try a 3 (even though you don't want to go back down). I discovered that when I had a very buzzy sound to my notes, it was because I was playing too HARD a reed. I found that I play much nicer and easier with a lighter reed, and much less embouchure pressure. I moved down from V12 4.5s to Gonzalez RC 3.75's. I'm pleased, and I too can get that "edgy" sound with a firmer "bite" on the mouthpiece, but I know now how to control that sound and only get it if I want to.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2005-11-16 07:17
Seriously, the higher-grade products of the Rico company are worth a look: Grand Concert, GC evolution - my favourite of the moment is La Voz (MH grade is close to VD3) - and I've even had a good experience from a really hard (4) Rico Royal in the right setting.
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Author: Bnewbs
Date: 2005-11-17 02:27
I have had that problem with several V12's (with an M13, for the record I can't stand B45's), however I have not had that problem since I started using the Vandoren Rue Lepic 56s, as well as Gonzales FOF's. Both also offer a #3.75 (vandoren class it a 3.5+) which is the perfect strength for me. I can also recommend a Walter Grabner mouthiece, they are pricey, but by far the best I have tried.
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Author: sdr
Date: 2005-11-17 16:24
Buzzy Overtone? Didn't he play in a band with Wet Grandma Smooshie and Rainbow Jimmy Sprinkles?
-sdr
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