 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dank
Date: 2015-11-11 08:02
Sorry if this comes off as a stupid question, but I've been playing clarinet for 5 years, yet recently I've been having a lot of trouble with controlling my instrument. I'm not technically deficient or anything and have played in my fair share of good ensembles, yet I'm wondering if perhaps my set up is hindering my playing ability.
The reason I have started to wonder this is because I am also an Eb clarinet player, and I feel so much more ease in playing it, in regards to control, articulation, dynamics and pretty much everything overall.
However, I have only recently noticed this so it could all be a mass case of bad reeds but I'm still not sure.
Anyways for reference my Bb set up is: R13, M30Lyre, 3.5+ 56 Rue Lepics
Eb is: R13, B44, 3.5 Rico Grand Concert Select
What are your opinions?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-11-11 15:13
Well the M30Lyre is a bit open (and features thicker rails that make the system a bit more resistant). You may be well served to experiment with an M13 (non Lyre), or Masters CL4.
If, however, you had been successful with the same mouthpiece/reed combination and things changed on you, chances are it is related to the weather. As the temperatures cool and you run the heater inside, the humidity to which the reeds are exposed becomes much lower. This can make the reeds wonky and more resistant. The best cure for that is to break them in slower (just a few minutes per day, per reed for a few more days - five to six days).
For particularly nasty local weather changes, I carry some emergency Legere reeds in the case. They are there to preserve my sanity. They DO NOT change in varying weather conditions and serve more as a litmus than a last resort, but there they stay. For Legere the standard recommendation is to try a strength 1/4 lower than what you use in a cane reed.
....................Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-11-11 18:00
Dank wrote:
> ... recently I've been having a
> lot of trouble with controlling my instrument.
>
> However, I have only recently noticed this so it could all be a
> mass case of bad reeds but I'm still not sure.
>
We can't hear or see you play, but my first reaction is the same as Paul's that something about your current reeds, very possibly related to weather changes, is different. How many boxes of reeds have you gone through since this problem began to develop. Reeds also sometimes change in spurts - maybe the batch of cane was harder than usual if it has only been one box or a couple of them from the same manufacturing run. I don't think Vandoren has changed the design of the 56 Rues recently, but that sometimes happens, too, and the only way you know about it is that the reeds you've been buying suddenly don't work the same way.
Of course, you need to make sure something on your R13 hasn't gone sour. A small tear in a skin pad can begin to leak air. If you've tried to assemble the clarinet with more than usual force (trying to avoid getting out the cork grease), you might have slightly bent a key so a pad doesn't seat correctly. Make sure everything is sealing well.
Karl
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Author: pewd
Date: 2015-11-11 19:21
Have someone else play your instrument - make sure there are no leaks, etc.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2015-11-11 20:19
When you have a generalized problem, my first thought is that it's a hardware problem.
First, try your mouthpiece on another clarinet. If you have the same problem, try a different mouthpiece. It's easy to ding one, especially at the corner.
Check the adjustment screw on the throat Ab key. If it's even a tiny bit too tight, raising the Ab pad a microscopic amount, it will throw off the entire instrument. Check the other pads near the top of the instrument, especially the one under the throat A key.
A crack will produce the same kind of problems. Check the barrel and the top of the upper joint.
Lick the palm of your right hand on the pad below the thumb, put the bottom of the upper joint on it, close the holes and suck the air out from the top. It should hold the vacuum for several seconds. If it doesn't, you have a leak.
If none of this shows a problem, come back and we'll think of other possible causes.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Dank
Date: 2015-11-12 06:02
Actually upon thinking, I believe this may be due to the fact that I had been playing in marching band recently (which is thankfully over), and I may have changed my embouchure for the worse during this season. If this is indeed the case, do you then have any suggestions on how to fix this?
To make sure however, I will be taking my clarinet to get serviced just in case there is something wrong with it.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2015-11-12 07:20
I played in marching bands throughout high school, college and in the Army (West Point Band). My embouchure was identical there and in concert band and orchestra. Of course in marching band you play as loud as possible, and even then, clarinets can't be heard.
Ken Shaw
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-11-12 10:47
Woodwinds are often prominently featured in many marching band programs. This had been discussed on this forum before. It's a big change (mostly for the better) in the last 20 years or so.
A few of my students do tend to develop marchingbanditis during the season by trying to play louder than their embouchure can really support. Eventually they come to understand that a poor overblown tone serves no one well. I doubt that's the OP's issue from the context of what he's said so far, but it's possible. Long tones and similar exercises with a careful and critical ear are usually helpful, as well as listening to high quality professional playing.
Another thing that tends to happen is getting used to playing on reeds that are too soft or have gone "spongey" from regular outdoor use. I recommend that my students play Legere reeds outside if they work well for them, or keep one set of reeds for playing outdoors and another for indoors. Thankfully marching season is nearly over!
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Author: Dank
Date: 2015-11-12 12:39
Also, I don't know if this is important, but I've noticed that the problem is the most persistent in the mid-low range. I notice that I am flatter than normal in this general range from C up to throat tone A. Also, my tone here is quite "dry" and not particularly resonant while anything with the register key down sounds fine.
Sorry if I'm bothering anyone anyways haha.
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