 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: easyvision
Date: 2009-03-11 21:02
Alright so I just got myself a clarinet. It came with an instructional DVD so that helped me get the thing assembled, learn how to make a sound, learn my first octave which, in theory, should be a simple C-C starting with middle C.
Now, playing around with it, the intervals don't sound right at all. I played the notes I learned with a tuner nearby and the notes that were played don't match up to the ones being fingered. Is my clarinet just severely out of tune or am I missing something? I'm planning on getting a book to keep me right. Any suggestions as to which would be the best choice?
Just so you're aware, I've been a bassist for the past 5 years. This is my first woodwind instrument though so please forgive me if I'm just missing something that's common knowledge with you guys.
Live and let groove!
Post Edited (2009-03-11 21:03)
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Author: Neal Raskin
Date: 2009-03-11 21:10
When you play a C on the clarinet, does the tuner show you're playing a Bb? If so, this means your clarinet is in the key of Bb. So everything you play on the Bb clarinet, is going to be written a major 2nd higher than how it actually sounds. So if you play an A on the clarinet, the actual sounding pitch will be a G.
So, if you are looking to get a fake book or play with a band, you will have to play things a whole step higher on the clarinet to make it match what guitar or bass is playing. Again, if the tune you are playing is in the key of F major, you will need to think up a whole step to G major and play in that key.
This is a tricky thing to explain in text. Please ask more questions if it is still confusing. Maybe someone else can make it more clear.
Good luck!
Neal
www.youtube.com/nmraskin
www.musicedforall.com
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Author: easyvision
Date: 2009-03-11 21:15
It's odd...when I play my middle C, it comes up as somewhere between Bb and A but when I play a C an octave up, it's closer to Bb.
Are these differences more to do with my mouth? Seems I can alter the pitch of the note ever so slightly by putting more or less pressure on the reed. Should this be possible or have I not tightened my ligature enough?
I get the whole Bb tuning thing. There's a trumpet player in my current band so we've all had to deal with that headache haha.
Thanks for your quick reply:)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-03-11 22:56
easyvision wrote:
> It's odd...when I play my middle C, it comes up as somewhere
> between Bb and A but when I play a C an octave up, it's closer
> to Bb.
>
> Are these differences more to do with my mouth? Seems I can
> alter the pitch of the note ever so slightly by putting more or
> less pressure on the reed. Should this be possible or have I
> not tightened my ligature enough?
I'd say yes it has to do with your mouth, and with the air stream you're sending through the instrument. It is quite normal that one tends to play flat until the mouth muscles are developed to properly support the reed.
Bending the pitch ever so slightly is possible, it is often referred to as "lipping up / down", this might be what you're experiencing.
With certain mouthpieces it is easier to bend the pitch than with others. The target, however, should be that you play a clean "tuner Bb" whenever you finger a C, whatever octave you're in.
Don't worry. It'll come. And if there's a clarinetist in you current band whom you can make friends with, even better - the first weeks are hardest to play, and easiest to learn things the wrong way...
--
Ben
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Author: jsc
Date: 2009-03-12 02:30
If you're doing the "fake book" thing, you can get one in Bb. Talk to a tenor sax player, as well.
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Author: D
Date: 2009-03-12 06:44
I had the same problem when I bought an oboe, in that nothing seemed in tune (although obviously that was in C so it was a little closer on the tuner!) Turned out it was all my embouchure and a good teacher set me right in a couple of lessons. Clarinet is a popular jazz instrument *because* you can bend notes so beautifully. You've clearly discovered this part of it, now you need to work on the non bending part! I'd advise a couple of lessons from a GOOD teacher, to get you going. Makes the world of difference and stops you hurting your self or learning bad habits which can take years to break.
Also, do get someone who plays well to just check your clarinet for you, always possible you've ended up with something which never will play in tune no matter what you do, would be better to know that now.
Another thought, if you've been supplied with a typical beginner mouthpiece and reeds, as an adult you might be too strong physically for those reeds. Most adults end up settling on a reed strength between 2.5 and 3.5 on fairly middling mouthpieces. Then go for harder reeds on narrower mouthpieces or softer on wider as per personal preference. (Qualifier, I've given Vandoren reed strengths because they are widely available and there are comparison charts all over the internet so you can probably find one to compare to the brand you have - not all reed numbers are created equal. Mouthpieces come with different size gaps between the tip of the mouthpiece and the tip of the reed.) Because the reeds get harder to bend the higher the number goes and wider the gap the more difficult to get a clear sound most beginner set ups are a low numbered reed, i.e. 1 or 1.5 and a mouthpiece with quite a small gap. If you have stronger jaws than the average 11 year old (thinking you might) then you could be doing all sorts of bizzare things in order to get a sound out. If you think this might be the case you could try getting a size harder reed.
that probably doesn't make sense, I must go and have some breakfast! Hopefully someone can translate that into plain English..
Enjoy!
Post Edited (2009-03-12 17:08)
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Author: easyvision
Date: 2009-03-12 12:49
Haha your pre-breakfast message makes perfect sense to me. Thanks so much for your help, all of you!
The clarinet I bought came with 2 reeds of an unknown strength but it also came with a box of 2.5 strength reeds so I'll try switchin to one of them and see if it makes a difference. I'm glad bending the notes is possible and I'm not hurting my clarinet! I will definitely look out for a good teacher so he/she can help me figure out exactly how much pressure I'll need in order to get the right sound.
Again, thanks so much for all your help! You guys have been fantastic:) I think it's safe to say if I ever need some help I'll come straight here!
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-03-12 15:03
Another thing to keep in mind is that the clarinet is a bit quirky by design when it comes to tuning. Even when you've "tuned" your instrument (e.g., by pulling out or pushing in at the barrel and/or middle joint) every note on the clarinet has slightly different tuning characteristics. Some instruments are a little better about this than others, but all of them will require slight tuning adjustments (lipping up or down and/or using corrective fingerings) on certain notes.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2009-03-12 15:56
Looking at the info on the clarinet, it may not all be due to just the fact that you are a beginner. This instrument is priced extremely low, and at that price point (what I saw was about 100 British Pounds) you don't get much quality. The quality brands of beginner instruments (Vito, Buffet B series, Yamaha YCL 250, etc.) cost several times this price. While you may have received a fair value for the money, it is at least as likely that you did not get a very good quality instrument.
Jeff
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Author: easyvision
Date: 2009-03-12 16:42
I had a feeling it would be lower quality but there is a reason for the price. The company manufactures their own instruments so they don't have to pay a middle man, meaning they can charge a lot less than say with Yamaha where they would need to buy the instruments from Yamaha then sell them at a price high enough to cover the costs and make a profit for themselves. For this company, buying their own instruments has a much larger profit margin since they're purely paying for production costs.
Either way though, I wasn't expecting the best quality, far from it. I bought this purely as an experiment, to see if I could play it at a reasonable level before investing more money. From the past couple days, I have seen that although I will need to put a lot of work into playing the clarinet, it is something I enjoy and will more than likely invest in a higher quality instrument in the future.
Thanks again for the help. I'll keep in mind that some notes may need additional tuning as I play them. Think the best thing for me would be to go through my chromatic scale with a tuner and figure out when I need to do this type of tuning myself.
Live and let groove!
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