 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2009-10-29 13:16
ive been asking a lot of questions lately about my tone.
for the last 4 days i have written down what reed i was using and what it was like. I got the same results with 3 different reeds. my high and low notes were good, but the middle notes C,D,E,F,G,A,Bb were fuzzy/scratchy and thin.
The 3 reeds (already broken in) were
1. Grand Concert Evolution 3 1/2
2. Vandoren Traditional 4
3. Vandoren Traditional 4
what do the results tell me (if anything)?
i'm afraid if I change something to make the middle notes better, then the low notes and high notes wont be as good.
sorry to the folks who have been helping me the last few days if it seems like im going round in circles. i just really want to look at everything here. weve already looked at some things 'I' can do to improve my tone. but im wondering about reeds. Do my results suggest anything? too hard? too soft? I just ordered some Vandoren V12 3.5+.
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Author: TianL
Date: 2009-10-29 13:47
I just have three quick suggestions:
1. Are the corners of your mouth tight? I've found that if they are not tight, it especially affects the middle range tone. Also is your breath support good? The air stream has an impact too.
2. My teacher always tells me to spend time just on tone everyday. The reason is that when I don't have to focus on the technical stuff, I can actively pay lots of attention to my sound by listening to myself.
3. Do you listen to clarinet music? That's another thing my teacher always tells me.. just keep listening to the clarinet with good tones and it will help.
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2009-10-29 13:58
1. corners of my mouth are tight. working on better breath support.
2. ive just started "really" listening and im not happy with my tone - altho I got some really great suggestions here the last few days (Thanks).
3. I listen to clarinet music ALLLLL the time.
i'm mainly trying to find out if the reeds i am using are not helping my tone any. and if not, what kind of change should i make in that regard.
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Author: William
Date: 2009-10-29 17:54
Just to generalize, most clarinetists that I know hate their own tone quality, including myself. What I do is rely on what other's tell me and if they all say they like it (as most all do), I stop worrying about it and just keep on playing. A strong embouchure for efficient tone production and a good ear for intonation and blend with others is most critical. As one local univerisity conductor puts it to his wind ensemble and orchestra, "An in-tune sound is a pretty sound". Another observation I have found to be very true about how we sound to ourselves is that the sound of your own clarinet will sound much different (& often much better) farther away, as out in the auditorium to the audience, etc. Go more about how others hear you, rather than how you hear yourself--life is too short............
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-10-29 18:36
A couple of questions:
Which C - B-flat range sounds "fuzzy/scratchy?" Chalumeau C (one line below the staff - C4) - throat B-flat (middle line of the staff - Bb5) or an octave higher?
What mouthpiece are you using? (I haven't read the other threads you've posted)
One overall comment is that you can't make any generalizations about correct or incorrect reed strength based on one specimen of each. In an average box of reeds of any brand and strength there is a range of resistance levels. So you need to try several of each brand/strength combination.
Fuzzy/scratchy tone can ironically enough result from either too hard or too soft a reed. Too hard, and it may just not be vibrating well. Too soft and you may be pinching it off, which can, especially coupled with inadequate breath support, make the sound weak, scratchy and airy.
Not having read your other questions I may have missed the answer earlier, but do you have a teacher? It's nearly always much easier to figure out what's going wrong in someone's playing when you can hear him/her live.
Karl
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2009-10-29 19:18
1. fuzzy......reed is too hard 2. lightly sand heart of reed 3. try a Rico Royal 3 1/2....(If pro reeds sound fuzzy they are not better than a Rico)
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: OldClarinetGuy
Date: 2009-10-29 22:10
Hi,
I have been following your posts.
I cannot emphasis enough to keep it simple. Work on long tones and breathe support. Simple scales and do them slowly.
Make sure the reeds are properly broken in. If I had to guess, the reeds may be too hard. Maybe try the Rico Reserve 3.5. They seem to be a good starting place for a lot of my students, but messing around and buying a lot of reeds can become expensive.
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