The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: metalheadsimon
Date: 2010-11-03 18:23
im playing the schuberts unfinished symphony in b minor on my a clarinet in the second movement during the first clarinet part first solo passage, there is a clarion E followed by a clarion G which always glisses. despite frequent cleaning and observations, my fingers are moving cleanly and through observations of my teacher, nothing is sticking.
any advice on this topic would be greatly appreciated
simon cowton
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Author: kdk
Date: 2010-11-03 19:50
What do you mean by "glisses?" Does the pitch smear up like a jazz clarinetist or are you getting an extra note (F-sharp?) between the E-G?
Karl
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2010-11-03 20:42
There are several possibilities:
The lower joint may have shrunk longitudinally, bringing the posts closer together and squeezing the ring key between them.
The mechanism may need oil.
If you took the key off, you may have reversed the two pivot screws. They are not identical.
One or both of the pivot screws may have become worn or bent.
If you have dropped the lower joint, one of the rings may have bent and be binding against the wood chimney it fits around.
You may have screwed the pivot screws in too tight. Try backing off maybe 1/8 turn. If that's the problem, you'll need to fix the offending screw in place with clear fingernail polish. (Never use the permanent or even the non-permanent version of LocTite, which can't be removed.)
The pad may be sticking to the rim.
The bridge key may be binding, or the bit of cork in between the two ends may have deteriorated or become sticky.
Any repair technician can find the problem and correct it immediately, at low or no cost.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-11-03 23:46
Ken just about covered it. I'd put my money of the pad sticking or the rod being too tight so the pad does not come up fast enough but "slides" up causing the gliss. The only other possibility, a long shot though, is that you're glissing in your throat without realizing it as you voice up. I'd bet it's the pad or rods sticking. Loosen the rod a touch and put oil in the key joints and see if that works. Also, take off the lower key that's "sticking" and clean the pad if the other doesn't work. There can even be something on the hole that makes the pad stick so you would need to clean that too. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2010-11-04 01:52
That's why I asked what he meant. A sticking or binding key, screw or ring is the obvious explanation if it's an extra note between the E and the G (which I'd probably never call a "gliss"). If he's really sliding, it's more likely to do with his throat or tongue position.
Karl
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Author: metalheadsimon
Date: 2010-11-04 14:10
to clarify its not actually a gliss but more the extra note inbetween.
as i said ive tried cleaning the pads and that hasnt worked, however i will retry this and the other aspects of sorting the problem
thanks for all your help
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2010-11-04 18:40
A lot of people call that unwanted extra note a "grunt." Seems to be as good a name for it as anything. I agree with Karl, Ed and Ken about the most likely reasons for this particular grunt. I'd look at that bridge key cork first -- a very common problem that's easy and cheap to fix. Always fix the cheap stuff first!
;-)
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2010-11-05 04:55
Try also F to G, F# to G and D to G. Does the same thing happen?
Try to listen to what this extra note is. Is it a (sharp) F#?
What happens if you try the same in the lower register, A to C? Do you get a note (B or something else) between them too?
First thing is to try this without playing and instead watch the right hand ring keys to see if they move up slowly.
It could be one of the things Ken mentioned, but I disagree with some of what he wrote. If the problem is a screw binding the hinge and it is a headless pivot screw, loctite is absolutely fine to use. But only the weak loctite which is possible to remove, there's no problem. If it is the screw but it is a headed screw, I prefer a repair to the mechanism itself instead of nail polish or anything like that.
It could be the bridge sticking too. This can happen from a loose middle tenon sometimes, where the bridge alignment would change, sometimes depending on how you hold the clarinet.
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