 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Xiongmao
Date: 2010-11-09 22:35
Hey there,
I just got my clarinet 3 days ago. It's not going bad at all I guess, I can already play some cool stuff. There are just a few things that hold me back, main if which is definitely the embosure. I can get a pretty decent sound out of the instrument, but my facial muscles get tired and sore after a while (a short while) of playing properly and I have to stop playing. I wonder whether there's something wrong with the reed/mouthpiece or it's just normal and I will get used to it, because at the moment it's the main obstacle. To play the upper octave (second upper) is even worse. I gotta blow even harder and sometimes I can't get a sound out of it or it just "squeeks". I would like to ask how you people change your embosure as you play higher notes, is there a particular technique? Is it possible at all that a cheap clarinet won't play properly certain notes that better ones can play, say from the third A upwards, or around there?
Thanks a lot in advance to anyone who can help!
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2010-11-10 00:21
You need to spend some more time playing the instrument before you can start judging the equipment. It's perfectly normal to only be able to play for a few minutes at a time when first starting. Typically it takes a few months to build up your facial muscles tot he point where you will have a firm and stable embrouchure.
Keep in mind that it will be difficult to play in the upper register until your embrouchure has matured. The higher notes are much more sensitive and if your embrouchure is weak you will have difficulty playing in tune and will have squeaking problems. Keep practicing your long tones!
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Author: Plonk
Date: 2010-11-10 05:22
Most beginners can only play for a few minutes for the first few days - increase your practice time gradually each day. What strength reed are you using?
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Author: Xiongmao
Date: 2010-11-10 13:08
Hey, thanks a lot.
At the moment I'm using a 1.5 vandoren reed. I heard about these legere reeds. Are they actually any good? was thinking to get some...
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2010-11-10 13:32
It may seem obvious but do you have a teacher??
Whilst teaching yourself is not impossible it is not advisable especially in the early months when habits (good and bad) are being formed.
Bad habits can take years to eradicate once formed, I speak from bitter experience!!
Do not even be tempted to play the second register until you have a reasonable control of embouchure in the lower one.
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Author: Xiongmao
Date: 2010-11-10 13:56
Hey, it's not an obviousy question to ask, and in fact I do not have one. I have successfully managed to teach myself other instruments before. Still what you say is very true, and I would consider to get a teacher for the first few months at least, but the problem is that, as a uni student, I don't think I can afford one at the moment. However I know someone who's been playing the clarinet for years, so maybe I could ask them to help?? My lower register is sounding pretty good, I think, only problem, as I said, is muscles getting tired, but I feel it's getting better every day.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2010-11-11 04:23
If you think that you might EVER want to become a serious clarinetist, you should get yourself a good teacher. S/he will prevent your teaching yourself bad habits that can severely limit your potential --and/or take you years to break out of.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2010-11-11 17:28
Are lessons offered for elective credit at your school. In the U.S., at many universities, students who take private lessons can count the credits toward their arts requirements, or at least as free elective hours. Also, at my school, undergraduate tuition is set up so the a full-time student pays for 12 hours but can take up to 18 for that fee so students can take lessons without actually paying additional tuition for them. There is a studio fee but, in my experience, for the quality of instruction, the studio fees are a bargain compared to private lesson fees "on the market." I don't know how this works in the U.K. so YMMV but it might be worth checking out.
Best regards,
jnk
Post Edited (2010-11-12 03:40)
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Author: Xiongmao
Date: 2010-11-12 23:27
Thanks a lot for the advices. Unfortunately it's not the same in the Uk =/. Sounds great in the US... Still I will defo consider getting help by some people I know, who have been playing clarinet for a long time. However I don't think that a teacher is the only way to become good at playing an instrument. It all depends on the definition of "serious" clarinetist, I guess. If by serious you mean playing professionally like in an orchestra, then I guess you do need a teacher. That is not my intention tho. I do wanna get good, even perform one day, who knows, and hopefully play with other musicians, but entirely for fun. I dunno much about clarinet obviously, but speaking from experience related to other instruments I think there's many ways to achieve a goal, and different people might have different approaches to things, which doesnt necessarily mean that one approach will be better than the other. Of course there's things to avoid and things that will speed up your improvements when learning an instrument at an early stage, and that's what you mean, I guess, and what a teacher might be helpful for.
Anyway, that is just my view. =)
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Author: wmb244
Date: 2010-11-13 02:19
I have been taking clarinet lessons for about a year and using Legere student reeds (2.5 strength) on and off for much of that time. The sound is different from cane reeds, and when my playing is "off" the synthetic reed sounds worse. But these reeds save a lot of fuss and bother and may make your playing at the beginning stage easier and more consistent.
By the way, I agree with what most of the other posters are saying: having a teacher is enormously helpful; working to establish good control of the lower register is an absolute must; the upper register takes much more control and is much more sensitive to changes in tongue and throat position; and so on.
Bill
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Author: Nessie1
Date: 2010-11-16 19:14
I would agree with other posters here that advice from a good teacher is very important. If money is the problem would your friend who is an experienced player be prepared to swap something you could do for them perhaps (cooking, ironing, babysitting, gardening or even teaching them something you know well)?
That said, as far as your question about stamina and embouchure is concerned, it is true that the facial muscles will take time to get used to what is, after all, an unnatural position and activity. I would also suggest that you don't attempt to increase the compass of notes you play too fast. Start off with some work in the bottom register, then the upper register and finally the vexed question of crossing the break.
Also, do you practise long notes?
Hope this helps
Vanessa.
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Author: Xiongmao
Date: 2010-11-17 00:37
Hey,
Well I think I will ask him, could cook for him maybe ahah. Actually I'm not having any more problems of stamina, now I find I can play for as long as I want. Another problem ive come across, that I hadnt encountered so far, is that my right thumb's joint kinda hurts, but I guess thats another thing you gotta get used to. A couple of days ago I've started using a number 2 reed. Actually another friend of mine (ye, strangely, i seem to have loadsa friends who play the clarinet) told me he started with a 2.5, and he was 12. He said with too much of a soft reed its easy to get used to a wrong embochure. Thing I still find very hard is to switch from low to high register quickly. As for the long notes yep, I do practice them =).
Thanks for the help!
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Author: gsurosey
Date: 2010-11-19 03:44
Hi
I've been playing for a long time (21 years, so maybe not a long relative to some here, but I'm 30, so that's over 2/3 of my life). I started taking lessons again this semester (I stopped studying with a teacher after graduating the college the 2nd time in 2005). One thing my teacher told me early on this semester is that the reeds I was using (Vandoren RLP 56 #4) were too hard for me and that reeds that are too hard can make it easier for you to have bad embouchure habits. I figured using harder reeds would help me not blow through them so fast, but I'm actually doing better with the softer reeds (Vandoren Blue Box #3) and properly adjusting them.
Rachel
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