 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Maruja
Date: 2011-02-20 15:56
I was reminded on the forum to record myself in order to hear what I really sound like. I was disappointed - to be honest, I think my actual sound is better than in the recording! What I played sounded hesitant, weak, breathy and generally without that lovely full tone that I am after. I had another go really working on breath support and that made a big difference, though then my failings with where to breathe became very apparent. Has anyone any advice? I've been playing for just over two years and feel quite comfortable with the instrument.
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Author: mrn
Date: 2011-02-20 19:40
Try practicing in a room with tile/lineoleum instead of carpet so you can hear your sound reflect back to you. You might like what you hear better.
Most cassette recorders and the like are designed for recording speech, which doesn't require the same kind of fidelity as musical sound.
If your tone is breathy and the sound hesitant, it could be that your reeds are too hard or unbalanced (or both).
I have found that a really good reed will actually sound a little bit....um...reedy to the person playing. (that is, slightly thinner and "buzzier" than you probably want) When you play in a room with some reverb (so you hear the sound from the "outside," rather than from inside your head), it sounds better. Other peoples' accounts of their own experiences seem to agree with mine in this regard.
Post Edited (2011-02-20 19:41)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-02-20 19:51
If you have a tiled bathroom, play there. You'll sound like in Royal Albert Hall.
Joking aside, I think you're on the right track. Work on your breathing and air control. Scribble breathing marks into the score, try to play "by phrase" rather than "by measure", learn to detect where there is a musical comma, period, semicolon in your notes. Try to play by ear or by heart rather than sight-reading; that should (at the expense of reading practice) improve your breathing technique. Play long loong looong notes.
If possible/convenient, join a community band, or find an instrument buddy to duet with.
What does your instructor say about your problem? (hint, hint...)
--
Ben
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2011-02-20 22:45
I think practising in a reverberant room is not a good idea. Sure it will make you sound "better" but that's a false environment for practise. We can all sound like Caruso singing in the bathroom (well fellas anyway).
Practise in a fairly dead room and work until you sound good there. Once you sound good in that room you can be sure you will sound good anywhere.
And a further benefit is that you can be pretty sure you will never be called on to perform in public in a worse acoustic than the one you practise in.
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Author: Maruja
Date: 2011-02-21 10:14
Many thanks - I moved down to the kitchen and the sound noticeably improved! I think I need to work more on the score before I launch in (I enjoy sight reading), so that I know where to breathe, what the rhythm is and I am not hunting for notes.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2011-02-21 14:13
Recording the clarinet faithfully is difficult. A good rule of thumb is that 'the sound comes out the holes' - so, a microphone must be placed to pick up all the fingerholes pretty evenly. Just a thought.
There's a lot to be said for practicing in a naff acoustic. Like the Romans training with double-weight weapons. Our community band has always played in what seems like the worst hall it can find, and always seems to pull off terrific concerts. Just so long as you don't quit from the strain.
One more thing: weak & breathy = (maybe) reed too hard.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-02-21 17:42
If I were to record myself (which I should, I know), I would set the recorder up at least ten feet away. Put the recorder at a distance where you feel an "audience" would at LEAST be. So you can get more accurate picture of what is heard over THERE.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2011-02-21 22:43
Recording oneself can indeed be a humbling experience, but I find that it is invaluable if you really want to discern how you really play from how you THINK you play.
With respect to recording yourself, there are two approaches that can be considered: close miking and distance miking. Both are valuable. I have recommendations from studio musicians that the best microphone orientation for close miking should have the mike perhaps 2-3 feet away, above your head (e.g., on a boom) and pointed at the middle joint (to get average contribution from all the tone holes. If you use a computer, I have had good results with a Logitech USB desktop microphone (~$30) and a Mac running Garageband. The Zoom and Sony compact digital recorders also produce recordings with accurate fidelity ($100-500).
I would agree that while playing in a dry room is perhaps not flattering, if you can achieve the desired results there, your results in a liver venue will likely be better.
Finally, I really believe that one should understand the difference between how a setup FEELS and how it (really) SOUNDS. Many times a "heavy" setup feels like it produces a big/dark sound, but in reality it may lack sufficient energy to project a good sound throughout a venue. In contrast, a balanced/adjusted reed that is a bit softer may in fact produce a much better [projecting] sound than its associated "feel" would suggest.
The only way I really know to calibrate the difference in what you perceive from what the audience perceives is to listen to yourself in recording and experiment with changes in equipment, embouchure, air support, voicing, phrasing, etc., until you hear the desired results in recording.
Bob Barnhart
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2011-02-22 13:45
> may lack sufficient energy to project a good sound throughout a venue
True. Sometimes the dress rehearsal is where you find out that what sounds sweet in the practice room is lost in the weeds in ensemble... :D
I actually feel reassured these days by a sound that's a little bit bright and edgy at home. Too often I've gone, 'Oh, this new X brand of reeds is really sweet, I'll take them to rehearsal' and felt a fool.
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