 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2012-01-09 20:02
My pitch is all over the place (usually flat but sometimes sharp) so I took a lesson to try to improve. The teacher suggested a #3 reed (Vandoren) and a slightly shorter than normal barrel. I'm still not in pitch a lot of the time and I'm finding the #3 reed extremely difficult to play. My mouth wears out really fast and the tone I create isn't very good. Would it be wise to go to an even shorter barrel and a softer reed? Thanks for any help.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-01-09 20:09
What mouthpiece are you playing on? Maybe the #3, your embouchure and the mouthpiece just aren't compatible at this point in time.
Go down a notch in reed strength (or try a friendlier brand) and see if things improve.
--
Ben
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-01-09 20:13
If you're on a 67mm there should be no reason not to try a 65mm barrel. I like the suggestion of waiting until your reed/embouchure issue is more stable though. Also keep in mind a shorter barrel will not only make the low notes higher, it will raise the higher pitches as well so you need to smooth out the 'wonkyness' too.
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2012-01-09 20:21
Thank you for your reply. Before reading other postings, I had no idea there were MANY different mouthpieces available. The mouthpiece I'm using is the one that came with my student grade Bundy back in about 1959! Maybe I should start there with some changes. From the posts is looks like either the Vandoren SRV Lyre or the M 13 Lyre would be a good place to start. What thoughts to you have? I had been playing with a #2 reed (after not having played for 40 years), then stepped up to a #2.5 and the pitch was still all over the place.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-01-09 20:30
Do not use the M13 as it will make your pitch even flatter.
Buy a Fobes Debut (some $30..$40) and Mitchell Lurie #3 reeds, and you're in business.
(I'm still using this combination, albeit meanwhile with a harder reed)
Edit: don't discard the Bundy 'piece - if it's hard rubber then it's likely a keeper or a candidate for refacing.
--
Ben
Post Edited (2012-01-09 20:31)
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2012-01-09 21:04
Thank you for your help...I'm going on-line right now to do some searching because I doubt I'll find what you suggest here in town.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-01-09 23:14
or 5RV Lyre (non 13 Series) would be good as well.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2012-01-10 00:52
How long *is* your current barrel. Your teacher suggested a barrel that's "slightly shorter than normal." What length is she suggesting? "Normal," i.e. standard barrels are generally 65mm, 66mm or 67mm (and 64mm barrels are available), although if you're talking about a Bundy it might have come with something else. Can you be any more precise about what you have and what your teacher is recommending?
I ask because, while it's true that the Series 13 Vandoren mouthpieces are designed to play lower than the traditional Vandoren models, disregarding the entire Series 13 line because of that only makes sense if you're playing consistently flat even with a 65mm. Even then, there are 64mm barrels available if there's no other explanation for the flatness.
By the way, a reed that's too soft for a given mouthpiece can also cause flatness, especially as you go higher in the compass. You describe your pitch as being inconsistent. Is it generally flat in the upper clarion and altissimo range (G5 - above the top staff line - and up) and perhaps sharper below the break? Too soft a reed can cause fatigue as easily as too hard a reed - you use a surprising amount of energy trying to control the sound of a soft reed without closing it up - and can sound equally as bad as one that's too hard. A #2 is pretty soft unless your mouthpiece is very resistant.
Karl
Post Edited (2012-01-10 13:42)
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2012-01-11 03:30
My original mouthpiece is 67mm. The one I've been playing is 65mm...and I'm STILL flat. I watched my tuner while practicing tonight and I'm usually flat until I start playing below open G then it goes sharp. Usually I'm really close to being in tune...but rarely does the green light go on indicating I'm right in tune. The #3 Vandoren reed seems so hard (and clunky) to play. I ordered the Fobes Debut and Mitchell Lurie #3 reeds and a new ligature (Mark III Bb Clarinet Ligature) and they shipped today. I'm also going to ask one of the other clarinetists in the band to take my tuner home with him this week to see if HE can make it play in tune. Wouldn't that be nice if it was the tuner and not me:)
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2012-01-11 08:03
Below the break is sharp, above is flat - if it's that consistent, the twelfths are too narrow. A few thoughts:
(1) It's unlikely to be the tuner. They tend either to work or not work - they can be miscalibrated (some have calibration adjustments), but they don't generally react differently from one octave to another.
(2) It could very well be the instrument itself. I have an instrument that was very flat above the break and generally sharp below it - it took several hundred dollars worth of work to get the registers mostly in tune with each other (probably not worthwhile if your clarinet is an old student model). If it's a structural problem with the clarinet, the only real fix is another instrument. It isn't likely to be fixed by a barrel or a mouthpiece, although a better mouthpiece will certainly not hurt or be wasted money even if you end up switching clarinets.
(3) Have you tried your mouthpiece on another clarinet (one that someone else plays in tune, like your teacher's instrument)? Has your teacher tried playing your clarinet with her mouthpiece? It's important to know if the tuning problems stay with you or follow the instrument.
(4) You might check the register tube to make sure it's clean - anything narrowing it might flatten pitches with the register key open.
(5) Also, you can try removing the register key entirely to see if that improves the flatness above the break - if it does, the register key may not be opening enough.
Karl
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Author: davyd
Date: 2012-01-11 13:55
"I had no idea there were MANY different mouthpieces available."
One time I went through the Woodwind & Brasswind catalog and made a list of all the available clarinet mouthpieces. Different brands, different models, different facings -- add it up, and there are nearly 250 different ones to try. That was several years ago; who knows what's been developed since then.
The situation is even worse for saxophones. A similar survey counted over 950 different tenor sax mouthpieces.
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2012-01-11 17:41
Thank you for the great ideas. I would never have thought of them...nor did my teacher. I do have a very good clarinet I can borrow. I will do that to try to narrow down possibilities. Thank you very much for all your suggestions.
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2012-01-14 17:05
The problem was the Zoid TUNER! I took it to the music store where I purchased it and they had a device that would emit a 440 tone and my tuner said it wasn't in tune. Several other tuners in the store said the pitch was right on. So, now I have a new tuner and I'll be able to see if I'm in tune or not. The clarinetists who sit on either side of me in the band say I'm playing in tune...whew! I DO now have a new mouthpiece, reeds, and ligature that I may not have needed to purchase, but I'm going to enjoy them anyway. Thanks, everybody, for your help:)
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