 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Exiawolf
Date: 2015-01-29 07:40
I'm curious at the moment, how much air do you hear in your own sound? Obviously at most concert halls you are a considerable distance away from the audience so they most likely will not hear the air from your instrument. Do you hear a little bit of air, or a bit more when you play? (On a good responsive reed of course)
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-01-29 07:57
With the reeds I'm currently using, not very much at all. Other reeds I've played, especially slightly harder reeds, have had quite a bit more air in the sound.
Obviously if the reed is way too airy it likely means it's too hard.
Post Edited (2015-01-29 07:58)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-01-29 10:21
There was a comment that sort of "woke me up" made by Tony Pay which was, "the lower lip doesn't just sit there like a dead piece of meat." Since then I have thought a lot about how to describe air vs. embouchure.
There is a balancing act that occurs between the amount of air we use vs. the amount of embouchure control exerted. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that this RATIO remains similar as we move dynamically, note-wise, register-wise.
Of course we don't consciously manipulate this balance (which must happen ALL THE TIME) based on some internal awareness of these forces (separately or in unison), we manipulate these forces based on WHAT THE NOTE SOUNDS LIKE.
Now, there may be a bit of "airiness" in the sound particularly as you diminuendo to nothing, but this is much more desirable than allowing the embouchure to dominate the sound which would make the note sound "pinched-off" or "wheezy."
............Paul Aviles
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-01-29 18:50
Quinton: I don't hear much air in my sound. Which doesn't mean there isn't simply because that's what I observe.
Others, whose opinions I respect, and who I've asked to not sugar coat their answers, tell me as well that they like my sound, which, the closer it sounds like Burt Hara's, the happier I am. They also tell me things about it that need improvement: which usually come in the form of intonation issues. I like to hear criticism in the sense that I know that nobody is perfect, and that I am not being patronized.
That said, I would imagine that you are apt to hear more air the closer you are to the instument: a fact not lost on their idea that the player is closest.
I think I can appreciate the place from which you asked this question, although I am not certain. I look at your question, and underneath it see the question:
How much does air void of recognizable musical tone travel, especially compared to what I hear?
If this is in fact something you seek answer to, I would suggest recording yourself with quality gear from various distances, and/or solicit the help of friends in the know, as you write down your own perceptions of your sound at the time, not knowing the audience's impressions, or they yours.
After playing, compare notes (no pun intended.)
Similarly, you could listen to colleagues, whose sound you like, at various distances, and see what changes if any that you notice.
Post Edited (2015-01-29 18:52)
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-01-29 20:02
First of all, are you asking about very soft dynamic levels or consistently over all dynamics? It's of course hard to imagine how you would do a true al niente without a little air creeping in and being left over ny itself after the reed has stopped vibrating. In fact, I get to my softest sound by letting up on my embouchure pressure to the point that it's barely controlling the reed. The reed vibrates less efficiently and will produce less sound without closing. But that's an effect - not for me a habitual way of playing.
Second, you've added "(On a good responsive reed of course)," which begs the question: how do you define a responsive reed? If I hear any air hiss or sizzle at all above a piano, I find the reed's responsiveness questionable.
I know there are excellent clarinetists who are more willing than I to accept air mixed in with the reed's sound, and I know in the couple of examples I have heard personally that you really can't hear it in a big concert hall. But I consider sizzle that I hear to be wasted air. My comfortable phrase span is short enough without making things harder for myself.
Karl
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-01-30 00:26
One of my old teachers maintained that when listening "up close and personal", if your sound didn't have a touch of airy fuzziness, your sound at the 1st row and beyond, was very likely small and thin.
Tom
Post Edited (2015-01-30 02:57)
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Author: Johan H Nilsson
Date: 2015-02-01 03:21
Put a microphone under the bell and you will be surprised by how much air you hear.
Leaking air through the instrument is one thing. Strong reeds require more air but will carry higher tones better. Leaking air between the lips and the mouthpiece is only a bad habit and has no merits. Both can be audible at quite some distance. In both cases you will need to breathe more often.
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