 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: eja_1080
Date: 2016-08-05 00:12
I've been playing the clarinet through school for about six years--I began playing in the sixth grade, and I'm about to start my senior year in high school. I have, unfortunately, never taken lessons with a private teacher. My practice schedule has previously been very lax. Now, I'm practicing for about an hour a day (scales and Hindemith's sonata for clarinet and piano). My biggest problem is squeaking. Common squeaks for me include:
--Clarion A and G (when I play these notes, I often hear the note and the quiet beginning of a squeak. If I hold the note, the quiet sound turns into a full-blown squeak)
--a very soft almost-squawk when I quickly slur throat tone F# to throat tone A,
--a similar almost-squawk when I slur higher chalumeau notes and lower throat tones to B.
My clarinet was recently regulated, so it seems unlikely that a mechanical issue is causing the aforementioned squeaks and squawks. The clarinet is a Buffet E11, with a Vandoren M13 Lyre mouthpiece and Vandoren V12 3.5 reeds (rehydrated and broken in slowly). I'm not sure what I could be doing to cause these squeaks. I have been focusing on taking big breaths and engaging my abdominal muscles for proper air support, although I feel like my air support is not good enough. Slurs across the break sound "broken" on occasion. I also notice a slight, raspy sound at the beginning of many notes in ranges above the chalumeau. Could you offer any advice as to things I could try to target these problems?
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Author: Matt74
Date: 2016-08-05 01:18
It's hard to say, but you might be moving your throat or tongue, and/or biting. You might be moving your instrument somehow by hitting or lifting keys too hard. If you are "trying" hard to develop air support you might be tensing up which could cause any of the above.
Try playing scales slowly and/or doing long tones to see if that helps.
- Matthew Simington
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Author: eja_1080
Date: 2016-08-05 02:06
Thanks! I just practiced for the second time today and it seemed that I was able to reduce squeaks a lot by moving my lower jaw a bit further up on the mouthpiece, and slightly raising the instrument. I think using too much force to press keys and cover tone holes may also be part of the problem. I will definitely try slow scales and long tone exercises.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-08-05 02:26
eja_1080 wrote:
> I was able to reduce squeaks a lot by moving my
> lower jaw a bit further up on the mouthpiece, and slightly
> raising the instrument. I think using too much force to press
> keys and cover tone holes may also be part of the problem.
The thing is, if you're playing on a mouthpiece with a responsive facing with balanced, responsive reeds, the angle in itself shouldn't cause squeaks. Pressing too hard on keys can reflect too much embouchure tension, which can be a cause, or it can cause your fingers to pull off the holes slightly, which will definitely cause squeaks, though maybe not the specific ones you describe.
I don't know which direction you mean by moving "further up" on the mouthpiece, but if you mean moving away from the tip and toward the bark and ligature onto a thicker part of the reed, that's unlikely to stop squeaks, either. If anything, if you go far enough in that direction, you'll start squeaking uncontrollably. If you mean you moved toward the tip to take less reed inside your mouth, you may have had too much reed inside to begin with.
Apart from taking too much reed inside your mouth, the most likely cause of what you're describing is unresponsive, unbalanced or (ironically) too soft reeds. What strength are you using on what mouthpiece? Is your mouthpiece visibly damaged in any way?
Karl
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Author: eja_1080
Date: 2016-08-05 06:53
Hi Karl. Thanks for your reply. When I practice tomorrow, I will see if pressing keys and covering tone holes more softly helps. I will also look into decreasing embouchure tension. When I said I moved "further up" on the mouthpiece, I meant that I moved towards the tip. I think I previously had too much of the mouthpiece in my mouth.
My reeds are Vandoren V12 3.5s. My mouthpiece is a Vandoren M13 Lyre, and it's not damaged.
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Author: eja_1080
Date: 2016-08-07 05:46
It was definitely embouchure tension. I was able to stop the squeaks by reducing the pressure my lips exerted on the reed and beak of the mouthpiece and pulling the corners of my mouth tighter around the mouthpiece. I was also able to induce squeaks by increasing lip pressure on the reed and the beak of the mouthpiece. Thank you so much for your help!
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