 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: g81gr
Date: 2016-09-21 20:52
Good day. I noticed that there is a constant hissing sound while playing every single note in every clarinet i tried. It is like using the whisper technique and play notes at the same time... I play the clarinet almost 20 years, and i just noticed the problem... This sound is less if i press harder on the reed but every note goes sharp... I use the Vandoren m30 mouthpiece, 3 strenth vandoren of all kind and a Backun Alpha clarinet. What do you suggest i do to get rid of this annoying sound???
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Author: g81gr
Date: 2016-09-22 12:28
I will try a 2 1/2 but i always feared that it would struggle with the altissimo range thats why i was reluctant to use it... I thought that it was something else... I will try ang get back at you!!! Thanks for the advice!!!
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-09-22 17:28
g81gr wrote:
> I will try a 2 1/2 but i always feared that it would struggle
> with the altissimo range thats why i was reluctant to use it...
Whenever there's a question that involves reeds and reed choices, there's only one way really to answer it - try it and see what happens. As an investment it isn't like trying different clarinets or even different mouthpieces. So, "fear" that something bad will result isn't a reason not to experiment. Yes, if the #2.5 is too soft for the mouthpiece you're using, altissimo may be the first place you'll notice the symptoms. But if the #3 is just too stiff, the softer strength may work out well.
There aren't too many things that could cause a consistent hiss over the entire compass.
- There could be something wrong with the mouthpiece - the facing could be warped, or a tiny nick in one of the rails, especially the tip rail, could be letting air through without engaging the reed.
- A "singing" pad (one with loose or torn skin that vibrates when not closed) would stop when it closes on its tone hole.
- Leaky pads tend to cause whatever harm they do in more local areas of the range, generally on notes below the leak.
- Some kind of small air leak through your nose would be audible to you, but maybe not to a listener. A larger one that someone else would hear would probably cause other problems of tone control, response and endurance.
There are probably other possible causes that I'm not coming up with at the moment, but, as I've said, few would cause a hiss throughout the entire range.
Try the softer reed and, if it doesn't stop the hiss, let the BB know. If it stops the hiss but causes other unwanted consequences, then at least it will narrow the problem down a little.
Karl
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Author: TomS
Date: 2016-09-23 00:03
Embouchure "blow by" sounds to be the problem.
I had it for a while ... sometimes from using a setup that has too much back pressure and sometimes just lazy lips not sealing around the MP properly.
My teacher's solution was simple: "Hey Tom, stop leaking air! Just quit it!" ... I just did what I could to tighten up and the hiss went away. No magic, just an effort to stop leaking.
Now, if your setup is too resistant, which could mean a bad MP facing, stiff reeds or something, you can fix that more easily than change your lips.
The Alpha is an easy blow, as I remember, nice little horn, but the keys are not my cup of tea.
Tom
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-09-23 06:26
TomS wrote:
> Embouchure "blow by" sounds to be the problem.
>
> My teacher's solution was simple: "Hey Tom, stop leaking air!
> Just quit it!" ... I just did what I could to tighten up and
> the hiss went away. No magic, just an effort to stop leaking.
>
That's one cause I left out. If air escaping around the mouthpiece is the problem, it's important to change is to the firmness of the lips, not the amount of jaw pressure.
g81gr wrote:
> This sound is less if i press harder on the reed
> but every note goes sharp...
So, if you try to correct an air leak by biting harder, you may drive the pitch higher and cause response problems as you close the reed against the mouthpiece. A leak needs to be stopped by firming up the lips around the mouthpiece.
Just out of curiosity, have you changed your ligature recently? An escaping stream of air can catch an edge on some ligatures that amplifies any hiss. If you've only noticed your noise recently, you might think about anything you've changed to see whether reversing the change gets rid of the problem.
Karl
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Author: g81gr
Date: 2016-09-23 08:22
I want to thank every one of you, your answers are really perfect!!!
I noticed that i do not use lip pressure but jaw pressure. yesterday, i tried to not use the jaw moving it backwards and the hissing improved for a minute without going sharp!!! but after the minute my lips couldn't follow... I have been playing 20 years wrong, and i just realize things now...
I guess i have to use softer reed while using more lips so that the lips get stronger...
I recently changed the ligature (silverstein original) and this ligature improved the problem somehow... The hissing problem mush have been since i started playing, because i remember hurting my lips from the inside with my teeth, and i used pads so that i could bite the reed even more... But while playing only along with others i didn't ever noticed that sound.
The mouthpiece is ok, i had it tested, the clarinet is ok also tested, also there in no air leak from the corners around the lips.
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