 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Klarnt
Date: 2026-07-03 09:53
Ok what actually is a nasally tone? We all know it when we hear it, but I want to know acoustically what is it. And by that I mean:
1. What harmonics/partials are more (or less) present when a Clarinet has a nasally tone?
2. What variables in the Clarinet's design can be adjusted to make a horn more nasally? (yes you read that right)
3. Are Alto Clarinets known for being nasally because of their geometric design or are players approaching it the wrong way?
I would love to hear your thoughts
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2026-07-03 13:54
A nasal tone is a bright and shallow EEEEEEEEEEEEE tone that goes right through your soul. The clarinet isn't the thing that makes the tone - the player is.
Two players playing the exact same make/model clarinet with the exact same make/facing mouthpiece with the same make/strength reed and same ligature can sound very different - one player can sound like the best quality chocolate while the other can sound like fingernails down a blackboard or a chainsaw.
It's funny when I hear someone say "I don't want that make/model clarinet because so-and-so plays one and I don't like their tone", or "That clarinet sounds lovely when you play it".
It's never always about the instrument - it's all down to the individual player.
And fairly often when you have sax players approach clarinet with no previous clarinet playing experience, they play them with a more relaxed sax-style embouchure which often sounds thin, spread and flabby as well as they're often flat and "NeEd A ShOrTeR BaRrEl To PlAy In TuNe".
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2026-07-03 16:37)
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2026-07-03 17:41
What Chris P. said, and...
I'd suggest the player's portion is probably similar to how a person speaks nasally: odd tongue position and air stream...possibly the amount of mouthpiece taken in.
I wish there was a way to help folks understand that a clarinet is a clarinet, just like a violin is a violin; a clarinet is the same as a "jazz clarinet"; a violin is the same as a "fiddle", etc. A clarinet and a "nasally clarinet" are the same thing.
"'Tain't what you do, it's the way that you do it...that's what gets results."
Fuzzy
;^)>>>
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