FEATURED QUESTIONS
Dear Paula:
I have been searching the Internet to look for advice on some of my problems when I stumbled upon your website. It has been very helpful to me so far but I do have some specific questions for you.
I am a grade 12 student and clarinet player looking to go to university. I have a music teacher who is very confident in me and is even setting me up with a private instructor - the lessons will begin at the beginning of the school year in fall. Unfortunately I have a few problems. I played clarinet for two years and received very little instruction. I was switched to bass clarinet which is this instrument I advanced on.
I really love the bass clarinet but I do have to switch back to clarinet. I seem to have some difficulties that I want to work through before I start my lessons. I think my biggest problem is my high register - above the top of the staff G. When I can get a sound up there it tends to be sharp, squeaky and completely uncontrolled. I would be so grateful for any advice you could give me to control these notes.
Sincerely,
Nicole
Hello Nicole:
Thank you so much for your great question! I too, love bass clarinet. You are fortunate to already be familiar with both Bb soprano and Bass. Your university teachers will be very appreciative of this!
Sometimes directors switch students to bass clarinet before they have a chance to master the full range of the Bb soprano. This is unfortunate. The issues you describe in the clarion register (around G) are common and stem from the fact that your oral cavity/air stream may not have been developed enough for the middle register of the Bb soprano clarinet to begin with, which may have prompted the switch. Bass parts often hover in the low register in the early years of ensemble music.
From your description, it sounds like you are “biting” the mouthpiece to compensate for a ‘too slow’ air stream. It is also possible that your tongue is too low inside your mouth which can also cause squeaking. Lastly, hand position is a constant battle for everyone and can also cause squeaking. Here’s what I suggest:
Do register shifts. Start on low Bb (just below the staff). Play at a mezzo forte and hold until it is steady and clear. Then start the Bb again and touch the register key. Listen to the top F. Is it steady and clear? If not, then try the following:
1) Speed up the air so that the shift between notes is seamless; If this doesn’t solve the problem then
2) Make sure your grip is firm - top teeth holding the mouthpiece firmly so that it doesn’t move around inside your mouth.
3) Lift your tongue by thinking “hee” and imagine your tongue high, forward and close to the reed.
4) Be diligent and do these everyday until all the notes - from low E/B to thumb F/C speak.
I am attaching an exercise to this response from DAILY WORKOUTS for you to try. The top three things I see that cause poor response in the middle register are these (listed in order):
Air stream is too slow
Oral cavity is too open (hah instead of hee) and tongue is too low
Mouthpiece grip is not firm enough
Hang in there. Let me know if my suggestions help.
Best,
Paula Corley
Dear Paula,
I am a freshman in high school and am 3rd chair in my band but I am having trouble with switching from throat tones to register notes. They is always a gap between the notes and I was curious if this was my embouchure. I have been suspicious of this for a while, though I haven?t been having tone problems. I did have embouchure problems in the past but I am almost certain I have fixed those. This has been frustrating me because I am competing at a state level with a solo in a few months, I would like to fix this problem before then (though I may not be able to fix it that fast) but if I can even slightly improve it I will sound better. I have also noticed I have trouble tonguing fast, at first, the notes weren?t coming out...then I started using more air and the tonguing was fixed but a lot of the time my first note won?t come out. The first note sounds almost splattered, if and when it comes out, I am not sure how to fix this. But thank you for reading this and I look forward to any advice you have for me.
Sincerely,
Brittany
Dear Brittany:
Thank you for such a well-written question. These are always the ones I feature on my website.
First the issue with register connection: connecting throat tones to the middle register. This is an issue for many of us and is manageable through exercises that you can incorporate into your daily practice. On the "Educational Materials" tab, please download the High School Handout that I did for the recent Texas Clarinet Colloquium. On it you will find a register connector exercise that addresses this exact issue.
Since I have not heard you play, my best guess is that it is an air - not embouchure - issue. One of the ideas that must become instinctive in everyone's playing is playing a slight crescendo on at the end of any note before a register shift. I illustrate this on the handout by borrowing the opening of one Rose's famous 40 Studies where the opening line is a C scale (Concert Bb) slurred up with an open "G" between each pitch. Practice going up from G to each note of the scale. Put a slight crescendo at the end of each G before you shift up. This slight increase in volume accounts for the 'delay' you are experiencing. I am certainly not an acoustical expert but do know that opening the register key and adding/removing fingers changes the length of the tube (clarinet). If you practice this enough, you will become familiar with the tendencies of the clarinet and learn how to navigate register shifts without thinking about it.
Articulating the first note of any given passage: Today I was working with a group of high school students in a master class on this very issue. You are correct (!!!) in fixing the air behind the tongue to make every note speak. The air and tongue must work together for success. If the first note doesn't speak, the air stream may be too slow. If the first note is exploding, the airstream may be too big. Think about the hose used to inflate tires. The small attachment on the end of the hose that attaches to the tire's stem is really small in size, but really fast in delivering air into the tire.
Another variable is always excessive tongue 'motion.' As a general rule, most developing players move the tongue too much which will cause response problems. Use the tonguing burst practice exercises in the same handout to develop consistency in air and tongue position. Be patient, it takes time. Once you develop the skill, you have to keep practicing the skill to keep it.
Thanks again for writing. Let me know if these suggestions help.
Best,
Paula Corley