Firslty and i feel stupid asking this but i have a problem with squeaking and getting all the notes to sound on my clarinet and i`m taking my grade 7 very soon. Any advice would be much appreciated and also i`ve just bought a new wooden clarinet Yamaha 650 with a vandoren B45 mouthpiece and what`s all this about playing it in? how long will it take before i can play it properly cos my exams looming? i`m also really scared of it cracking! Any tips please!!


Edited by Forum Admin at 05:12 on Sunday, April 13, 2003
Reason: title clarified]

Well about a wooden clarinet cracking, the older it gets the less chance there is of it cracking, The MOST IMPORTANT THING is to keep it out of extreme temps, esp. the COLD. A good indicator is that metal ring on the bell--if that`s loose be e-xtra careful. What helps me the most is a humidifier in the case that keeps the humididty high especially imp. in the winter.
about the squeaking-- well the more you play and (that eight letter word) practice!! the better it will be, if you continue to have squeaking problems it`s probably becuase of your embouchure, either it`s totally wrong or you need to stop bite-ing so hard. The one thing my teacher always tells me is RELAX!!!
Maybe taking a little more mouthpiece might help a little too.
But don`t worry squeaking happens a lot, I still squeak, I`m a sophomore and have been playing for six years, it`s bound to happen once in a while! :-)

Squeaking drives me insane, too. I`ve been playing for 5 years, and it`s come back horribly after 4. Sometimes it`s the reed, sometimes you need to take more mouthpiece, try bending the reed, try pushing the reed up further and if that doesn`t work, try going up a reed strength. It works for me, sporadically, but then my clarinet is temperamental and hates me. Good luck!

To prevent squeeking, push up more with your right thumb so that the mouthpiece is up against the inside of your upper teeth.

Duane

Nice try Ellen, but there are no female clarinetists in the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Dont be so hostile Kevin

Maybe her mom is a guest clarinetist
for Boston- you never know.

Btw- why are we assuming its Boston
Massachusetts, lol

Maybe she is lieing, but you dont have
to assume she is right off the bat
I mean, do you know her?

About that Lemonade thing- its the Lemon
juice in it, and it helps stop your
mouth from drying out.

About the right thumb thing- please
dont do that! Adjust your embouchure
other ways, but do not adjust your
thumb postition that way!
It causes bad technique, mis aligns
your fingers with the tone holes,
causes your thumb to be put under
A LOT of uneccessary pressure, and
can damage your teeth by scraping them
against your mouthpiece gradually.

Common sense people!

Bradley

Perfect practice makes nearly perfect!

Sorry about the double margin format
in my previous post! LOL

I didnt mean to, I just accidentally followed the right margin of the new "submit" box instead of typing past it- out of habit.
Sorry!

Bradley

Well.. about the thumb thing. If you push up your thumb its just getting your clarinet more in your mouth.. pretty much the same as just taking in more reed. My director tells my bottom half clarinets to do that, but if u take in too much u will probably be more prone to squeak. You just have to try different amounts and see what works better. I dunno becuz with me it wasn`t really a problem, but your embochure could be too tight or too loose. Usually the only time you need it really tight is on high notes.. like.. really high ones especially.. but even sometimes it can be different. Good luck!!!

Number 1- Cracking occurs from one reason and one reason only. It is drastic changes of the temperature of the clarinet. If your clarinet is very cold don`t play into it. Wrap it around your shirt and hands and slowly raise its temperature.

Number 2- You might need to practice more to stop from squeeking, or get the clarinet overhauled (overhaul-a complete repair and touch up of every pad, screw, cork, etc. of the clarinet.)

Number 3- You use a wooden yamaha!!!! I`ve played off of yamahas, to put it bluntly THEY STINK. There are only 2 real clarinet models that you can get. They are Buffet R-13`s and Selmer Festival clarinets. Most people go with Buffets, a new Buffet costs about 1600 or 1700 (where I live) and 900 for a used one. You should buy a used clarinet because its much cheaper. When you do LOOK VERY CLOSELY, when clarinets crack the owner takes it to a repairman to get the crack filled. You DON`T want a repaired crack, it`s still worthless. =)


I play clarinets, saxophones, and flute proffessionally. =)

I play a yamaha too *cries* and I just got it for like a thousand bucks. This saddens me. If someone finds a cheap Buffet let me know.. Maybe you should get a different one if possible girl! Let me know how its goin for ya!

Yamaha clarinets are fine. They are not quite as popular though, especially in the professional world. But I think they make as good begginning or intermediate horns as anybody.

I personally think Arthur needs to be quiet for a while. First of all- there is nothing wrong with wooden Yamahas! The Yamaha SEV and CSV are very good clarinets, I just prefer other models to them. You are expressing your opinions like they are facts, and to put it simply- thats just wrong. Try ALL the brands and models before you go with any in particular, and dont listen to anyone`s opinions at all. Form your own. Its the sensible thing to do.
The Buffet R13 runs for $1599 sometimes even $1499 from Matthew`s Music, Brass and Woodwind & Woodwind and Brasswind- three of the best companies where price, selection and quality are concerned. If anyone wants the links to these various stores and their Ebay Outlets, I can provide them via email. I personally think that LeBlancs are the best clarinets overall, but thats my opinion. I would also like to know what a Selmer Festival is. I have heard of and played a Buffet Festival, but never a Selmer, LOL here you go again Arthur.......

Bradley

Perfect practice makes nearly perfect!
LeBlanc Rules!, LOL

Re-reading the garbage Arthur has put out, I would like to clarify some other things :

Before you even shop around for a clarinet model , and then the particular clarinet under that model ( even the supposedly exact same clarinets can differ greatly, especially when it comes to Buffet R13s), learn about the different companies- LeBlanc ( the oldest and most experienced fully french company when it comes to clarinets), Buffet ( some of the lesser models, like the ones begining with E for ex. E11, E12, E13 are not made by them in France, but a company they own in Germany), Selmer ( Considered the best for a while during the 1950s and 1960s- also known to be the loudest, but have fallen in popularity greatly with their new, but still excellent models), and ofcourse Yamaha- the Japanese newcomer of the group ( who makes pretty decent- very playable clarinets in my opinion). Learn about the full model lines, and which particular model would suit your needs. Not everyone can just get a "Selmer" Festival haha or a Buffet R13 like my dear ( with deep sarcasm) friend Arthur has suggested. Then choose your clarinet. I know this soudns extremely tedious, but trust me- it is very worth it when you have that clarinet in your hands knowing you almost got something that wouldn`t have suited you as well. Your clarinet is like a part of you, and once you get a good one and you choose wisely- it will be something you can express yourself through music with for the rest of your life.

On the Topic of cracks- if you find a clarinet you absolutely adore, but it has a crack- then dont give it up just because of that. Get the crack checked out by a good knowlegdeable clarinet repairman/technician and if he says it is an A+ job on the repair, or you need to do it over- then you can have a clarinet you love. Cracks dont affect the tone of a clarinet WHATSOEVER if they are properly repaired. Then you can have an awesome clarinet and even get the seller to come down off the price. I`m not saying look for a clarinet with a crack, but if you find one is the best for you and it is cracked but repaired well, do not be disheartened like Mr. Arthur would have you believe.

Thats all this [hopefully helpful] clarinetist has to say for now!

Bradley

Perfect practice makes nearly perfect!

How about oiling the wood? Will that prevent the wood from drying, and cracking. How about old english furniture oil? If that is a good idea, should the oil be applied inside, and outside? How much to apply? How often?
Thanks for any reply.
Lyle

Oiling is a tricky and broad topic. Even though it seems like all wooden owners use some sort of oil on the bore, I don`t think it`s ever been proven that oil can prevent cracking.

Anyway, if you`re not sure why you`re oiling, when you should oil, and how much you should oil, then I suggest you avoid oiling other than standard bore oil that comes with instructions.