i currently have a Yamaha clarinet which i am playing in band. But the whole year my band teacher has been telling me that im VERY flat an has excluded me from playing the solos or any music that has high notes in it.

i have 4 years of experience and was always told that my tone was good from other band teachers so i was definetly surprised when my tone sounded way different from the tone of the first and second chair clarinetists.

my current band teacher did not say anything about my embochure and advised me to get a new clarinet, such as a buffet clarinet.

i was wondering if there was a way to avoid having to buy a new clarinet and still PLAY IN TUNE!!!

sry for the trouble....but i really dont know wats wrong with my clarinet

What instrument does your band teacher play?

tighten your mouth around the reed when you play, it produces a very slightly higher pitch. or buy a new reed if the one your using is old.

my band teacher plays a lot of instruments but i think he majors in trumpet

even when i tighten my mouth around my reed im about -20 flat. i use a 3 1/2 reed size which is sanded down a little.
do u think i need to change my whole clarinet?

Probably not, because in my experience the Yamahas have excellent tuning. A new mouthpiece might help.

bahaha the band tunes to ME so i`m always in tune.. XD lucky me...

tighten your embouchure in the higher register. that should do it. or a new mouthpiece, but try working on your embouchure first. gradually take more drastic measures until you find something that works.

is it normal gor different notes to be sharp while others flat?

what is a good mouthpeice brand?


sry im asking so many questions..but i really need to improve my intonation somehow...

I use a Fobes San Franscisco mouthpiece.
For more advice either ask or do a search at the forum at www.woodwind.org.
I don`t really know a great deal about different types of mouthpieces, because I found one that worked and stuck with it.
For the intonation problems (some notes flat, some sharp.), you will have to make adjustments inside your mouth as you play. Clarinets have really weird intonation, (although not as bad as I`ve heard that the oboe can be) so you need to be thinking about the pitch of each note you play.
Also, if you are consistently flat, it might be possible to get a shorter barrel.
Unfortunately I can`t give too much advice on your embouchure without having seen you play. Maybe you could describe how you form it and I might have some idea of any problems?

i dont know how to describe it...but ive been looking around online and ive find a mouthpeice that is a vandoren m13 do u think this is a good brand for my clarinet?