What does it mean when you try to go low on a clarinet and it goes high?

Answer 1

This adds to the question above. I have been playing the Clarinet for 4 years now and i have never had a problem with my clarinet sounding airy. The only time i have ever experienced touble was when i switched reeds. Recently, i my playing has been suckish. I switched reeds and it makes it sound worse. I switched to "3" reeds back in August of last year and its may now. There is nothing leaking out of my clarinet and nothing is blocking it. I got new pads on my clarinet last July and it hasn't given me trouble until now. What should i do?! Please help!!!

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It can be very difficult to diagnose problems like those you describe. "Airy" can mean different things to different people, and "suckish" is even more nondescript. That said, here's my two cent's worth.

Airy sounds on a clarinet usually result from too little air pressure. You may have to blow harder, even if you want to play softly. Use your embouchure (the muscle around the mouth) too control the volume and the sound. If you don't have enough embouchure strength to contain pressure, you may be backing off and playing with too little pressure. The best exercise for this is long tones. They help you become used to sustaining pressure and build up the embouchure. There's more on long tones below.

The added question talks about switching to #3 strength reeds and not being able to get back to the former level for seven or eight months. Normally, when stepping up in reed strength, it takes only a few weeks before you reach a comfort level. There are several possible problems that could contribute, so my first and best suggestion is to schedule some lessons with a private teacher. Short of that, lets go through some possibilities

Be sure that you are using several different reeds, in rotation, not just one. Some reeds just don't speak well. Try to step back down to a 2 1/2 strength (I assume you just stepped up 1/2 strength) for a week or so and see if the problems disappear. If they don't go away, you may have a problem with the clarinet, even though you say it isn't leaking. Again, a teacher could used their own mouthpiece and reed and verify whether the instrument is working well.

If stepping back down does solve the problem, then you might need to step up in mouthpiece as well as reed. Some student mouthpieces don't take well to harder reeds.

It could also be that you are trying to play a harder reed with the same pressure level you used with a softer reed. As with the original questioner, long tones are the ticket. They're important for almost all problems in producing a good sound. Play a single note for more than ten seconds - build up to twenty or thirty seconds if you can. Build pressure from your diaphragm (your gut). Contain and control the sound with your embouchure. Try and get that good sound you're looking for. After a couple of weeks, play slow scale passages while maintaining the long tone feel.

No solution will fix your sound in a few minutes (unless there's a problem with the clarinet), but it shouldn't take months to notice a change. Weeks maybe, but not months.

As always I encourage you to take private lessons. Even a few will make a big difference.

Answer 2

If your Clarinet keeps playing low notes high, then first make sure you are not pressing the register key. The register key is what enables the Clarinet to play the higher-octave notes. Try and play an open G and see if it comes out as a high annoyingly sounding note. If it still does, you might have some problems with your Clarinet and I would strongly suggest you go to your local music store and have your Clarinet checked out. If your Clarinet does not hit the higher note without pressing the register key, work your way down the Clarinet. It might have been your mouth not being tight enough around the mouthpiece to seal the clarinet mouthpiece with your mouth. Also, make sure you have your top teeth on the Clarinet because it can cause squeaking if you don't. It might not be your fault at all. It might just be the clarinet. Hope this helped

Answer 3

I have a couple of ideas for you. First of all, start by playing middle C and adding a right hand finger going down slowly to B-flat, A, G and finally to F. Keep a steady stream of air blowing all the way through the horn. Also, check to be sure the pads of your fingertips are completely covering the tone holes. Your can look at your hands to see if there is a finger where the "dents" are not centered and help you figure out if one of them is the "culprit."

Answer 4

Most probable- your embouchure is too tight