Poor tone quality is unfortunately more common than most of us would
like it to be, and directors never look on that kindly. The following
few tips and pointers have all been collected from expert clarinet
players with significant teaching experience, so they should be ideal
for helping young students improve their tone quality within a fairly
short amount of time.
Always Work with Instruments of Good Quality
Before anything else, let’s bust a myth and stress on the
importance of using high-quality clarinets and accessories from day
one. From your very first clarinet, to the most expensive model you
may buy later on as a professional, every instrument, reed,
mouthpiece, etc. must be of a certain standard.
If you start learning or practicing on poorly made instruments, bad
habits will be developed as an inevitable result of that. Stick with
high quality woodwind instruments
and accessories from the beginning to prevent this from happening.
Focusing with Form
Focusing is essential for a clarinet player to produce profound
tones, and it’s affected by air speed, tongue position, and grip on
the instrument. Take note of the following smart tips and start
working on centre and core improvements right away:
-
Fast air speed leads to steady, clear and melodious tones
-
A higher tongue position will produce focused tones immediately
-
The grip must be strong in order to improve focus
-
The bell should naturally find its position around the knees
-
Play the clarinet in several angles until you find the one where it sounds most full
-
The partially rolled bottom lip should be cushioning the reed at all times
Tuning Practice: Prerequisites
A clarinet that isn’t properly tuned cannot produce good tones. It
doesn’t matter how much you practice tuning, if the following
points are not kept in mind, the tuning will never be as effective as
they should be.
-
You cannot tune unless the sound has been centred first
-
Do not attempt to tune any woodwind instrument without a reference pitch
Tuning Tips for Better Results
Now that you are ready to tune your clarinet, here’s a brief but
effective guide to correcting flat or sharp pitches.
-
If the pitch is flat, use a mouthpiece or change the reed
-
Finger shading will often be enough to correct sharp pitches
-
D major and Eb will likely require changes in voicing (ooh instead of ee) to correct sharp pitches
-
Swap out a bell or replace a barrel to notice if the tone sounds better
Articulating and Maintenance of Focus
Fast tempos are ideal to learn the maintaining of focus (use “e”)
while articulating, as slow tempos usually lead to excessive tongue
motion in beginners. You can slow down gradually, but starting
out fast with bursts is a proven strategy to maintain good
articulated clarinet tone.
Did you know that the clarinet itself is not as responsible for tone
quality as the mouthpiece and reed used by the player? Finding
balance in between “too hard” and “too soft” is of immense
importance while selecting reeds, as the former will over sharpen the
tone, while using the latter will lead to an unfocused, flat pitch.
CONVERSATION