How to NOT squeak on the bass clarinet

[gabstaa17]

t.h.a.n.k.y.o.u.s.o.e.f.f.i.n.­g.m.u.c.h.

(:

[lickingfrog]

hey, real nice tip man! can you post more videos with more tips? this is helping the bass clarinet comunity a lot! thanks!

[TheLizzybeth1]

haha i tried it but my reed is really bad! an di sounded like a dieing duck !!!

[lemonarizonatea]

Oh wow, I had no clue about this stuff. Thanks, this video is really helpful. The only notes I seem to have a chronic problem with are B, C, and C# (i.e. when switching registers) due to smallish hands. Any tips to make it a little easier?

[m0nkeycrazy]

I can't even play my regiSter key notes with the register. They come out the sane as wighout the register.

[Luiginerd10]

Im in the symphonic band at my high school. I cant get abouve high G. How do you "voice" correctly?

[airhead1400]

I looked at your horn for my first time and when I saw your left hand pinky keys i almost cried. explain what they are and why....

[Themanofmoney18876]

thumbs up for bass clarinet!

[ClaraPTherapy]

HI, great advice. I am practising this already as my teacher told me....but I have another question.

I squeak only when I tongue the note...above clarinet register D... Whats this all about?

I'm not playing a Bass clarinet but a Bb...

Grateful for any advice.?

[lemonarizonatea]

@ClaraPTherapy Try adjusting your embouchure. What happens when you make your facial muscles tighter? Looser? With the mouthpiece farther in your mouth? Less? Experiment with your tonguing, and start very lightly. And practice often. (Bb soprano is my primary, by the way.:3 )

[lemonarizonatea]

@ClaraPTherapy Oh, and make sure your reed is in good condition; it shouldn't be chipped, cracked, split, etc., smelly, or discolored from extensive use. If you still don't seem to be improving after all of this, it may be time to have your instrument viewed by a repair specialist.

[usefulmusic]

Really helpful.

[WhisperingCryptic]

I enjoyed your video. It was very helpful!

[xIReAveRzIx]

Nice Yamaha.

[DajaWaja]

man you're of gerat help, thankzzz very much

[TheCodygiles]

Yamaha?

[TheCodygiles]

I totally have that bass!!! Yamaha? ^_^

[audir1thenewone]

does anyone know how tall a low c bass clarinet is??

[RebirthROsBaDKiD]

This dude blows. Practice more

[bOStoN321123]

please help me. i have been playing for 5 years and i CAN NOT play above a D. not the D where you play with 1&2 right above middle C. its the D where you play basically a low G with the register key. i cannot for the life of me play higher. ive watched this video countless times and still cant do anything about it. help?

[earspasm]

@bOStoN321123 so, I think you have a mechanical problem. On most bass clarinets there is a mechanism that changes which register hole that is opened by the register key -- one larger register hole for B-C-D in the clarion register, and the smaller, higher one for notes above those. I bet you are having an issue with that mechanism if you cannot play above D. I'd have a repair person check it out.

[bOStoN321123]

thanks. i think ill have a repair shop check it out.

[bigdybadman]

hi, so im doing a concertino of karel husa and pratically all the notes are above the staff and i tried you method of getting the high notes out but do you have any other ways also to play high notes?

[earspasm]

@bigdybadman this will take about 2 years of solid practice to master I'm afraid. It's not a magic pill :) Sorry! (But do practice it - it will make all the difference in your playing)

[poptartpencil]

hi, i have been clarinet for about 3 years and i am switching to bass clarinet next week. i was wondering if anything is different fingering wise or anything else. thx

[earspasm]

@poptartpencil Fingerings are the same (except for the added notes on a low C bass clarinet)

[venskus2009]

is that a selmer 37 or 67? i think its a 37

[earspasm]

@venskus2009 37

[venskus2009]

@earspasm it;s really nice. have you tried the privileges? how do you arrange a trip to paris to get it. i read your paper :D very helpful

[sverbern]

Thanks for this instructions! I have a somewhat related problem: at 4:35 you say: "you probably can't go down into your right hand..." but that actually is my problem. I cannot hit the low notes (esp. A,G# and G) right without them jumping to the higher register (E,D#,D). I have no problems playing them in scales (either legato or staccato) but hitting them after a rest is really difficult, especially with accents but also pizzicato. Do you have any voicing hints on that? Thanks a lot!

[earspasm]

@sverbern So you're saying in the fundamental register you have this problem? I say this because A in the fundamental = 3rd partial E. Most of the voicing issues people have are in the clarion register (between in-the-staff B up C above the staff). If you're hitting 3rd partial E when playing an A, I think it's possible you might have a mechanical problem with your instrument or your mouthpiece. Either that, or you are playing with a very high tongue position...but I would bet the former.

[sverbern]

@earspasm You are right about the mechanical problem! I found out that one of the keys (the G#1 key) was leaking. I had it repaired and it made all my problems disappear!

[jonhadas]

Great teacher! thank you.It is always nice to find real experts on youtube and not people who only claim to be "experts"

[savvyandskye]

Oh my goodness! Thank you sooo much, I was having a bad problem with sound on my upper register even after 3 years on bass clarinet and my lesson teacher never told me this! Thanks again

[abukamoon]

I am a saxophonist, not a clarinetist. I have always wanted to play clarinet too. This is the best explanation of how to produce the correct note I have ever seen.

Clarinet is a lot more demanding than saxophone. Thank you.

[Begeru]

These techniques can be applied to saxophones too I think.

[BulldozerNDF]

I can't play past the high A....=( I just graduated too......;(

[TheHalo3creed]

i play a student instrument and as soon i get to the second register i have tons of issues

[bellak1028]

I don't play the bass clarinet but I play the Bb clarinet. I keep squeaking and I don't know why

[WingedTigerGuy]

I have a problem. My A, Bb, B, and C right above staff make this nasty grunty noise before they speak. Could it be voicing?

[earspasm]

@WingedTigerGuy  It's ABSOLUTELY a voicing issue.

[WingedTigerGuy]

@earspasm Hmmmm I got the chance to try a professional bass clarinet and the notes sounded perfect....could it be a flaw of the single-register vent of the student instrument I have?

[Talis64]

arghhh!!! please do bflat clar tutorials

[austin1052]

Thank you! This really helped me! Check out my playing on my profile, if you want to of course! =)

[TheFrezer456]

started playing bass clarinet last year, now were going up above A and now i squeak on the higher notes

[missionimprovisation]

This is great stuff for players who have a good quality mouthpiece and good reeds that match the facing curve of the mouthpiece. If you are playing a cheap student mpc that is really only good for making a sound before you take your first lesson, get a new mouthpiece and then try the voicings.Otherwise you will be very frustrated.

[okuohs74]

for me it's all the low notes that tend to squeak...i'm an alto saxophonist that's switched to bass clarinet, so all the fingerings are already different and confusing to me but all the squeaks are driving me insane.

any help?

you're video was helpful though^^

thanks

[korranda]

you squeaked at 0:21... hahaha

[earspasm]

yeah, it's puberty.

[christa9029]

thanks that helped me alot i play clarinet and not used bass and it helped so much now i can play bass in several activitys with the bass through out my high school band :D

[jbalint1]

thanks, i'm only using the soprano clarinet now, but this is great advice!