r/Clarinet

For the past year, my throat tones and upper chalumeau notes have been super flat. Like 15-20+ cents flat. No matter how much i push my barrel in, faster air, nothing works. I’ve been playing for several years now and have only noticed this happening within the past 1-2 years. If anyone has advice that would be appreciated

as the title says i have broken 3-4 clarinets already and might have broken my latest one. (The hole used for lowest E doesnt close when pressing the corresponding lever).

I have come to the conclusion that it is due to the fact i cannot press the holes in a manner that doesn't let the air out without ambiently destroying the keys. (for a while on my latest one, i just pressed really hard to get the sound out and it has probably gotten worse. because i was too lazy to fix it).

when i learned that my fingers aren't supposed to be flat on the keys and are infact arched, i couldn't orient my thumb in a way where i could press the octave key and F hole.

what do i do? i don't really want to swap to soprano sax. is it a skill issue i have? thanks for the help.

https://preview.redd.it/4h3k8xxgtdbh1.png?width=617&format=png&auto=webp&s=ee24caed2e573118a097d12e9c9f8229d64ad52b

hey everyone, im a beginner composer and i really want to hear this played on a real clarinet before publishing it, the tempo is allegro but i totally accept a slower version just to get a hint at the timbre if i could get a video of you playing. thanks!

Hi everyone,

I am currently looking into possible upgrade/professional clarinets and I am very interested in the professional Uebel clarinets. These instruments do not seem that common, but do any of you have experience with them, in particular the Preference and the Romanza? I currently play a Backun Alpha, which is nice and light, and I'm looking for another that's romantic and warm. What do you think of the Uebel professional clarinets in general, also compared to equivalent models of Buffet, Selmer, Yamaha and Backun?

I'm not sure what to call it, before posting this I've tried researching this topic and seen it called snuggling, but that sounds stupid. Every since I start playing the clarinet I was always told to push up with my right thumb so the mouthpiece "rest" on my top teeth. If I'm being honest, I put minimum pressure with my right hand just enough to hold the instrument, as I've always found it uncomfortable and awkward.

So is it really worth doing? If so what are good tips on applying this technique without it being uncomfortable?

im currently a high school student, and ive been playing on the vandoren m13 lyre mouthpiece for about 4 years now. when i was a beginner in middle school i played fine on it, but now im feeling as if im not producing a good quality sound. this past year, I noticed that my tone, tuning, and articulation didn't feel as clean and precise as they did before. my open g is always flat for some reason. my private lessons teacher noticed that i sounded like its hard for me to blow air through. (still kind of confusing to me because i should be blowing more air as i play for longer right?) anyways, she said i might need a mouthpiece that's easier to blow air through and was wondering if anyone on here had recommendations/tips on how to fix this probelm. thanks!!!

So recently I came across this old clarinet, I dunno exactly how old but it’s got my grandmothers maiden name on it so prolly like the 50’s maybe 60’s? and I mean I’ve never played the clarinet, I only play the saxophone, but now I’m thinking maybe I should try it. It’s a “buffet crampon and c__ “. it’s missing a bunch of pads, and the rest are broken. but other than that it’s in good shape. the wood isn’t cracked from what I can tell, the keys don’t look bent, nun of that. but the mouthpiece is chipped. how much do you think it would cost to be in good, playable condition? and do you think it’s worth it?

Heyo, I am a senior high marching and symphonic student. I've had this issue for over a year now, but it's been coming back and fourth. When marching, some notes (specifically C, D, E in the second octave) let's out a chirp. I can play those notes comfortably in general. The chirping only happens at the beginning of the note.

I really just wanted to ask to see if anyone had an idea so I can tell them what to possibly fix. I've changed reed sizes back and fourth, did a yearly maintenance, but it's still pretty bad.

I started a sub for all bass instruments here: https://www.reddit.com/r/lowwinds/s/WBX87nSgUE feel free to join!

I regret donating my clarinet my grandparents got me when I was a kid. It was an Armstrong; not sure how nice it was. It was probably a student / beginner instrument. Anyway, My main question is, how much money should I expect to spend on a clarinet that is not bottom tier. I suspect I want it to be made of wood, not plastic. I realize there are the big brands like buffet and Yamaha etc.

Is there a “good value” clarinet for the money? I’ve seen so many ranging from $75 used to thousands. Is there some sort of middle ground where I can get one that I can “grow with”? Thanks for reading

Hi I was just wondering which reeds people like to play on with the b40 lyre!!

I usually use v12 3.5 but i find that while a few of them sound pretty, some sound kinda bright and edgy? especially in clarion and above range. It’s a bit strange because v12 is said to be the darkest sounding among the Vandoren reeds. However, I feel like going to 3.5+ would be too resistive for my comfort. Any recommendations for reeds that pair well with the B40 Lyre?

I have band camp in like 2 weeks

I don’t know all of my scales, and I really am struggling to memorize them. Are there any tips on how I can memorize them quickly and have fun while playing them ? Thank you.

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A couple of years ago I played in a symphony project where my intonation was a real weakness. After that I decided I wanted to make intonation one of my strengths, so for the past two years I've spent a lot of time working on it.

For reference, I play a Buffet Crampon Tradition with a Tosca Puccini mouthpiece and D'Addario Organic Reserve 3 reeds.

My practice includes:

- Daily long tones.

- Practicing with drones.

- Practicing pure thirds and fifths against drones.

- Occasionally dedicating an entire practice session to intonation.

- Using TE Tuner (±5 cent tolerance) to get objective feedback.

When I'm just playing long tones, I usually score around 75–80% in tune. Compared to where I was two years ago, I've definitely improved.

The problem is that this doesn't seem to transfer to actual playing.

As soon as I stop focusing almost exclusively on intonation and start thinking about phrasing, articulation, rhythm, dynamics and making music, my in-tune percentage often drops to around 30%. In the upper register I'm typically 10–15 cents sharp, while in the low register I'm consistently flat and often struggle to bring the pitch up.

The strange part is that I often don't hear that I'm out of tune. If I notice it (or look at the tuner), I can usually correct it immediately, so the problem isn't that I can't adjust my pitch—it's that I don't realize I need to.

I've already tried relaxing my embouchure while keeping it stable, improving my air support, and hearing the pitch in my head before I play. I also practice long tones at different dynamics, so the problem doesn't seem to be related to volume.

Interestingly, when I'm playing with other musicians, I can usually hear when I'm out of tune with them. What I struggle with is hearing whether I'm in tune relative to myself while practicing alone.

I haven't had lessons for about a year and a half, so I don't know whether I'm chasing a real problem or whether I've simply become overly critical of myself.

At this point I'm preparing for conservatory auditions, but I'm spending so much time thinking about intonation that I feel other aspects of my playing are starting to suffer. It's honestly beginning to take some of the enjoyment out of playing the clarinet.

So I have a few questions:

- Has anyone else experienced this?

- Is there something fundamentally wrong with the way I'm practicing?

- Am I relying too much on the tuner?

- How do you develop the ability to hear your own intonation while you're actually making music instead of only noticing it afterward?

- At what point do you stop consciously monitoring intonation and trust that it has become part of your playing?

I'd really appreciate any advice, especially from people who have gone through something similar.