Hi everyone -

I'm just learning to play over the break on the clarinet and wondered if anyone had any interesting tips? (aside from practise, practise, practise!) It's getting easier but I find that my ring finger on my left hand (covering the third hole) tends to slip when I press the register key, and because I have pretty small hands this causes a leak of air so no sound comes out! Any suggestions from people who've had similar problems?

Thanks!

1) Give lots of diaghram support as you go over it.
2) "Push" your way onto the higher break. That's not the best way to describe it, but feel like you're aiming for a particular note that is above the break.

How are you pressing the register key down? I tend to place my thumb diagonally onto the hole below so that I can just touch and press the register key. I think this is how a lot of other people on the forums do it as well. I think if you do it any other way you risk knocking your fingers around, but I'm not so sure on that. As you go over the break, just think "must keep finger on hole". Eventually, it will just stick in your mind and you'll no longer have any problems with it.

Just been looking at my old tutuor book that I used when I first started to see what exercises it says to do. This is what it advises (put into text form);

1) Play different rhythms with just the B and the C so that you get those notes sounding right to start with, and you get used to the "feel" of playing them.

2) Then play crotchets of B then G, 4 times tongued, then 4 times slurred.

3) Play crotchets of C to G, aganin 4 times tongued and 4 times slurred.

4) Then play crotchets of B to A, 4 times tongued, 4 times slurred.

5) Then, starting on the C, play down to G (second line of staff) and then play back up to the C). Do this tongued first, and then slurred.

There are many ways of learning to go over the break, through practise and just technical exercises. These are just a few that just one book suggests, there are many more. If I find my other old tutor book, I will post the techniques from there as well.

Which tutor book are you using? And do you have a teacher? If not, I would strongly advise getting one if possible, even if it's just for a few lessons so that no bad techniques develop.

Good luck!

PD

Thanks for that, will give those exercises a go! I have got a teacher - he tends get me to play exercises while he watches my fingers until I slip up - that's how we spotted which finger was the problem one! I see him every week so I don't really have time to develop bad habits as such. Will check the posistion fo my thumb though...

It is starting to get easier though - I can get most of the notes out frist time now - it's just mastering that A to B jump - he's given me the C Major scale to practise this week so I've been doind that as nauseum (I think my neighbours must be tearing their hair out by now!)