Hi,

I got my new clarinet today. So this evening i have been attempting to blow it i am occasionaly getting the odd not out but when i stop and try to play it again it doesn't work. I have managed to produce some horrible squeaks .

So how do you blow it? I know how to place it in your mouth but i feel that i am blowing it all wrong.

Thanks

Jess

Firstly, don't blow; breathe. If you blow, all you will do is shut the reed up against the mouthpiece and you'll get no sound out at all. If you just breathe, you'll allow the reed to vibrate and then you should get a sound. What strength reeds are you using? I'd recommend a strength 1 to 1.5 for a beginner.

I would say that the main causes of squeaks are your fingers not covering the holes properly; there are others, but to be honest I can't think of them right now!

Well done for taking the clarinet up; it's the best instrument to play! By then I'm biased!

the first note you should try to play is an open G, it's the easiest note to play on a clarinet. Don't cover any holes/keys. Place the mouthpiece in your mouth, make sure you're not bitting the mouthpiece, that's why it's making squeaky noises. Make sure your mouth and lips is relax and don't close off the gap from the mouthpiece and the reed. Take a big breath and just let the air out.

What size reed are you using? A 2 will be good to start with I think.

Good Luck!!!

Did somebody call?

Firstly, congratulations on adopting a clarinet Now, on to playing the thing! Without seeing you in action, I don't know for definite what the problem might be, but here goes...

To start at the beginning of the process, how have you attached your reed? The flat side of the reed should be against the flat face of the mouthpiece, on straight, with just the thinnest line of mouthpiece showing above it. The reed needs to be in good condition - any chips or splits and you're onto a loser. As for reed strength, I'd be reluctant to start a beginner on a 2; I direct beginners towards a 1.5 at first (although all reeds are different, and that's a whole other thread!).

Secondly, embouchure. Don't be afraid to place quite alot of instrument in your mouth, with your bottom lip curled over your bottom teeth, with the reed on your bottom lip and your top teeth resting on the sloping surface of the mouthpiece. You need to grip tightly, but NO BITING!

As purple dolphin has already pointed out, make sure that you think "breathe" rather than "blow". The airspeed needs to be fast and constant. If you're trying to cover any of the holes, make sure that your fingers cover the holes fully - there should be perfect circles on the pads of your fingers if you have.

barry-clari, elliewelly, neil.clarinet and other members of the Forums Clarinet Community will probably have a few other pointers too, so look out for their posts.

In the meantime, I'd recommend a couple of lessons to ensure that you get off to a good start.

The onlt things I would add to this excellent advice is to experiment with a few reeds. I think I mentioned in a previous thread how I was almost put off learning the clarinet by a succession of bad reeds. That may have been just bad luck, but do remember that for a beginner, reeds can vary enormously. So start with a very low strength and make sure it's positioned correctly on the mouthpiece.

Also, search the net. I just found this:

http://musiced.about.com/od/beginnersguide...inetlessons.htm

Good luck.

Steve

I don't think there's a lot else that can be added to the advice above.

Would certainly echo Purple Dolphin's advice to breathe, not blow, you can blow as hard as you like, it won't do any good.

1.5 tends to be, I find, the reed strength of choice for beginners. 1s often I find are a bit TOO soft, very occasionally I transfer pupils to strength 2 fairly quickly, but generally beginners find 2s a tad hard. If you are initially teaching yourself, 1.5 is going to be the safest bet I'd say. Though I'd recommend getting yourself at least a couple of lessons.

Hope you enjoy your clarinetting.