Is it just me or is moving from middle a into the next register(middle b methinks ) found difficult by everyone.?

And if yes how do i overcome it as its kinda whats stopping me practising my Higher peices(yess - they let me take it )

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Laura

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Many clarinet players initially find 'crossing the break' (going from the low chalumeau to the higher clarion register) a little tricky to start with, you're not alone!

A few hints and tips:

* Make sure you are giving plenty of diaphragm support to your playing.

* Make sure there's enough mouthpiece in your mouth. It's very common to have too little mouthpiece in your mouth, and while you can get away with that in the lower register, you can't really in the clarion register, and clarion high B and C (with leger lines) become very hard indeed with too little mouthpiece in your mouth.

* Leave some right hand fingers down for throat G/G#/A/Bb.

* Don't bite, and make sure you have a good reed on.

* Check your 'link keys' are linked (the link between top and bottom joint).

* Do lots and lots of practice. The more you do, the easier it gets!

Hope this helps, and good luck!

As a real novice clarinettist, I want to endorse Barry's advice, and add just one piece of my own.

When you're moving up onto the A/Bb keys, don't lift your fingers on to the keys - just roll them onto the keys (*lean* on the keys!). then, when you move to B, roll them off again. I found that this makes crossing the break faster, and because you're not moving your fingers too much, you have a better chance of coming to land in the right place!

Most of my squeaks were caused by not doing this ... worth playing these notes slowly at first, so that you see/hear what you're doing, and fix any problems with finger positioning etc.

(I'd welcome comments on this advice, BTW.)

best
nick

Crossing the break is probably the single hardest thing to learn in playing the clarinet, in my opinion. Follow Barry and Nicks advice. I'd say it is almost impossible to play smoothly over the break from any of the throat notes without having the right had fingers down ready for the high note, and even your left had little finger if necessary. Otherwise you're potentially trying to go from all-fingers-off to all-fingers-on, and work the reister key, at the same time.

I'd recommed plenty of practice of scales over the break. Any of the ones from grade 2 onwards, but I found F and G major 2 octave scales especially helpful.

Don't be discouraged. Your not experiencing anything every other clarinet learner before you hasn't!

As someone who played clarinet (and occasionally gets it out from under the bed every now and again), then took up the oboe, I would totally agree that crossing-the-break smoothly on the clarinet is one of the most awkward things I've ever had to learn on a musical instrument.

Oboists have got it easy by comparison, no throat notes or extra awkward keys for the left index finger to negotiate when playing scales across the mid range. Even the switch from half-hole to 1st octave key on the oboe is relatively simple to get to grips with. The bassoon is pretty complicated though....

the "break" on the bassoon (f below middle C to F#) is tricky cos the F is totally open and the F# has five fingers down and a half hole - but it's just down to practice practice practice, which i imagine is also the case on clarinet (though i wouldn't know as i don't play clarinet )

there's a bit in a piece i'm learning at the moment that's got legato demisemiquavers across the break - i've spent hours upon hours trying to get it clean and there's still the odd split note in there. it's always going to be hard, but unfortunately the only way to make it easier is to work at it as much as possible...

Lifting your finger, rather than rolling your finger onto the A key is not good, agree Nick