[Dixielandjazz] Bending notes on clarinet

Mon Jan 7 10:07:11 PST 2008

Hi Zach
Bending notes is more a function of you than the horn.  I agree with the 
idea that if your horn has been in storage for a long time you may very well 
have pad problems.  I had a clarinet on the shelf for some years and I 
decided to haul it out and every pad was gone.  In all the years I had 
taught and played I had never seen anything like it.  My repairman explained 
about worms eating the skin off the pads.   There was not one shred of skin 
on any pad.

While I was still playing clarinet a lot I played on a big bore Selmer G10. 
The large bore caused it to be flat but a shorter barrel took care of that. 
Intonation was good throughout the range.

When you say bending of notes what exactly do you mean.  Sliding between one 
note and the next or vibrato or a smear, gliss or bend.  Almost all of those 
are a function of your lip except a smear which is done by sliding the 
fingers off the hole and if done smoothly can be very large and the gliss. 
Lip smears are particularly effective in the high register.  I can play any 
note between G or G# and C in the upper register with my lip only.

I sort of wonder why you might want to do this stuff if you haven't played 
for awhile.  I would think you might want to get your embouchure and 
intonation firmly in hand before trying a whole bunch of stuff.  It won't 
hurt you do "stuff" but might cover up some basic problems that you could 
have after a long layoff.

The differences between an intermediate model and  so called pro models are 
very small.  There is a bigger difference between a student horn and an 
intermediate horn.  Pro models often have a few adjustment features that 
intermediate and student horns don't have and may feature undercut tone 
holes and better metal in the keys.   I think you need to take better care 
of a pro horn because they are more prone to adjustment problems.  I agree 
with Steve's comments about trying a bunch of horns if you are really set on 
buying a new horn but I would wait awhile until everything gets up to speed.
Larry
St. Louis

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 4:54 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Bending notes on clarinet

> ZACH KEETER <zskeeter at sbcglobal.net>
>
>> I'm really really itching to pick my clarinet back so
>> I can play OKOM. The horn I have is an intermediate
>> model, gets the job done, but it feels rather stiff
>> and is hard to "bend" notes and so forth. Any
>> recommendations on what make/model would be more
>> conducive to what I want to do? The players that have
>> a sound I would like to emulate are Johnny Dodds,
>> Irving Fazola and Evan Christopher. Any info
>> whatsoever is greatly appreciated.
>
> Dear Zach:
>
> After you check your horn as Jim O'Briant suggested, you might want to 
> check
> out the below web sites before you think about a new horn.
>
> http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/archive/index.php/t-2106.html
>
> It talks about bending notes upward, more of a gliss than a bend.
>
> Or: See this at http://www.playmusic.org/woodwinds/more/moreclarinet.html
>
> "One technique clarinetists often use is called "bending" notes. This 
> means
> varying the air pressure on the reed and partly covering tone holes to
> change pitch. This is especially useful in jazz solos! In fact, clarinets
> are as common in jazz bands as in orchestras."
>
> Or see:
>
> http://clarinet.cc/archives/2007/11/a_few_notes_for.html
>
> and finally, go to the clarinet board and read ALL the posts at:
>
> http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=256615&t=256615
>
> My opinion on bending (not glissing) is that it is a function of the lower
> jaw, embouchure pressure and opening the throat. I do not think the make 
> of
> clarinet has much to do with it. But you can always try different horns at
> your local music store. If you find one that suits you better, buy it.
>
> With practice and patience, you should be able to bend a single note at
> least a half tone down. You can do that with the fingers so try for a
> quarter tone bend. (a note between C and Bb as one example).
>
> Also experiment with mouthpieces. What works best for me is a wide lay
> mouthpiece, eg. Van Doren 5JB and a #2 & 1/2 reed. But then Kenny Davern 
> did
> it much better with the same mouthpiece and a #4 reed. You can also 
> practice
> bending a pitch with just the mouthpiece and reed alone by loosening and
> tightening the embouchure and moving the lower jaw.
>
> Let me know off list if you want any more information.
>
> Cheers and good luck
> Steve Barbone
>
>
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