Clarinet Tips & Tricks

Embouchure

Clarinet embouchure

One of the most important factors of a good tone on the clarinet is the embouchure.  Say "Whee", then keep the teeth and tongue formation and say "Too" with your lips.  The chin should be flat with the jaw slightly dropped to prevent bunching up the chin and corners of the mouth.  This is clarinet embouchure.

Clarinet embouchure varies slightly depending on the notes you are playing.  The chalumeau range requires a formation similar to saying "ou".  As you move through the throat tones and clarion range, it changes to "oo".  Finally, the altissimo requires "hee", a formation similar to hissing.  A bad tone often results from "saying 'ah'" when playing, or not properly adjusting the embouchure when playing over the full compass.

Altissimo

Correct posture

Atissimo (above the instrument's written b''') is the hardest range on the clarinet.  (Clarinetists don't learn altissimo until they have been exposed to the rest of the compass.)  It's hard to resist tightening the embouchure to get the notes out, but it makes them sound cut off or out of tune.  Keep the jaw dropped slightly and, if necessary, apply pressure on the embouchure by pulling the clarinet upwards.  It helps to play with a tuner in order to figure out where the embouchure needs to be to play in tune.  Eventually, muscle memory will replace working to find the pitch.  The instrument sounds very different when you're the one playing it, especially the highest notes.  They may sound squeaky and harsh to me, but in-tune to a listener.  Recording myself helps me solve this problem.

Posture
Good posture involves sitting up straight with feet flat on the floor.  The arms shouldn't be "pinned" close to the body since it creates tension, which can restrict hand movement and affect sound.  I've also fallen into the habit of scrunching up my right hand against the trill keys.  This usually starts when the player is young and their small hands can't quite support the clarinet properly, so they use the trill keys for support on their right hand.  This habit can later restrict hand movement.

My clarinet reeds ($23 for
a box of 10, but I never
use anything else.)

Reeds
Reeds come in a variety of brands (some better than others) and strengths.  Strengths range from 1 to 5 and have increments of .5.  Beginners usually start on a 1.5 and move up as their air and embouchure become stronger.  Reed size depends on the player and what they're comfortable with; you won't get a quality sound if your reed is too easy or too hard to play.

The final tip is how to place your reed on the mouthpiece.  Never put the reed on the mouthpiece before the ligature.  Ever.  It runs the risk of chipping the reed (there's nothing worse than ruining a good reed), no matter how carefully you maneuver the ligature.  Always put the ligature on first, then slide the reed in from the top.