Clarinet help?

Question:I want to learn a song for an audition on the clarinet on intermediate band. I am pretty decent but I need a few tips. For all you awesome clarinet playing people out there, how do you play high and low notes on a clarinet. My clarinet squeaks constantly and sometimes when I play high and low notes, I blow but no sound comes out and I feel that something is blocking the airflow. Tips would be much appreciated! Thanks!!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I want to learn a song for an audition on the clarinet on intermediate band. I am pretty decent but I need a few tips. For all you awesome clarinet playing people out there, how do you play high and low notes on a clarinet. My clarinet squeaks constantly and sometimes when I play high and low notes, I blow but no sound comes out and I feel that something is blocking the airflow. Tips would be much appreciated! Thanks!!

If you having problems with high and low notes you could have a bad seal, leaking pad. The more keys you depress on the clarinet the more sensitive it becomes in regards to leaks. If the other peoples advise didn't help I'd have it checked out. You can do a simple test yourself. Take the fingering joints seperatly close all the openings with your fingers, seal the bottom with your free hand and blow into the top end. If you here a hissing sound or rushing air without blowing real hard you have a leak. The leak could be caused by a bad pad or weak spring and needs to be repaired.

25 years of instrumental music instruction!

When you play high notes, you need to put more pressure on the reed. tighten your cheeks and lower lip over your teeth

I've been playing clarinet for years, and I understand what you're describing, and can tell you those're common problems you'll deal with the rest of your clarinet-playing career.

Playing high and low notes more easily oftentimes depends on the type of reed you are using. The higher the number of the reed, the thicker and more air that is required, but the better it sounds. Reeds measure from 1 to 5, as my band instructor put it, "A #5 reed is like trying to play a piece of bamboo." Personally, I like Van Doren 3.5's or Rico Mitchell Lurie 3's. If you're having constant trouble getting air through the clarinet, you might want to switch to a reed that is a lower number.

If you feel something might be blocking the way, especially when playing high above the break, it's oftentimes a slip of your own embouchure, the way you blow into the mouthpiece properly. Do not shift the position of your mouth, and maintain a steady flow of air when ascending to higher notes in order to maintain the sound. A good guide to embouchure can be found at http://www.tcnj.edu/~mckinney/clarinet_e...
Good luck and have fun.

To get a smooth transition in a large leap, your embouchure should be "ooo" as you go up and "ah" as you go down. When it feels like something is blocking your airflow, open the back of your throat...imagine a golf ball stuck in the back or your throat. It's the same feeling as if you were gagging.