What's the clarinet break?

Question

Hi. Just wondering, what's 'The Break' that people talk about in clarinets? I'm doing a theory exam reaaally soon, and I just found out I have nooo idea what it is....disaster strikes, I know :(. Soooo...thanks HEAPS to someone who can explain this!!!

Answer 1

it's every clarinet player's curse to "cross the break".

it's when you play a B flat to b natural. whenever you listen to a clarinet player doing like, the chromatic scale or something, you can really tell the difference in the sound. as someone mentioned, it sounds "stuffy".

but it starts to sound better when you get up to the high D.

well, for me it gets better.

:)

Answer 2

All woodwinds have a break - on some it is more cumbersome than others.  Since the clarinet over-blows (*changes gears* as it were) at the 12th (octave and a half) rather than the more logical octave, clarinetists do tend to whine about this. (Can you tell I am a flutist?  LOL)  Specifically, the *break* is where you go from all, or almost all, of your fingers having been removed, to get the highest sound you can on THAT fundamental or overtone, and then DIVING for all your fingers going ON (except when you need to vent, or make the note *break* into the next partial) for the next note up in the scale.  Take all you fingers off the flute - c#.  The next note, D, requires them all back ON - except for venting the C key, so the higher Do will pop out, not the low D.  On clarinet, You get up to A - and then must make your DIVE for all finger (plus octave key) to get the B.

There are work-arounds and alternate fingerings- some of the time.  And other times- just plain practice to try an camouflage an icky spot.

Answer 3

the break on clarinet, specifically is when a player goes from b flat to b natural in the staff. the horn becomes stuffy at the b natural and it can be very difficult to get that b natural to speak