Why is my Clarinet making this noise?

Question

I will be playing and every few notes my clarinet will squeak for a series of notes.

I have just switched from the Bass Clarinet to B flat Clarinet, so it may be something with my mouth?

Did I not warm up properly?

I've been playing the Clarinet for 5 years and I switched to the Bass Clarinet 2 years ago for Concert Band and now that they don't March Bass Clarinets, I switched back to the Clarinet.

And it squeaks.

A lot.

Can anyone help me please?

Answer 1

it sounds like a problem with your embouchure. make sure  you are tightening your bottom lip, flattening your chin, and pulling the corners of your lips in. also make sure that you aren't taking too much of the mouthpiece in your mouth when you play. and get a really good reed. if there are any problems with your reed it's sure to squeek. i think you might just be used to playing your bass clarinet though, and it will take a little bit of practice to get it right again. if that is the problem, don't worry. i'm sure you'll get it soon! it is also possible though that your horn may need to be repaired in some way.. but without more information its hard to say exactly what could be wrong with it. but maybe there could be a bent key and now one of the pads isnt closing all of the way. take it into the shop and get it serviced.. if you keep having a problem, ask your director or your private lesson teacher, if you have one, if your embouchure is correct, and have them check it over to see if they can find any repair issues. hope this helps! good luck!

Answer 2

Squeaks happen for a variety of reasons!

1) Embouchure: Too tight  abn embouchure can strangle the reed and hence a squeak. Too loose an embouchure and the note will note be supported and air will escape. Most likely check the former! You also could be tightening your throat You may be using your bass clarinet embouchure remember to adjust your embouchure!

2) Reed: A damaged reed can make a excellent squeak! Check your reed for any chips/ scrachtes etc! Remeber Its a good idea for all clarinet players to have a few reeds broken in all the time at different stages! That way you are not relying on one reed that can be overplayed on and hence get weak and chip

3) Mouthpiece: It could be that the cork in your mouth piece is not sealing the joint properly! This is rarely the cause but check just in case

4) Fingers not covering the holes: Is it on a certain notes or every notes? Look in the mirror , Play the notes slowly and see if your fingers are FULLY covering the holes. This is a common occurance amoung clarinet players!

5) Keys: It could be that one of your keys are open! Whether It got bend , or you are opening it unconcsouily! Again use the mirror and play slowly! Ask your clarinet teacher to also play your instrument! If she/he squeaks it then it prob the Clarinet! Take it to a repair shop from them to have a look at it! Especially if I hasnt had a clean, adjust in a year or so

Just some suggestions! Ask your clarinet teacher they will have a better idea then random strangers!

Answer 3

probably change your reed

or try to not blow too hard

if that fails then

when your lips are on the mouthpiece try to get a good

grip by using the bottom of your lip  

i played clarinet then switched to guitar

so that's all i know i hope that helped

Answer 4

Hi there.

Kingtuba and bcooper gave really good answers to this.  

Just to add on top of theirs - to check if your instrument leaks - take it apart, take top joint, cover all holes with your fingers, cover the bottom with your other hand, put the top in your mouth and suck!  It should hold the vacuum so that when you remove your hand from the bottom it makes a pop.  If you can keep sucking then there's a leak.  Then try the bottom joint.

If you're asking another clarinettist  to try your clarinet to see if they squeak - get them to play something that's hard!  They won't find a slight leak playing something easy.

If I have a problem squeaking on a certain note and it is my embouchure, not the instrument, then I practice trying to reproduce the squeak.  Then I warble between the squeak and the note I want to produce.  Usually if I can control it to that extent, I don't squeak anymore :)

Best of luck!

Answer 5

Check the toughness of your reed, your reed may be the wrong type or it could be to hard for you to manage. It also might be a faulty clarinet. Ask your local band teacher.

Answer 6

Need more information:

Is this the same B flat that you were playong before you switched to Bass? if yes, was it sitting idle for the two years?

Are the squeaks coming on specific notes?

Are the squeaks coming from the reed or the cork?

Have you recently gotten a new ligature / mouthpiece?

Answer 7

clarinets tend to squeak on occasions

Answer 8

Your embrochure may just be too tight.

Since you have to squeeze a lot harder for bass.

Or maybe you just have some leaks.

Answer 9

More than likely, this is simply a situation where you're still getting used to the smaller mouthpiece.  Ya see, on Bass Clarinet, you actually have to take more mouthpiece inside, so when you're going back down to the smaller one, unconciously, you're still putting that larger amount of mouthpiece in thus causing squeaks.  Back off on the MP and see if that helps.

If that doesn't, check your reed.  Pay attention to which notes you're squeaking on... if they're the same notes every time, then it's probably a horn problem.