Soprano Eb Clarinet

[azncmasta]

Last two concert seasons i've played Eb clarinet and am finding it pretty difficult to play. i'm a pretty decent Bb clarinet player (top band, made region), but whenever i play the Eb, i feel like i'm really suckin' it up! So i was wondering if anyone knew anything i could do to improve (like embouchure, tuning, tone, how to reach the high notes)! Thanks.

[clarinetchicka]

i've played eb for a couple of years, and this is just stuff i try to think about while playing:

-really tighten your embouchure, it's a smaller mouthpeice so you'll have to anyway, but you'll have more control if your embouchure is really firm.

-blow! don't be afraid to put air through your horn (even on high notes); as time goes on you'll get more control over your volume and will be able to back down a bit...but nothing sounds worse than a half choked squeaked out high note (i should know, lol); plus more air will make everthing you play sound better

-tuning has, and unfortunately will always be, a problem. putting air through your horn will help, but for the most part you just have to find out your tendencies. i played every note on my horn in front of a tuner to figure out how i normally was, and how my mouth felt when i was in tune. then in concert band, i just had to listen and try to compensate (which is really hard)

-as for high notes, the main thing for me was to blow, tounge lightly, have a tight embouchure, and have my fingers directly over the holes

 

another random tip: i do chromatics and scales every time switch from Bb to Eb, so i get used to the smaller size of the horn and spacing of the holes.

 

I hope this helps! good luck!

[ClarinetGlissandoInBlue]

never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever

 

use Eb clarinet reeds, even on the Eb horn. always always always always always always always always always always always

 

clip down Bb reeds to use on the Eb clarinet.

[tigercat11]

i dont think that it was origanlly meant to be played well. they just made it to get clarinet players really frustrated

[SerialSleeper90]

I play Eb. That tiny little thing is a beast.

 

I would give you advice, but I'm afraid I'd give you fundamentally wrong advice.

[ClarinetGlissandoInBlue]

the pitches are soooo high! so they better be in tune, because an Eb clarinet rivals the flute and pic for most annoying WW when playing random high notes.

[azncmasta]

i was thinking of doing Eb for region, but it's so hard to play quickly above D in the first etude! and getting to that G cleanly in the slow etude! but since there are so few Eb players in the region and since i have a good amount of experience on Eb, i'm really giving Eb a shot...

[C1Sherman2010]

NEVER EVER EVER tune a Eifer (Eb Clarinet...what Sherman calls it), Obe and Piccolo at the same time! It HURTS!