Avoid and Remedy Squeaking on the Clarinet

While the Buy a New Clarinet is a wonderful, beautiful instrument, it's a fact of life that it will occasionally make that gut wrenching, obnoxious, high pitched noise for what seems like no reason... yes, a squeak. Even the most advanced clarinetist will occasionally hear one of these, and that's nothing to worry about. However, if you've been squeaking more than "occasionally", you may have a problem. It could be caused by any number of things, but the problem is likely fixed more easily than you'd think. In no time, you'll sound better than you ever imagined you would.

Steps

  1. Explore possible problems and solutions. Many things can cause squeaking, some of which are easy to fix, and some of which may not be. Ask someone else with more clarinet experience to watch you play, perhaps a music store employee or band director. They should be able to help you figure out what's wrong. If you want to try to evaluate yourself first, see this list of common problems:
    • Buy a New Clarinet: If you're playing on a beginner model or your instrument has suffered a lot of wear and tear, that's likely the problem. You could have damaged pads (or they may even be gone), messed up keywork, cracks (if it's a wooden clarinet), or any number of other things. A Know when It's Time to Clean Your Musical Instrument or COA (Cleaning, Oiling, Adjusting) will probably fix this, unless your clarinet is in such bad shape that it would be better to just get a whole Buy a New Clarinet one. Ask someone at a music store to help you.
    • Make a Correct Clarinet Embouchure: If the problem isn't the clarinet itself, it's extremely likely that it's your embouchure, as there are many ways to form an incorrect one. First, you can try a simple test to see if your embouchure is correct: Finger a high G (the one sitting on the line above the staff), and then hit the G# key. If you don't hear a clear altissimo E (the one above the staff), you're doing something wrong. If this happens, ask someone else to watch you play and critique you or play in front of a mirror. Some things to check for...
      • Amount of mouthpiece: You may not be taking in enough mouthpiece (thus not giving the reed enough room to vibrate), or you may be taking in too much. Adjust your mouth until the squeaking stops.
      • Air leaking: Make sure your mouth is forming an airtight "pouch" around the mouthpiece. It's possible that air may be escaping out the sides of your mouth, which makes playing difficult and can cause squeaks.
      • Biting/Pressure: You may be clamping down too hard with your top teeth (which isn't good for your teeth, the mouthpiece, or your sound), biting into the reed with your bottom teeth, or just applying too much pressure overall. Try to loosen up a bit, but not too much... experiment a bit. To protect your teeth and the mouthpiece from damage, you may want to buy a mouthpiece cushion -- a little piece of rubber that cushions your teeth and protects them from the vibrations of the instrument. They're available for a reasonable price at most music stores.
      • Tonguing: Certain (wrong) tonguing techniques can put too much pressure on the reed and cut off the air flow unevenly for too long, which can cause squeaks. All you need to do is practice tonguing, and this should get better in time, with proper instruction.
    • Hand Position: Especially with young children, hand position can present an issue. The child's fingers may not be large enough to cover the toneholes, or they may not be able to support the weight of the instrument. When this happens, players develop bad habits like using the bottom trill keys for additional hand support, which can cause some strange sounds, or placing their thumb incorrectly on the thumb rest, which will be a very difficult habit to break later. There are a few options to deal with this:
      • Neck strap: A neck strap can be purchased for a reasonable price that hooks onto the thumb rest of the clarinet, taking some of the instrument's weight off of the arms and transferring it to the neck.
      • Smaller clarinet: If the fingers are still too thin or too short, a neck strap won't help much. Some teachers start younger children on the Eb clarinet, which is like a smaller, more "condensed" Bb clarinet. However, this does have its drawbacks. Eventually, the student will have to get used to the Bb clarinet, which plays slightly differently, and Eb clarinets are usually very expensive. One exception is the Kinder-Klari, which is designed for children. Some brands also sell clarinets with plateau-style keys so that even small fingers can close them.
      • British Lyons clarinet: This special clarinet is designed for kids ages 5 or 6. It has a plastic mechanism, is pitched in C, and looks very different from a regular clarinet. It weighs a third of a regular clarinet and is also very easy to maintain.
    • Air Flow: The key to a good sound on the clarinet is to have "fast" air, but that doesn't mean "loud" air. Bad air, in addition to a bad instrument, reed, or embouchure, can produce some pretty awful noises. This is something that will get better in time. Practice, or you may even wish to take private lessons for additional guidance.
    • Reeds: Many factors in a reed can cause squeaks. First, check and make sure none of your reeds are cracked or chipped. A damaged reed is guaranteed to always produce squeaks. Next, evaluate your reeds more closely. Evaluate a Clarinet Reed will explain how to do that by examining the "V" shape in the middle of the reed for flaws. If your problem is still persisting, you may wish to try a harder reed (if you're playing on really soft ones), or a softer one if you're playing on a harder one. You may also want to try experimenting with brands -- better quality cane and cut may make a huge difference.
    • Playing Experience: Realistically, if you just started playing last week, you're probably going to squeak for a while. It'll get better eventually with dedicated practice and perhaps a better instrument or higher quality reeds. A one-on-one lesson with your band director or a private teacher may be able to help you, as well.
  2. With some of this in mind, take a trip to the music store. Explain that you've been squeaking a lot, what you think the problem might be, and ask for their input. Whatever you should decide to do, the staff will be happy to help you out.
  3. Make some adjustments. Have your clarinet repaired/overhauled (or buy a whole new one), re-learn your embouchure, start buying a different brand of reeds, or anything else it takes. This may end up being a bit expensive, but it will definitely be worth it in the end, especially if you plan to move forward with music.
  4. Practice. It's true that practice makes perfect, and music is no exception. Keep in mind that you will still squeak occasionally, but you should see a major improvement. Congratulations, you're well on your way to becoming a great clarinetist.

Tips

  • Remember that music is an investment. If you're having a serious issue with squeaking, it's best to get it fixed as soon as possible. Bad habits can be harder to break down the line, and playing on an old secondhand instrument for years can take its toll on your ability to reach your goals, too.
  • Don't give up! Learning any musical instrument can be difficult, but if you keep at it, anything is possible.

Warnings

  • Even if a mechanical problem with the clarinet looks "easy" to fix, don't attempt to repair it unless you know what you're doing! You could easily turn a loose screw into a need for a whole new instrument.

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Sources and Citations

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