Quick Fix Friday: Increase your air as you ascend

Happy Friday!

This week’s quick fix is an easy way to improve your sound, especially as you ascend to new clarinet heights!

The quick fix? Increase your air as you ascend!

It’s always important to play while using enough air (both quantity and air speed). It’s even more important as we get higher on the clarinet. This goes back to basic sound production on the clarinet. The air causes the reed to vibrate, and faster vibrations/more vibrations per second = higher notes. This is why we need even faster air to produce quality higher notes.

So, when you cross the break and start working your way towards the altissimo register, increase your air speed and quantity for a better sound! It’s like riding your bike up a hill – you need to use more momentum to make it to the top of the hill, and you need more air to make it to the top range of the clarinet!

Happy practicing, and happy weekend!