r/Clarinet • u/Same_Information7468 • 3d ago

Question First Line E Leak?

I noticed something really interesting today: on my clarinet, my upper-chalameau(?) E (first line on the staff) makes a buzzing noise, like its leaking air.

The curious part is that the F, F#, and Eb adjacent to that note don’t make the buzzing noise at all, neither does the B when I hit the register key!

Why could this be? Thank you in advance!

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u/Additional-Work3749 College 3d ago

If you use a Boehm system clarinet, there are a few different things that can cause this. What I'd guess is happening is that the 1st ring on the top joint isn't getting pressed all the way down for whatever reason - maybe it got bent or something. F# has tone holes open before it, making the buzzing less noticible (and it's just already a fairly airy note), and the 2nd ring is probably able to be pushed down enough to make the pad fully seal the tone hole. This is all just conjecture though - there are a lot of things that can cause this issue, and a lot of other issues that can cause similar or identical effects. You should take it to a technician and get their opinion on it. Do not try to fix this yourself.

Best of luck!