What's in a Squeak?

The fear of squeaking while playing clarinet can escalate to the point that this fear becomes a roadblock in lessons and in one's musical growth. 

It is true that squeaking is very undesirable in clarinet playing, but there are many worse impediments to fine musicianship, many of which may be perpetuated by fear of squeaking. 

First of all, for beginners, squeaking is a natural part of getting used to the clarinet. For more advanced players, it is an embarrassing mishap. Here is a list for trouble shooting:

Why Did I Squeak?
The two most common reasons that one might squeak during playing the clarinet are:

• Believe it or not, not enough air is more likely to contribute to squeaking.
• Too much pressure against the reed from the lower jaw (some call this "biting").

Other common causes of squeaking:

• A chipped, split, or warped reed or chipped mouthpiece
• Moving the clarinet mouthpiece in any way while playing
• Moving the jaw in any way while playing
• Articulation problems
• Getting used to a new mouthpiece or a new instrument
• Hitting a wrong key by accident
• Not covering holes completely with your fingers
• A problem with the instrument itself (in very extreme cases, a cracked instrument)
• Misplaced setup of reed-ligature-mouthpiece
• Reed dried out