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In case you haven’t noticed, I have a real interest in categorising multiphonics by type, instead of simply presenting one big database. I think this is much more interesting for me (as it involves a bit more research and creativity) and hopefully more practical for the composer. It also asks you, composers, to think about the kind of sound quality of multiphonic you want, and hopefully over the years I’ve presented a few different options. Here’s another one.
In this post we have a collection of about 40 multiphonics, all with a buzzy, noisy or distorted quality, a lot of them have nice beatings. They’re definitely all similar in type, though a few break the mould, and are a little more fragile than the others.
These are different from spectral multiphonics in that they don’t rely solely on overblowing but involve cross fingerings, which split the airflow (the same is true of the dyad multiphonics I’ve also covered). They also have, I think, a much different sound from the spectral multiphonics, so this is a good way to shake things up, if you want something more aggressive but want to avoid the sound of the elephantine spectral multiphonics (as they can be, well, a bit cliché at times).
As always I am notating in written pitches here. Pitches in brackets are there to help clarinettists find something to aim for or are sounds contained within the multiphonic that cannot be isolated.
I’ve tried to give a general dynamic level, though there’s no hard and fast rule here; these generally need a bit of volume to be produced, but some of the more fragile ones will never get past a mf and won’t be as dramatic in an ensemble context. Hopefully the recordings give you some idea – they should certainly give you an idea of the stability.
I’ve also presented you with extensive notes on each multiphonic. Hopefully this gives you an idea of difficulty and sometimes I include what I have to do as a clarinetist to produce each one – which in turn might be helpful to other clarinetists.
There are a lot of multiphonics here, and these buzzy ones tend to be in within a fairly similar range. I think they all have their own quality, but it also means if your clarinetist is struggling to achieve one of these, there are some alternatives!
They aren’t in any particular order I’m afraid. The numbers relate to my own multiphonic chart (which you will have seen on other posts, so some of these might by chance appear on multiple blog posts). Another one in the high register that’s rather fragile, but beautiful. Don’t try to force it, much easier if you start just from the bottom note and introduce the multiphonic carefully.
| # | Pitches | Fingering | Audio | Dynamic | Notes |
| #7 |  |
 |
mf | This muliphonic has two versions – it can be quiet and delicate, but it also has a noisy and loud cousin – a bit tricky to find the position (I suggest aiming for the D# above the stave but not quite making it and adjusting the jaw slightly to accommodate), but sounds great. | |
| #10 |  |
 |
f | I find this one rather easy to produce. There are obviously a lot of other pitches in there, but I’ve just given you the crucial ones – I really think this is all the clarinetist needs to see. | |
| #20 |  |
 |
f | see #10 | |
| #31 |  |
 |
f | One of those rare almost-octave multiphonics that has a really interesting sound. | |
| #36 |  |
 |
f | As long as I don’t squeeze, but make a lot of room in the mouth, this one is easy to produce | |
| #49 |  |
 |
f | see #10 | |
| #55 |  |
 |
mp-mf | This one is a bit fragile, but I rather like it – hard to stabilise so don’t use if it you want stable, but let it do its thing. | |
| #60 |  |
 |
f | For me this one speaks immediately and with a lot of power. | |
| #61 |  |
 |
mf-f | This one’s a little fragile and hard to maintain the sound – but beautiful. | |
| #65 |  |
 |
f | see #10 | |
| #74 |  |
 |
mf-f | Some beautiful beating in this one | |
| #75 |  |
 |
f | very unstable, raucous – but not difficult so long as instability is catered for | |
| #78 |  |
 |
mf-f | One of the first multiphonics I ever learned – not difficult, fairly stable. | |
| #79 |  |
 |
mp-mf | Nice and easy to overblow, with a slight beating. | |
| #83 |  |
 |
f | see #10 | |
| #91 |  |
 |
f | This one speaks easily so long as I don’t leave space in the mouth but actually pinch the mouthpiece slightly. | |
| #92 |  |
 |
f | see #10 | |
| #94 |  |
 |
f | Very similar to #94, but I couldn’t have one and not the other. Quite easy to move between the two of them in terms of embouchure and fingering, could add some nice colour changes for the right composer! | |
| #99 |  |
 |
mf | see #55 | |
| #101 |  |
 |
f | see #10 | |
| #109 |  |
 |
f | see #10 | |
| #112 |  |
 |
f | see #10 | |
| #114 |  |
 |
f | Extreme beating! Easy to make speak for me, too. | |
| #118 |  |
 |
f | This one is a little fragile, due to the register extreme, but when you get the buzz going it works really nicely. | |
| #119 |  |
 |
f | see #10 | |
| #138 |  |
 |
mf | A little fragile, it seems to move around a bit while playing, but not difficult to make speak. | |
| #139 |  |
 |
f | A little less stable than the ones I refer to note #10, but still very resonant | |
| #142 |  |
 |
f | Another one of these almost-octave multiphonics. I can get some great beating by just changing the jaw position slightly, bending the top pitch. It’s not easy to control, but sounds good. | |
| #143 |  |
 |
mf-f | Some fantastic beating possible here. | |
| #155 |  |
 |
mf-f | This one can be a bit fragile but every now and then I get a really stable version – in the recording it seems to start that way, and then I gradually lose it. | |
| #156 |  |
 |
ff | Speaks easily, it’s loud, it’s brash. It sounds like an oboe multiphonic! Sorry oboist friends. #sorrynotsorry | |
| #164 |  |
 |
mp-mf | This one works really well if you play it a little quieter, otherwise it breaks (as you can hear in the second half of the audio example) | |
| #165 |  |
 |
ff | See #156 | |
| #172 |  |
 |
ff | Strangely, in my notes it says that this one is stubborn to play — but it speaks really easily for me at the moment. Like, #156 or #10 easily (that’s why all of these alternatives are going to be so helpful for you!). | |
| #173 |  |
 |
f | See #10 | |
| #202 |  |
 |
f | see #10 | |
| #203 |  |
 |
f | see #10 | |
| #221 |  |
 |
mf-f | How beautiful is this one? It’s quite difficult though, and not particularly stable. Don’t write this for someone new to multiphonics! | |
| #244 |  |
 |
mf-f | This multiphonic has such a great sound, and I’m including it especially as a hommage to my friend and colleague, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay, who used it extensively in the duo he wrote for accordionist Eva Zöllner and I. I can’t play/hear it without thinking of him! |
