Eb alto clarinet tuning

[jayles]

I have a student Vito Eb alto clarinet with a Hite mouthpiece.
I do realise I need more lip pressure than on a sax but it is very hard to keep the pitch up to A=440, particularly in lower register.
The same applies using the original Vito mpiece.
On long notes I open up extra keys where possible
Question: would making the tip opening on the mpiece larger help?

[SaxPlayer1004]

It might help a bit, but clarinet requires a lot more embouchure strength than saxophones. Just keep practicing long tones with a tuner and it will come up eventually. A lot of people *myself included at times* have problems with keeping soprano sax in tune. They typically go flat, especially when you've been playing lower saxes. Clarinet requires a relatively tight embouchure, and it just takes a while to strengthen up. Keep shedding.

[daigle65]

....Question: would making the tip opening on the mpiece larger help?

It wouldn't make much of a difference intonation wise.
Is this your first experience with a clarinet ? You haven't played a Bb before ?
If you're coming directly from the sax then you're probably relaxing your embouchure in the low register, which isn't done on clarinet.

[jayles]

Thank you both
Yes indeed somehow over the years I have come to play my alto sax quite slack in the low register, especially since chipping my front teeth on the metal mouthpiece twice.
Keeping the pressure on on the clarinet does boost it by the required fraction of a semitone.
Buying some proper alto clarinet reeds instead of using alto sax has also made it easier.
Yes this is my first clarinet, just thought it would be easy from an alto sax, same key, similar mouthpiece etc.. and nice to play some low notes without buying and humping a tenor or baritone sax. I guess without dreams we would try nothing!
Thanks once again to you folks in the northern hemisphere!

PS one month later I had the neck shortened by 3mm; that really fixed it!