Klarinet Archive - Posting 000100.txt from 1995/08

From: Gary Bisaga <gary@-----.ORG>
Subj: Re: KLARINET Digest - 5 Aug 1995 to 6 Aug 1995
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 1995 15:33:21 -0400

On Sun, 6 Aug 1995, Chad Smith wrote:
> For those sax/clarinet doublers out there, I find that the day after I
> practice my alto intensely, my lip hurts (from my bottom teeth) much more than
> it ever does when I practice my clarinet. Anyone know why? It seems to me
> that I'd use more pressure to play the clarinet.

I think it's from the different angle used. When I play clarinet, my
lower lip is stretched tight from the corners with the instrument
mostly being pressed against the teeth. When I play sax it's more
that my lower jaw is biting the reed through the teeth. Also, the
surface of the tooth is different; with the clarinet it's mostly the
edge while with the sax it's more of the points of the incisors.

The alto mouthpiece seems to be at slightly more of an angle than the
tenor (which I play) but the argument may still hold. I.e. you're not
the only one whose lower lip hurts.

Gary