Klarinet Archive - Posting 000137.txt from 1996/07

From: Nate Burk <nathan@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: What should I learn
Date: Tue, 9 Jul 1996 19:00:00 -0400

In response to the discussion on instruments ruining one's clarinet embouchure:

A friend of mine plays clarinet, flute, and oboe, and has no embouchure
trouble at all. IMO, the musicians, not the instruments, are responsible for
ruining their clarinet embouchures; if you take up another instrument, you
just have to play the old one enough to keep the muscles developed. I think
the problems only begin when one instrument takes a back seat to the other.

I don't know if any of this makes sense, so let me try and summarize:

Choose an instrument you *want* to play, and keep practicing your other one.
If you keep both sets of muscles in good practice, I don't think you should
have any embouchure problems. Of course, switching back and forth takes some
adjusting, but...

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Have a nice day.
nathan@-----.com/~nathan
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