Klarinet Archive - Posting 000613.txt from 1996/09

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Double Lip Embouchure
Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 20:10:18 -0400

On Fri, 27 Sep 1996, Rob Breen wrote:

> On the one hand, I've done my best playing this way, and *if it ain't broke
> don't fix it*. On the other
> hand, I'm finding it difficult to maintain (especially with a saxophone
> double), and it's difficult to play standing.

If you're having endurance problems, you might try using a buffer on your
top and bottom teeth. Charles Bay's "Lip Ease" is one possible
solution. As a single-lip player, I actually just tear off a small rectangle
of index card for my two bottom teeth (yes I have 32, but just those
two are the ones that dig into my lower lip). As for difficulty standing up
while playing, it may just be a matter of practicing playing while
standing. Once the fatigue factor is alleviated through a cushion of some
kind, you may need to work on the proper balance between upward pressure
from the arms and muscular support from the embouchure while blowing.

Neil