Klarinet Archive - Posting 000276.txt from 1996/10

From: Roger Shilcock
Subj: Re: odd comments (acoustics) (fwd)
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 1996 03:46:03 -0400

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 1996 13:42:48 PDT
From: Fogle, Bill <bill.fogle%ASPENPUBL.COM@-----.UK>
Subject: Re: odd comments (acoustics)

Eric wrote:

-->My teacher maintains that one should not change the embouchure when
playing
-->high notes, but I think he means that high notes should not be "forced".

I cannot play these notes without embouchure adjustment (to a more relaxed
position).
I too have heard that it is amateurs who must alter the position of their
muscles in order
to effect the highest tones. Every time I play, I think of this remark. I
have not
_rigorously_ experimented with effecting jumps without an embouchure change,
but
make "attempts" quite often. They fail. ----Bill F.

The clarinet tutor by Thurston & Frank says that one should not change
one's embouchure at all, if I remember correctly. Whenever I've tried
this on a real instrument, the result has been ridiculously bad
intonation.
This being said, however, probably some players habitually put less of
the reed in their mouths than would be desirable for easy adjustment of
tuning. For the E flat clarinet in particular, apparently
a *lot* of reed needs to be inside the mouth.
Roger Shilcock