Klarinet Archive - Posting 000572.txt from 1997/02

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.EDU>
Subj: Switching clarinets
Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 20:54:33 -0500

Sun, 16 Feb 1997, Sherri wrote:

> I, for one, think the "other " clarinets are equally important and each
> has it's own difficulty and uniqueness. I love to play Bass and Eb
> Clarinet ( not in the same piece, though).

This is an interesting point. Sherri says she would rather not play
Bass and Eb in the same piece. May I ask why you say that? Does
your reason pertain to the embouchure adjustment necessary when
switching from one instrument to the other? The reason I ask is
that, typically, when somebody actually has the experience of
playing both bass and Eb on the same piece (or at least on the
same concert program), they find the embouchure adjustment a
certain degree _easier_ than if they had to switch between Eb
and one of their soprano instruments. This is explained by the
degree of difference in embouchures required between the three
instruments.

We usually assume that the closer the embouchures are to each
other, the easier it will be to switch. I, and most others I
know, find the opposite to be true. Switching between Bb and
Eb soprano horns is acutely difficult precisely because the
degree of change between the two embouchures is appreciably
smaller than between bass and either of these other two members
of the clarinet family. The lesser degree of difference means
that the embouchure must adjust with greater subtlety and
sensitivity from one muscular configuration to the other.
That's hard to do after you've spent time "calibrating" those
muscles to work on a setup that was different from the one
you're switching to -- but not *vastly* different. Fatigue
becomes a problem at this point, due to the necessary
muscular control when making the switch. The hallmark
of a player's best results is achieved when they are
able to invoke physical relaxation and make the subtle
pressure and position adjustments per the musical situation
at hand. Switching back and forth between Bb and Eb
clarinets can create tension and fatigue in those
muscles, making it hard to relax, having an adverse
effect on said control.

Compare the above scenario to an alternation between, say,
bass and Bb soprano clarinets. The broader difference in
embouchure configurations allows faster adjustment from
one to the other because that adjustment does not require
as much subtlety. Our embouchure muscles have "memory",
which gets less confused by a large change than by a
small one. So when switching from bass to soprano,
or vice versa, the embouchure muscles remember more
quickly how it's supposed to feel and adjust accordingly.
That same switch, but between Bb and Eb, confuses the
memory because the difference isn't great enough for
the muscles' memory to draw a clear distinction. It
takes a little longer to adjust, which taxes the muscles
more than in the easier situation, and we find ourselves
complaining about Eb sopranino clarinets for yet another
reason.

There are a number of other factors to consider, of course,
such as the direction of the switch (large to small vs. small
to large).

Neil

P.S. Needless to say, this explanation doesn't go without
exceptions.