Klarinet Archive - Posting 001448.txt from 1998/03

From: Shouryu Nohe <jnohe@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Brass VS. Woodwinds
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 22:24:52 -0500

Cindy:
> Picking up a trombone or another brasswind once in a while probably isn't
> going to hurt. But I believe that playing those instruments to any extent will
> affect your clarinet embouchure negatively. I have found this also to be true
> for those who play saxophone; their clarinet embouchure is like a wet noodle.
> That said, I have a feeling that playing oboe might actually improve your
> clarinet embouchure. I know that some clarinetists use a double embouchure.

Brass, maybe. Woodwinds, no. There are plenty of smaller schools that
have professors who teach both clarinet and sax. Here at NMSU, for quite
a few years, Dr. Borchert instructed clarinet, sax, and oboe
simultaneously. (Could he play them all simultaneously? I'll ask him
tomorrow morning...)

I play sax quite a bit...I'd go far enough to say that the university
exploits my doubling capabilities. However, my clarinet embouchure is
just fine. Not perfect, but that's because I'm a student - I'm still
learning. On the other hand, I take what I learn concerning the clarinet
embouchure and apply it to my saxophone, and my sax playing improves ten
fold!

A lot of people contend that sax and clarinet involve two different
embouchures. Really, they don't. With the sax, it's a slightly different
angle, and you loosen up just a hair when going to the bottom of the horn
(which isn't too often). I don't see any reason why playing sax should
turn your clarinet embouchure bad. If it did, how come people like Laroy
Borchert and Fred Jacobwicz (sp, sorry) are teaching high class
clarinetting?

Shouryu Nohe
Professor of SCSM102, New Mexico State Univ.
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe; ICQ 6771552
Coffee Drinker, Musician, Otaku, Jesus Freak, Admirer of Women
(Not necessarily in that order)
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