Klarinet Archive - Posting 001331.txt from 1998/05

From: "Don Yungkurth" <clarinet@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Re: Help-embouchure!?!?
Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 16:38:43 -0400

Alain D Codera wrote:

>I'm a college student and desperately need help on my embouchure. My
>teacher says that my bottom lip/jaw are moving whenever I tongue.And
>my embouchure keeps changing from the low register to the high. I
>know IT SHOULDN'T.It is affecting the altissimo register badly and
>it's discouraging me. Has anyone has tips or exercise to overcome
>these problems.

This may have nothing to do with your problem, but I started lessons with a
new teacher 40 years after my last previous lessons, while in high school.
He observed my jaw movement, but said nothing and told me to watch myself
playing in a mirror. I spotted the motion, but had not been aware of doing
it.

He had previously had me change to a significantly better mouthpiece. He
sent me away to think about the jaw motion. I found that I didn't need to
move the jaw to play in tune with my new mouthpiece, and that it was
relatively easy to stop the habit. Apparently the jaw motion was part of my
compensation to play in tune with a bad mouthpiece!

Don Yungkurth (clarinet@-----.net)

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