Klarinet Archive - Posting 000498.txt from 1998/09

From: "JW <VZ2@-----.COM>
Subj: [kl] overbite consequences on embouchure, etc.
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 14:10:59 -0400

I have a large overbite, have had problems over the years on clarinet w/this,
until I noticed several years ago when I started playing bass clarinet, that
the amount my jaws opened really affected my comfort & ability to produce
a sound I could live with. Short take/details:

* You want your teeth/jaw position opened sufficiently so that you can
draw the lips inward(drawstring embouchure approach) and have the lips
apply most of the pressure on the mouthpiece/reed, NOT the jaw, by biting.
If you have a large overbite, as I do, it's almost possible to insert a
Bb mthpce into your mouth without opening your mouth much at all. Problem
w/this is that your lips/chops are not positioned far enough apart to
correctly use a drawstring approach.

* Two solutions to this: 1) build up thickness of mthpce by applying mthpce
cushions, maybe more that one...I like the thick, transparent B-G,
personally... 2) use double lip embouchure - in addition to forcing one
to use the lips to apply pressure to the mthpce/reed, it also open one's
mouth a little bit to accomodate the added thickness of the lips.

I use both approaches, cushion(s) + double lip, works very well for me.
In addition, this approach works well for me on saxophone, too, where
I was surprized to find that the thickness of a typical sax mchpce(Selmer
rubber, Link metal, etc) is about the same as a Bb clarinet mthpce.
Bass clarinet mthpces are the only one's I've found that are quite thick,
and just happen to be very comfortable for me, with a large overbite.

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