Klarinet Archive - Posting 000585.txt from 1998/09

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fredj@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] re:embouchure problem
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 02:09:13 -0400

Richard,
Sounds suspiciously like you have a very tight throat and
occasionally you close it up too much, cutting off some air and making the
reed susceptible (sp?) to overblowing at the slightest lip pressure. When
you were starting out on clarinet, did you have a problem with "humming"
(actually, vocalizing tonelessly) while you played? I have had students
who for some reason are too tight in the throat and they sometimes do what
you have described.
If this is the case, you have to be more aware of what the throat
is doing and make sure that you never allow it to close up.

Fred Jacobowitz
Clarinet/Sax Instructor, Peabody Preparatory

On Wed, 16 Sep 1998, David C. Blumberg wrote:

> Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 12:22:25 +0000
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> From: "Richard Sankovich" <sanko@-----.edu>
> Subject: Clarinet overblowing
> Message-Id: <199809161722.MAA08750@-----.edu>
> Here is weird problem that I would like to have advice on. I find it
> very easy to overblow all of my clarinets in the clarion register.
> All it takes is just the slightest increase in embrouchure pressure,
> and bingo, the pitch of the note has jumped up about a sixth! On
> many of the notes I can easily get it to overblow a second time, to a
> pitch that is about a fifth higher still. This overblowing happens
> so easily that I have to be very careful when playing in the clarion
> register to prevent it from happening. It feels almost like a leak
> or crack problem, except that it isn't, because it happens with all
> of my clarinets (Buffet R-13 B-flat and A, Noblet C, Conn B-flat),
> and all of them (except the A) use completely different mouthpieces,
> ligatures, and even reeds. So it is an embrouchure problem. Has
> anyone else ever experienced this sort of thing? I'd appreciate
> having your comments.
> ----Richard Sankovich
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Try putting a little more of your lower lip in your mouth (less red on the
> outside),and take a little less mouthpiece also (on the top teeth). Try
> that combo, and see if that fixes the problem. Let me know.
>
>
>
> David Blumberg
> reedman@-----.com
> http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet/Music/Blumberg.html
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>

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