Klarinet Archive - Posting 001414.txt from 1998/10

From: "Don Yungkurth" <clarinet@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] double lip embouchure
Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 16:16:43 -0500

Teri Herel said, in part:

"As for switching back and forth or using double lip as a way to improve
your
single lip... I'm not sure how I feel about this. I've found that it is
very
difficult to switch back and forth. Not so much from a muscle basis, but
more
from a mental-physical memory standpoint. When I pop my Bb in my mouth,
the
hours and years of practicing on it create an embouchure without me having
to
consciously think about it anymore. I've found switching back and forth
messes this up, and my mouth muscles get "confused" in a way, resulting in
both embouchures sounding like crap."

"Am I explaining this in an understandable way? Like, when you pick up
your
Eb, even though you're using an altered embouchure from your Bb, your brain
just "knows" what to do from all of your Eb practicing. In the same way
your
fingers "know" the spread of your A clarinet from your Bb without you
having
to think about the keys being farther apart because you've practiced both
horns enough. I'm thinking that using two different embouchures on *the
same*
horn would not get this same "unconscious" adjustment. I also do not like
switching around mouthpieces for the same reason."

I guess it depends on your experience. I started on double lip, without
anyone ever discussing the subject. I just didn't like the sound with
single lip. My teacher throughout high school never mentioned embouchure
and he was a "real" clarinetist, having studied with Bellison! He was also
a bit bored with no outlet for his talents in a small town and was kind of
teaching on automatic pilot.

By the time I heard about single and double lip, and that I was in the
minority with double, I had been marching my way through high school band
and two years in an Army band using double and just did it. I remember
having some discomfort, well, pain maybe, with my chops now and then, but I
did get used to it and survived.

It was after playing for about 45 years that I heard the bone conduction
discussions and tried single lip using a rubber patch on the mouthpiece.
With the patch and single lip, my tone (as I heard it) was the same as with
double lip. Playing single lip was "a piece of cake" and required no
learning process. Since then I've tending to use single, but switch to
double occasionally when I need a bit more control to "finesse" a note. I
can do the switch during a breath and have no trouble. I think the two
embouchures on the same horn do become "unconscious", but apparently a
great deal more quickly if you've started on double!

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------------