Klarinet Archive - Posting 000059.txt from 1999/02

From: DHmorgan@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Embouchure question
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 05:03:11 -0500

In a message dated 2/1/99 10:22:09 PM Pacific Standard Time,
rgarrett@-----.edu writes:

<< What is omitted from the article is the entire concept of the upper lip
and the muscles around the nose and in the cheeks. In fact, it is these
muscles which affect the chin much more drastically than the lower lip or
jaw. >>

Yes! Thank you--this gets at the problem I was having in trying to eliminate
'biting'. After following the advice in Tom's article to the best of my
ability, my playing was reduced to mush. I was discouraged because it felt
like a golfer who made an adjustment to his/her swing only to find out that he
could no long hold the club AT ALL that way. I thought, "Good God, if this is
how I'm supposed to be playing, it'll be put me back a year to build up a new
embouchure this way." Of course, I don't know if I was really doing what he
suggests, or if I even understand his approach yet.

I did discover that if I relaxed my jaw and used the muscles on either side of
my nose to pull up--I got a real work out using some new muscles (like
learning to ski), but the tone was good and I could see building up a new
embouchure in a reasonable time frame. But here's the thing--under this
scenario, my lower lip does rest somewhat on the lower teeth and the reed does
receive pressure, although cushioned by the lower lip, from the lower teeth,
not because I'm closing my jaw, but because the weight of the clarinet and the
tightness of the upper lip pushes downward. I keep thinking that perhaps I'm
supposed to be holding the clarinet aloft using the muscles of my chin and
lower lips ONLY, but I'm not doing this. I'm still wondering if this is a big
mistake, a small mistake, A OKAY, debatable, or something else.

Truly,
Don

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org