Klarinet Archive - Posting 000567.txt from 1999/03

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] The Dreaded *SQUEAK*
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 09:16:38 -0500

On Tue, 9 Mar 1999, Michael J. Lu wrote:

> However, in the middle of the piece of which I was playing tonight, a
> dreaded pair of *squeaks* hit me. I'm not sure how they erupted, but I'm
> curious to know. To my knowledge, all fingers had properly covered up the
> holes, and my grip on the mouthpiece was firm. So how does it appear, and
> what are some tips to prevent it from happening with less frequency
> (although it doesn't happen to me much as it is).

Beyond mistakenly pressing an errant key on your instrument to
cause a squeak, the most common cause of the little bastards is
an embouchure that is pinching the reed. Doubtless, when you're
sick, all muscle groups in the body are affected by fatigue, and
this includes the muscles of the embouchure. You may be pinching
without being aware of it, and doing so to even the slightest de-
gree puts you at risk for squeaks in certain registers. The more
fatigued you are, the greater becomes this risk.

Whenever I have a problem with squeaking, I switch to double-
lip embouchure, thereby dramatically alleviating the prospect
of pinching the reed. It is nearly impossible to pinch the
reed when playing double-lip. In my better days as a player,
I developed the flexibility of embouchure and technique to be
able to switch at whim between single and double-lip, with no
sacrifice of control, ability, or endurance. I was equally
comfortable using either approach. There are those who play
double-lip as their default embouchure approach, while others
use it only as a remedial device to condition against tension
and pinching. Either way, it is an effective means to prevent
pinching and, thus, squeaks. You might consider working it
into your practice regimen in order to make your single-lip
playing more flexible and balanced.

Neil

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