Klarinet Archive - Posting 000508.txt from 1999/10

From: "Ellenbogen, Ben" <Ben.Ellenbogen@-----.org> ("X")
Subj: [kl] resistance
Date: Sun, 17 Oct 1999 15:58:00 -0400

for the past three or four months my clarion register has sounded
increasingly pinched and lacking resonance. looking for help i,
once again, turned to stein's art of clarinet playing. as a remedial
tool i tried double-lip embouchure (wait, this is not another discussion
of double-lip technique). after a week or so i realized my problem was
too much jaw pressure (biting) and that i was pinching my reed to increase
resistance. i was playing an r-13 with b-45 lyre mpc, rovner dark ligature,
mitchell lurie #3 reed, and a buffet made moennig style barrel. the first
change i made was to go back to the original barrel which had come with the
clarinet. this increased overall resistance and sounded better. i could
feel that i was still pinching the reed so i went to a mitchell lurie #3 1/2
(these are the standard ml reeds, not the premium cut). this seems a little
better but still not quite what i'm looking for. i think my air support
is ok and i think i'm playing with an open throat. my clarinet seems to be
working fine. i think all this started when i began to work on increasing
my speed. i've never been able to play very fast and trying to do this has
made me tense up.
i'm not sure what to try next. i like reeds a little on the softer side
(reeds similar ta a van doren 21/2 or 3) they seem to have a better sound
for what i'm playing (jazz). i don't like real open mothpieces (too hard to
control). any suggestions?

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