Klarinet Archive - Posting 000967.txt from 1999/10

From: Dan Sutherland <dsuther@-----.ca>
Subj: Re: [kl] should the embouchure move?
Date: Sat, 30 Oct 1999 12:22:15 -0400

I know. What we require are a few metaphores to clear the issue.
The back of the mouth, tongue and upper throat wind pipe structure can be
considered a garden hose nozzle. Instead of water, we expell gas as we
breathe. Of consideration is volume and velocity. The tessitura [pitch
range] of the clarinet is fairly high, and velocity and not much volume of
expelled gas is required. Therefore, the nozzle must speed up the gas so
it arrives at the mouthpiece entrance at high speed.
Good high note players, try this. Play a third octave C. Take your
clarinet out of your mouth then blow and pronounce what you just did only
without the clarinet. You will produce a [ready for another metaphore]
"Darth Vader" type death rattle. Or for the metaphore uninitiated a gurgly
hollow sound. But, what has happened? The opening in the back of your
mouth has diminished to the point where a small amount of gas is permitted
through but at a high speed. The garden hose nozzle creates the same
effect ie. speedier jet of water by diminishing the apperture. [Those of
you with no nozzle on your hose can try the same by blocking off part of
the water flow with your thumb]. How can this enable faster reed
vibrations? Imagine Shadowcat on a treadmill. First measure her running
cadence [number of steps/time] when doused with an arc of tepid water then
record her cadence when blasted by the same volume of water delivered
through a high pressure spray nozzle. Which is faster?
Next metaphore. The front of your mouth where it hooks up to the
clarinet can be considered a fulcrum [teeter totter] [sea saw]. Your lower
teeth or dentures provide the point on which the teeter [reed] is
tottering. The inside of your mouth provides the channel through which the
afore mentioned gas travels on its way to initiating vibrations. If your
fulcrum balance point is a well defined point like your lower teeth
supporting a minimum of lower lip as opposed to a large cushioning non
defined point, such as a substantial bunch of human tissue sucked into the
inside of your mouth impeding not only the teeter's chance of vibrating but
the tongue's chance of articulating, you will most likely play efficiently.
Now about that channel, the one that your gas must pass through before it
hits the mouthpiece opening. If it is overly flexible, [a simili] like the
banks of the North Saskatchewan River, an amount of control is sacrificed
and all your investment [real estate] will go plunging into ruin. You will
receive no sympathy from those of us who built our foundations on viewless
solid ground [getting a little biblical here]. A rigid channel carved
through the hard granite of the Canadian Shield portrays an appropriate
model for mouth function.
Final metaphore. Consider your oral cavity and front part of your mouth
a somewhat inflexible mask. The greater part of work has already been done
by the opposing muscles in the abdomen. Thanks to Mr. Pay for describing
this so well. They monitor the amount of gas delivered to the back of your
mouth. As pointed out earlier, that gas is then manipulated nozzle style
by whatever is in the back of your mouth. The front of our mouths aided by
the obicularis oris muscle [a semi-circular muscle that points our chin and
pronounces our dimples when flexed] puts the finishing touches on the
teeters activity.
I have endeavored to encorporate elements of gardening, playground
equipment, geophysics and Halloween. What I have not addressed is what to
do. I believe some "shoulds" are in order. I will reply if there is
interest.

Dan Sutherland

Heresy, heresy alert! Drucker could probably play better, in several
aspects, if he did not have his chin pasted to his reed.

Ok, I've let him go on long enough. I, unlike Shadowcat, appreciate the
squeak tube's sound. The more I hear it, the more I know there will be
food, happiness and less pulling out of my carefully procured matted fur.
I know my slave does not dislike cats. I am 16 years old and urinate
wherever I wish. Hey, I've earned that privelidge.

[Fearless] Fosdick....Always in concert dress.

At 00:40 28/10/99 +0100, you wrote:
>On Wed, 27 Oct 1999 08:50:15 -0500, daniel.paprocki@-----.edu said:
>
>> Should the embouchure move with playing in different registers? I've
>> heard arguments on both sides. If so, why? or if not, why not?
>
>As will be no surprise at all to anyone who has read several posts I
>made last year here, about 'shoulds', I find this sort of question
>highly naive, misleading, and therefore well worth challenging.
>
>David Niethamer made, I would also say unsurprisingly, the intelligent
>response, namely, 'yes and no'.
>
>It all depends on what you want. We have many variables at our disposal
>when we play the clarinet: air pressure, embouchure pressure, tongue
>position, embouchure position, and more, including choice of reed and
>mouthpiece. All of these, in combination, determine the output, not
>only for one note, but for intervals, and groups of intervals. The
>tonal variety within a group of intervals (sometimes called a 'passage',
>the notes of which may lie in different registers, or within the same
>register) is what determines, and enables us to produce, a given musical
>effect.
>
>Given that there are many possible musical effects that we may want in
>such a situation, how can anyone possibly say what we should or should
>not do?
>
>If you're a director of a play, say, you discuss with your actors *what
>result you want*. You don't tell them how they should move their
>tongues and lips when they speak. Or, if you do (most unlikely, I would
>say), you do it *face to face*, in particular cases, and not in
>generally dogmatic pronouncements.
>
>Please excuse my frankness (or actually, in several cases, don't), but
>promoting such an approach is simply bullshit. And there's a good deal
>too much of it here, in my opinion.
>
>I have talked to a number of professional clarinettists -- or rather,
>professional musicians who play the clarinet -- in the US. Several of
>them tell me that they cannot read this list for any length of time,
>because they become too angry when they do.
>
>Perhaps this is why.
>
>(Of course, you write what you must;-)
>
>Tony
>--
> _________ Tony Pay
> |ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
> | |ay Oxford OX2 6RE GMN family artist: www.gmn.com
> tel/fax 01865 553339
>
>... Meandering to a different drummer.
>
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