Klarinet Archive - Posting 000874.txt from 2000/07
From: Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Strength -- no pain, no gain?
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 14:04:00 -0400
--- William Wright <Bilwright@-----.net> wrote:
> So I'm wondering: when a beginning clarinetist reaches the "my
> chops are gone" point where air begins to leak out the sides of the
> mouth and the chin collapses and so forth, is it considered a good thing
> to try putting your embouchure back together one more time and to keep
> playing even though nothing works exactly right any longer -- on the
> theory that *this* is the special moment when you will do some real
> muscle-building in your embouchure? Or is this the moment when you
> should quit for the day because you're beginning to reinforce bad
> habits?
Excellent question, Bill. I posed the same question to my own teacher
while earning my undergraduate degree in San Francisco. I had already
begun to apply the principle you outlined above, continuing to play for
another ten or fifteen minutes after feeling that my embouchure had been
thoroughly "exercised" and was ready to give out. My teacher (Don Carroll,
S.F. Symphony) nodded his head when I described what I was doing, saying
exactly what you wrote above, that taxation of the embouchure muscles in
that manner slowly builds muscle tone and endurance over time. My exper-
ience has been that the diligent practice of proper embouchure technique,
before the muscles become fatigued, ensures against the generation of bad
habits while you "go that extra mile" to get the final muscle burn. Do
your long tones, scales, and legato articulation exercises while your
embouchure is fresh. Be conscious of proper technique throughout your
practice. When you play past your breaking point for a little while long-
er, you will start to notice (over the course of subsequent weeks and
months) that you are able to play for longer periods of time before fa-
tigue sets in. And, like any other athlete, you should feel a difference
in those muscles and how they function, the stronger they get. Many people
don't believe this, but it is entirely possible to reach the point where
practicing 7 or 8 hours at a stretch induces no embouchure fatigue what-
soever, as long as air support and mental concentration are maintained
throughout.
Neil
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