Klarinet Archive - Posting 000677.txt from 2001/03
From: "Dunfaire" <dunfaire@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] The spirit is willing but the lip is weak!
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 07:30:02 -0500
Rhea -
A question for you, too... What kind of embouchure are you using? I found
that, after being away from the instrument for 25 years, the methodology of
the embouchure had changed drastically (for the better, I think - I am sure
I will get some feedback about this...but here goes). I was taught that
when we play, we should pull back the corners into a "smile"...and that
takes some serious muscle development. The requirement of the flat chin
remains the same - as it should, but I had to learn that the corners of the
mouth actually go forward - like whistling or saying the letter "Q". That
use of the muscles is far less taxing for me, I found. Also, I found that
my tendency to bite was reduced when I changed to the corners in approach.
The other new thing to me was that I was told that I needed to get my tongue
a little higher in my mouth - like saying "hee"...which went against
everything I had ever been taught ( I feared tension in my throat - which
did not happen ). Mind you, I have a performance degree in clarinet, and
thought - all these years - that I had a very good tone quality. I was
quite resistant to these changes (bull-headed old woman that I am); I will
tell you now, I have never sounded as good as I do now. The tone is dense,
focused, and on a good-reed day - dark and resonant (the much desired
"American" sound that I pursued through my undergraduate days). I find I am
not as tired, too. I would recommend that you dedicate some time to just
playing "open G", with a mirror in front of you, and spend about 15 minutes
a day. Don't try and do anything else, because the minute you try and play
anything technical, your embouchure is going to go "out the window". If you
spend a week at this, and then 20 minutes the next week, I would think you
would be fine. I have spent a lot of time with various students, teaching
embouchure and remedial embouchure, and developing the muscles for playing
is not alot different from any other training. You can't go run a 5K
marathon, without lots of preparatory training. I wish you the very best
and you should be proud to be going back to playing.
Lorie
-----Original Message-----
From: Rhea Jacobs [mailto:rhea-j@-----.net]
Subject: Re: [kl] The spirit is willing but the lip is weak!
Good to hear this, David.
I'm in far better shape than I was at 18, when I gave the clarinet up. I
weigh
at least 100 lbs. less than I did then; in addition, I racewalk 20-25 miles
a
week at a training pace of about 12 min./mile, and I lift weights three
times a
week. So I really don't think it's general deconditioning that's a problem.
In
fact, it may contribute to the fact that I'm using 3 or 3 1/2 reeds --
anything
less than 3 simply hasn't got enough resistance!
Thanks!
Rhea
stewart kiritz wrote:
> ...
> . Personally, I am in pretty good physical
> condition...weight train and run 3 times a week, at correct weight for my
> build, etc. yet my chops still are weak and probably will be until I have
> gradually built up the strength of the specific muscles involved in
playing
> the clarinet. ..
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