Klarinet Archive - Posting 000690.txt from 2001/04

From: Bilwright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: Re: [kl] air leak in embouchure
Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2001 01:45:07 -0400

<><> Beth=A0G wrote:
What can I do to correct an air leak from the right side of my mouth? I
recently switched mouthpieces [snip] I didn't have this problem with
the old mouthpiece.

If you think about the geometry of how a flexible _unsymmetric_
object seals against a rigid object (symmetric or not), the unsymmetric
object will need to be distorted in a slightly different way if the
shape of the rigid object is changed.

That is, you cannot achieve a seal between two objects by simply
sliding or pressing them together a bit more or less if only one of them
has changed shape. You must change the other shape as well.

So the question is: is your embouchure symmetric? If not,
you'll need to learn new muscle tensions in order to accommodate the new
shape of a new mouthpiece. This translates to our old friend.... long
tone practice.

Recently I've noticed that the exterior of my mouthpiece (near the
tip) has lost some of its original mirror-smooth gloss, but only on one
side. Obviously my embouchure does not seal against my mouthpiece with
absolute symmetry. I wonder if anybody's does? I doubt it because
nobody's anatomy or musculature is totally symmetric --- which is why
anyone's photograph seems to shift its expression if you cover first one
side of the photo with a blank paper and then the other side.

Cheers, and happy long tones <smile>,
Bill

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org