Klarinet Archive - Posting 000391.txt from 2001/05

From: Bilwright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: Re: [kl] A very soft piamissimo
Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 12:50:32 -0400

<><> Rachael=A0and=A0David=A0Orbach wrote:

I have a student that cannot play a soft piamissimo without lots of air
escaping. =A0 We have tried a different embrochure, the "o" instead of
the smile, but there still is the air escaping. Does anyone on the list
have any suggestions?

Perhaps the student's muscles for embouchure and breath are not
acting independently of each other, such that the embouchure goes slack
as the breath becomes gentler?
This could be either a mental issue or a physical issue. Perhaps
the instructional strategy would be to help the student separate the two
actions. Forget about the air leak itself (for the moment) and focus
the student's attention on constant loudness while bending the pitch
(constant air while changing the embouchure) or vice versa. When and
if the two actions become independent of each other, then refocus on the
air leak itself.
Perhaps a method that vocal teachers use would help: Hold a scrap
of paper against the wall and ask the student to keep the paper pressed
against the wall by blowing on it (no hands), such that the paper
doesn't fall to the floor when you let go of the paper. The goal is
for the student to do this with as little air as possible. This
focuses the student on shaping the air flow (embouchure) rather than on
blowing hard. Many beginning students can't keep the paper from
slipping to the floor even if they blow with all their strength.
Again, the goal is to encourage facial/throat muscles and chest/diaphram
muscles to act independently of each other.

Cheers,
Bill

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