Klarinet Archive - Posting 000769.txt from 2002/04

From: Audrey Travis <vsofan@-----.ca>
Subj: [kl] Will the real "o" please stand up?
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 11:00:51 -0400

With all due respect, Tony - yes, our cultural differences here are
important, though I see your point. My teacher didn't have to make it
clear that I wasn't to drop or slacken my jaw to form the "o". That is
a matter of simple common sense. But it is clearly an "o" embouchure.
I formed and still do form the "o", and I did say we pull the corners
inward to do so (which pulls up the jaw from a slackened position). It
is true that there is a component of the "oe" in the corners because one
has little control over the bottom lip unless one does that, but the
shape of the tongue in the "oe" is very important, too. You may be
right that further explanation is needed if someone is trying to learn
embouchure over the internet or from a book without an excellent
teacher. However, on this side of the pond, there are thousands upon
thousands of us who call what I've described an "o" embouchure and we
understand what is meant. I won't back down from calling this an "o"
embouchure. It is. There are major differences between British and
Canadian speech (not including the accent), some of which, BTW, might be
forming lips and tongue and jaw differently to produce different
language sounds. Both languages are effective means of communication.
One is no more correct than the other. Whatever works is the the most
effective explanatory tool.

Cheers,
Audrey

Tony wrote:
Neil,
To drop the jaw is to OPEN your mouth. In clarinet
playing your jaw has to apply itself to more closed position, in order
for
the lower lip to be able to work properly. This more closed position of
the
jaw - more closed than that of the sax embouchure cannot be called the O

shape. To put it forthrightly - you can, but you`d be wrong. This is the
sax
embouchure - O. This is the clarinet embouchure ( as near as what my
`puter
can teach me) - <> i.e. jaw in a higher position. The jaw MUST be in a
higher position than that for the saxophone.
All I`m saying is that it is wrong to call the clarinet embouchure "O".
It
is not.

Confusion here Audrey.
Other listers` have also fallen into the trap of calling the O an OH,
and
OO.
You mention in your original post the German oe, being almost the sound
oo.
This is vastly different to what we (here in UK) call the O embouchure,
which is what we use for only saxophone, and never in clarinet playing.
We
have to make it clear that an O is NOT an oe, nor an OO, nor an oo or an
ee
combined. An O is a real circle which utilises & requires the <real>
dropping of the jaw, which is counter-productive to clarinet embouchure.

With an oe the jaw does not drop/fall to the same extent. What you say
about
oe is correct. what you say about O is quite confusing, if
clarinettists`
also play saxophone.
This needs to be seen and understood as maybe part of a cultural
difference
in explanatory methods of teaching.

---------------------------------------------------------------------