Klarinet Archive - Posting 000050.txt from 2003/02

From: Karl Krelove <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] some beginner questions
Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 18:11:19 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: rbkeffer@-----.net]On
>
> 1) Why is it wrong to let your cheeks puff out while playing?
> Why the rule
> about not having inflated cheeks? What is the reasoning? I accept that
> it's proper form, I'd just like to know why.

It isn't a "rule," just the experience of generations of clarinetists and
other wind instrument players that power, focus, and control are all
affected badly when air is allowed to collect in the cheeks. Probably has
something to do with turbulence being created inside your mouth that impedes
the direct forward flow of the air.

> 2) When I try to keep my cheeks in, one of two things happen: a) I lose
> the force of my blowing power. My notes go flat sooner, I can't achieve
> higher register notes with ease, or I run out of ooomph in fewer measures,
> or b) the space between my upper lip and nose inflates (very odd looking).
> What am I doing wrong? When I goof and let my cheeks have their way, I
> don't do Dizzy Gillespie cheeks...I do keep mine in fairly well,
> but I know
> I'm still puffing out a bit too much.

You may be also taking too little or too much reed/mouthpiece or doing
something else similar to explain the flatness and high register difficulty.
Also, too weak a reed can make you feel as if you're closing the reed (you
may be) unless you let your cheeks puff out. It sounds a little like you're
just blowing too hard and the air backs up and forces your cheeks or your
upper lip out. You really need to have someone knowledgeable watch you and
listen to your playing to unravel this - no one here in cyberspace can
diagnose this for you, and trying many different things that people suggest
is likely only to add confusion to whatever else is wrong with your
embouchure approach.

> 3) When I am in a higher register and then come down into lower register
> notes, sometimes I screechy squeak. What was making a beautiful
> high D or E
> will make a nighmarish Bb or A. Amy says I'm doing one or two things
> wrong: a) I need to adjust the force of my breath, or b) I need
> to work on
> my mouth (that ambeture??? word). Any advice?

Again, a teacher listening to you is the best person to help. Squeaks occur
because the embouchure is not completely in control of the reed's vibrations
and it goes into an unintended high harmonic instead of the lower intended
one. This can be caused by too much (unneeded) adjustment as you move over
register breaks, too much tension in the jaw or oral cavity, inaccurate
finger landings or several other things including badly balanced reeds and
just blowing too hard.

> 4) I seem to be very brutal on reeds. I damage them/wear them out at an
> obscene rate. Little bits of corner peel back on the top right, splinters
> come off, etc. I've even bloodied the corner of my mouth on one (have no
> idea how!). I don't know what I'm doing wrong, I just know I'm guilty of
> reed abuse. Amy says it might have something to do with how tense I get
> when I'm really focussed on getting something. Any insights?

In any case, this may account for several of the other problems you've
already mentioned. Be careful when you pack the reed away - reeds are more
often damaged in the storage container than during playing use. If you're
leaving it on the mouthpiece when you pack your instrument away, be careful
that the cap isn't shaped badly and crushing the tip of the reed. If you use
a reed holder that holds the reeds on their edges, be sure they are all the
way down in the holder, not sticking up on one end or the other. If you use
a holder that keeps the reeds flat, be sure you aren't pushing them too far
in so the tips are bumping into something or that you aren't wobbling them
from side to side when you put them in and bumping the side rails against
something in the holder.

Is Amy a teacher or an acquaintance. If she is your private teacher, she
ought to be in a better position to help with this because she can actually
see the reeds.

> 5) Amy says I practice too much for a beginner. I disagree. I
> have fallen
> madly in love with playing clarinet, and practicing is often my sane,
> formyselftime of the day (I'm in grad school, and I homeschool my
> very...ermm...energetic son). After learning a couple of cruel
> lessons, I
> have instituted my personal practice policies: a) I will stop before I
> draw blood on my bottom lip or the skin underneath it (which I
> used to do),
> b) I will stop before the knuckles in my right thumb become locked to the
> point that I have to reach down with my left hand and reengage the
> knuckles. As long as I am following these personal guidelines, is it
> possible to practice too much as a beginner? How will I ever built breath
> and mouth endurance and skill if I don't push the envelope???
>
Well, I don't think "pushing the envelope" to the point of producing and
ignoring any kind of pain is a good idea. Injury to your inner lip or tongue
will only interfere with practice the next day and may lead to forming bad
habits as pain-avoidance. Why would your knuckles lock like that? Perhaps
you're working too hard when you practice. Again, a teacher would be in the
best position to judge whether or not you are using your energy productively
when you play.

The important thing is that playing a clarinet shouldn't be physically
tortuous. Your enthusiasm is admirable. Playing should be enjoyable. Good
luck with it.

Karl Krelove

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