Klarinet Archive - Posting 000488.txt from 2003/02

From: Karl Krelove <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Embouchure
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2003 13:42:17 -0500

I don't know which "tricks" you meant, but have you tried turning her
mouthpiece around so she gets to blow and YOU finger the instrument? Fastest
way I know to establish if it's her fingers or the instrument that's causing
the problem (and you don't even need to disinfect the mouthpiece).

If you can get a clean E with your fingers on the keys, you'll have to watch
her fingers, one at a time if need be, and figure out which one isn't
covering its hole. Could be anyplace, but a few more likely places are the
thumb hole itself, the top left hand hole (E/B), the third left hand hole
(C/G), the same two fingers on the right hand (Bb/F and G/D). Often when a
smaller child starts to try to play the bottom couple of notes, the reach
pulls other fingers out of position. Desperate squeezing to try to cover the
holes has the same result. If the low F is clear and strong, look for a
poorly covered hole on the top half (left hand - assuming she's playing the
low E/B key on the left). It's also possible for her to be bumping into the
right-hand Eb/Bb side key or either of the two "sliver" keys. I'm not
certain without trying them which of all these problem spots would produce a
twelfth and which would just result in a fuzzy note, but you can try each
possibility yourself on your own instrument and see what does and doesn't
produce the problem she's having.

In my experience, the problem you're describing seldom (there are exceptions
to everything) is the result of embouchure or support deficiencies. It's
almost always a problem of finger coverage unless the embouchure is so
off-the-mark that it's an obvious culprit. Even then, frequently, a
distorted embouchure is a reaction to a finger problem, not the cause of the
unwanted overblowing.

For what it's worth, my 2 cents

Karl Krelove

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Holloways [mailto:holloways@-----.za]
> Sent: Monday, February 17, 2003 11:44 AM
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: [kl] Embouchure
>
>
> As a teacher with thirty years experience it's not often I ask for help. I
> have a beginner pupil who seems to have a 'normal' mouth position but is
> unable to play 'E' without overblowing to 'B'. I've tried all the usual
> tricks with angling and 'ins and outs' of the mouthpiece, but she can only
> just produce an 'E' with the clarinet angled very high and the mouthpiece
> barely in her mouth. She has a slight case of overbite, but it's almost
> nothing.
>
> She's just had her second lesson with me and we're both pretty frustrated.
> Does anyone have a quick fix for me, other than suggesting a different
> instrument? As I said, I've solved this problem before and this
> is the first
> time nothing seems to work. Thanks!
>
> Ian H.
>
>
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>
>

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