Klarinet Archive - Posting 000100.txt from 2004/09

From: "Morgan Landry" <geekchic9@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] teeth and the clarinet embouchure?
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2004 23:06:10 -0400

Hi,

I feel I need to fill you in on some background before I asked my question.

Before I had braces, I had a very severe overbite, so severe I had
"buckteeth." I had to have them straightened or they would fall out.
Interestingly enough, I had perfect pitch during that time, even though I
had a cheap plastic clarinet. I have been told that this is very unusual for
a preteen.

Later on, as my teeth were straightened with braces, I had 4 of my teeth
removed due to crowding -- not the front teeth, they were the
bicuspids(sp?) I think. My front six teeth were also thinning due to
extremely soft enamel, and I had to have veneers cover them. During the time
they were being fixed, my embouchure wasn't as good -- there would be a
hissing sound from the corners of my mouth when I got tired, and my perfect
pitch was gone. After I quit band in high school, for reasons that had to do
little with my teeth, I rarely picked up my clarinet again, because the
sound I produced was depressing. The sound was too sharp and airy, and the
hissing problem persisted. Eventually, I couldn't play the clarinet at all.
No sound would come out, just air!

Recently, after my teeth have been fixed, I've had the urge to pick up the
clarinet again, and my sound was much better on the old plastic clarinet --
no hissing! I became so encouraged that I purchased a new wood clarinet on
my 23rd birthday last Friday. My pitch is not perfect, but I feel that with
time I may hit perfect pitch again within a year or so.

So, my questions are: What made my sound so good in the first place? Was it
my severe overbite? Secondly, what ruined my sound? I know my case is
complicated, but was it the braces, the thinning out of my teeth, or a bit
of both? Are any of you familiar with the relationship between bad teeth and
the embouchure?

Thank you for reading,
Morgan

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