Klarinet Archive - Posting 000163.txt from 2007/02

From: Tim Roberts <timr@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Facial hair and embouchure
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 12:33:17 -0500

On Tue, 20 Feb 2007 13:25:30 -0500, "Rommel John Miller"
<RommelJMiller@-----.net> wrote:
> But that's it, even though my stach isn't in my mouth so to say, whenever I
> take a sip of tea or soup or Coke or Pepsi I always get that residual
> after-drip that most moustache wearers have, you know like the one's who
> used to say that they could taste their soup hours after they've eaten it?
>

Yes, I know that feeling. I've played clarinet for 35 years, 30 of
those with the facial hair you see in http://www.probo.com/timr/.

> Even my lower lip and jaw are able to become taut enough, as well as to
> stand out, and away from the hair of my lower beard, but I still wonder as
> the reed most certainly comes into contact with these hairs and it is these
> hairs which most assuredly affect the vibration of the reed.
>

I don't believe that. It is my lower lip that contacts the reed, not my
hairy chin. Even if there is some "residual" touching, it occurs at or
below the point where the ligature attaches, where it would have zero
impact.

Even if a hair did contact the reed in the vamp area, I do not believe
it could have an impact on the sound. The mass of the hair is
insignificant compared to the mass of the reed; any dampening would be
unmeasurable. I grant that a "spit bubble" on the inside surface of the
reed has a detectable effect, but that's impacting the airflow as much
as the vibration.

> But I would like to hear from anyone else about their own experiences with
> playing while having a rather full beard and full, bushy moustache, it might
> give for good experience and research.

The only negative consequence of having a full beard while playing
clarinet is the painful experience of getting one or more beard hairs
caught in the adjusting screws for the ligature. Fortunately, when I
switched to a Rovner Dark, I found it played better for me with the
screw in the back, thereby solving that annoying little problem...

--
Tim Roberts, timr@-----.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.

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