Klarinet Archive - Posting 000054.txt from 2008/12

From: Martin Marks <martymarks@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] embouchure problems
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:25:14 -0500


On Tuesday, December 16, 2008, at 10:42PM, "Fred Jacobowitz" <fbjacobo@-----.net> wrote:
>Angelia,
> You REALLY need to get to a teacher. We can suggest all manner of
>things, but just like a picture, a live person seeing you is worth a
>thousand words.
>
>Fred Jacobowitz
>
>Kol Haruach Klezmer Band
>Ebony and Ivory Duo
>
>You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note.
>~Doug Floyd
>
>On Dec 16, 2008, at 10:15 PM, Angelia Fagg wrote:
>
>>
>> Dear list,
>>
>> I'm hoping someone can help me with a very annoying problem with my
>> embouchure. I recently had to stop playing for several months
>> because of various health problems. When I could play again, I
>> started out with scales and long tones, then played through all my
>> intermediate books and easier pieces before I went back to the
>> Mozart and Schuman I was working on when I got sick. (I haven't
>> even tried the Brahms Sonata again yet-- I know those leaps at the
>> beginning would kill me right now!) Since I started back, I've
>> noticed that I am biting the mouthpiece, hard enough to make my
>> teeth ache for hours afterward. There's a visible dent inside my
>> lower lip, and my upper teeth feel like someone tried to pull them
>> all out. (One of the "various health problems" was having my upper
>> wisdom teeth pulled, and, yes, that is exactly what it feels
>> like!) I can't find any leaks in the clarinet, and I don't think
>> the reed is too hard--the tone sounds as good as it ever did. I am
>> having problems getting my control back, especially when going from
>> one register to another. I also have trouble with two notes--
>> clarion D (fourth line) and A (one ledger line). They both sound
>> stuffy, and sometimes don't sound immediately, especially after a
>> wider interval. If I play f-g-a-b, it plays ok (but, like I said,
>> kind of stuffy), but if I play f-a, it might come out, and it might
>> hesitate for a second. Same thing with the D, only it's more likely
>> to squeak. I haven't had problems with squeaks for years and
>> years, and this is driving me crazy!!!!! I have no idea if all
>> these problems are related, if there's something wrong with the
>> clarinet, or if it's just because I'm so frustrated with the lack
>> of control. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!
>>
>> Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!
>>
>> Angelia
>>
If you can't get a teacher now, get the book "Embouchure Building For Clarinetists" by Larry Guy. Really great
methods and excercises that really work. About $20 at most woodwind dealers.
martinm
>

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