 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-10-17 02:14
On some days like today, somehow my embousure is sure and steady. My pitch does not waver and the break sounds clean. On some days my altissimo is round and my pitch is on the money. On some days I just STOP BITING and somehow manage to embrace the mouthpiece - the air just flows through the horn with less resistance because I'm not trying to slam the reed against the face of the mouthpiece.
How long before those magic days become the rule and not the exception and I can move on to refining bigger and better things?
I've decided that calling a halt to BITING is an act of courage and musicianship. Don't get me wrong ... I'm not a big biter. In the realm of biting I'm a minor offender even on my worst day. But for me, a powerful embrace of the mouthpiece without constriction is my ticket out of crummy unpredictable pitch, narrow pinched tonality and feeling like I'm carrying dead weight through passages that should sound like light and air.
I just want to know that if I make a free feeling connection from the lungs to the horn a priority every day, how long will it be before it becomes second nature and not a hit and miss affair ?
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2012-10-17 04:21
How long before it becomes second nature?
Tomorrow morning.
Never.
Maybe somewhere in between.
Hopefully, soon.
No way of telling.
But, you are on the right track as far as your thinking and physical process about the issue is concerned.
Tom Piercy
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2012-10-17 12:17
Garth -
You're working on the right things. Mark Nuccio says to use the same embouchure for everything. At a master class with advanced players, he emphasized the same thing, and the playing improved significantly. It's not something you learn once. You need to remind yourself about it forever.
First, work on keeping your embouchure steady for the different registers. Start on low E, mezzo forte and gradually increase your thumb pressure on the register key until you go to the B above. The jump should come as a surprise, and you should hold everything else steady. In particular, concentrate on carrying the warmth and resonance of the E up to the B.
Do the same on F/C, F#/C#, G/E and G#/Eb.
When you get to A, go to the E and gradually roll your left index finger down to go to the C# above. Again, hold everything steady, let the jump be a surprise and work to carry the low register warmth and the middle register clarity and ease up to the C#.
Continue with Bb/F/D and so on. Don't worry about the flat high G with this fingering. The important thing is control and color matching. Take a good but not huge breath and support the tone on a cushion of air rather than by biting. Double lip is valuable for this, even if you don't use it all the time.
Second, learn to match your soft palate and the back of your tongue to "voice" the correct register. See Charles Neidich's exercise and the Swab-up-the-bell exercise at http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=366491&t=366448.
These exercises work best if you make sure that your lip is at the optimum place on the reed. Look at the mouthpiece from the side and note the point where the reed separates from the lay. Make a light pencil mark on the reed at that point.
Put half the red part of your lower lip over your teeth and rest the reed on it so your teeth are exactly under the mark. Looking in a mirror helps.
Then, make your embouchure so that your upper teeth are even with the lower ones, with your upper lip tucked neatly against the mouthpiece and your teeth. (Keith Stein called this a "dressy" embouchure, though he did it double lip.)
There should be almost no distortion in your face. Everything should be where it is when your face is relaxed. Again, looking in a mirror helps.
Finally, avoid a change in embouchure as you make the big leap. From the outside, you shouldn't seem to be doing anything. Think of the high G as a medium note, not a high one.
This is a lot of stuff to do and pay attention to. Work on things one at a time, and very slowly, with a metronome. Get one exercise so you can do it perfectly 10 times in a row. Don't go fast. Go perfect.
Then, put it away for three days to let it "cook." In the afternoon, or the next day, do a different exercise and put it away, and so on.
On the fourth day, go back to the first exercise and perfect it again. It will be easier this time, but you must resist the urge to play faster.
Once again, put it away, and repeat on the seventh day. This "burns" the process into your muscle memory, so that when your eyes recognize the pattern, your muscles do it without any need to think.
This also explains why you need to work at a very slow tempo. Any mistake is absorbed in your muscle memory, and you only train yourself to make mistakes. Once your muscle memory is perfect, your fingers and embouchure will take care of themselves.
Give it your best time -- 10 minutes of total concentration at the beginning of a practice session. Then, go have some (musical) fun. You've earned it.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2012-10-17 13:50
Good execution plus good reed= success. Great execution plus bad reed= failure. Find reeds that allow you to play without biting.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-10-17 14:20
I guess a main point is that tone exercises like long tones should be a part of everyday playing. When playing these exercises you should be able to match all the necessary parts in creating a good tone throughout the instrument. You will be doing this throughout your life, so maybe learn to enjoy it, cause if you don't, things could get miserable. The positive point is that this work gets quicker as you learn more about yourself and the instrument. I don't believe, however, that anyone is able to say that good tone just happens instantly, without spending some time each day working toward it.
Drew S.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2012-10-17 21:45
After 50+ years on the clarinet, there are just bad days, and sometimes they last for months.
But today was GOLDEN --and (but) I'm not through ww5 right after dinner
Bob Phillips
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Author: Buster
Date: 2012-10-18 06:40
Long tones and gimmicky exercises are of little benefit for many.....
Once you stop asking when your not not-biting will take over is when you'll stop asking unanswerable questions.
-Jason
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Author: Maestro_6
Date: 2012-10-18 07:23
Recently, I've been reevaluating my embouchure to improve overall efficiency. It really does help to keep the mindset of having the same embouchure for everything. No compensations are necessary! Actually, many of the things we compensate for in embouchure can be helped significantly with focused air support. Nevertheless, I found that I used to have a very slight tendency of "smiling" with the corners of my mouth, and that cut off vibrations that dampened the tone and response. After remembering to be aware of the corners of my mouth, I could easily tell the changes in my response and a more open tone. Oh yes, long tones in the mirror sure help!
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2012-10-18 17:42
Yeah Jason, This is a physical and mental activity. If you overthink things it might be counterproductive. On the other hand it's really up to each person how much they pick things apart. "Just do it"..... Not always the best motto to follow but at least you're not tying yourself in knots before you make the first step.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-10-18 18:14
Long tones are like warming up and stretching before exercising, you want to do these before you play so your muscles acclimate to the activity. They are boring, but a necessity. Turn on the TV, put it on mute, and put in the work. You'll thank yourself later.
Drew S.
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Author: mihalis
Date: 2012-10-18 22:17
I agree with you DrewSorenenMusic.
I always start with ten minutes of long notes, and I can see the embouchure benefits especially in higher register articulation.You have to do it to experience it.
Mike.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-10-19 02:08
You have to think and "pick things apart", precisely because you want to be able to "just do it". You work on technique so you can let it go and be free. It's the same with yoga, road biking, dance, learning a new language or anything else that requires simultaneous skill and artistry. You can't just pick it apart, no more than you can just play it. I'm no expert, but I've learned the principle.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2012-10-19 14:04
Garth, I have no problem with 'picking things apart" but there is a lot of subject matter for picking. If you take lessons the teacher does a lot of the 'picking' for you. If you rely on this bulletin board as a place to choose subject matter for picking you might be taking a very long road to learning. Who has that quote on the board by their name?.... somethng like...."A good teacher makes you ask questions you never considered asking" It's a bit cheesy but does have some truth in it. If you are getting inconsistent quality in your practice then the fix must be found. The most direct root is to take a lesson and then implement that fix. I guess in the end you have to do the fixing and the tweaking but a consultant is invaluable.
Freelance woodwind performer
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