 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ruben
Date: 2021-08-01 14:59
The reason for my introducing this topic is a video by Tom Ridenour that I saw on YouTube. Tom says he conducted a little survey among oboists and they all said that they take in very little reed because this gives you more control of the reed. I objected to this concept because an oboe and clarinet embouchure are different, even if you play double-lip. Plus a double reed is not a single reed on a mouthpiece. Also, the Mitchell Lurie method advocates taking in as much mouthpiece as possible, just above the squeaking point. I also think that everything depends on the thickness of your lips and other anatomic parameters. Nevertheless, I thought: I trust Tom's analytical sense enough to give it a try. I find it works. It really does give me more control.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2021-08-01 15:59
I re-read the above article and still find it quite thorough and useful. However it doesn't address the above question in detail, it only gives it a brief mention.
Tom Puwalski said on this Board some years ago that he can switch seamlessly from mouthpiece to mouthpiece by executing the "squawk test." That is playing an open "G," close to the tip of the mouthpiece and sliding in gradually (while playing that "G") until you get a big, uncontrollable squawk.
Having used that idea for many years I find two things about that. Yes, you can find a really good spot to play on any (most) mouthpieces this way. And yes, I find (for me) that the spot that plays consistently best on most mouthpieces is really close to the point of contact.
The exception (for me) has been in German mouthpieces (real German mouthpieces such as Wurlitzer M3+ which I use as my example here). If you look carefully across the side of a German mouthpiece with a reed on it, you'll notice that the typical slope and distance of a Boehm mouthpiece is present pretty much in the same way. The difference is that there is a small separation that continues for another 12mm!! So the German idea is that you get more of that control leaving your embouchure at a fairly typical spot. Or rather NOT moving up the the point of contact.
I believe that you can get results of varying degree by placing your embouchure at different places along one given facing. It depends on the player and how they approach that "tight rope walk" between amount of air on one side of the equation and embouchure pressure on the other side of the equation (remember, that changes quite drastically moving from very loud to very soft). But I have found on Boehm mouthpieces that I get the greatest dynamic contrast and resonance moving close to the contact point. As David Shifrin once put it in a master class, "Use all the mouthpiece you paid for."
..................but you don't have to
..........................Paul Aviles
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2021-08-01 21:49
I suppose that the point of my post was to make it more plausible that the title o the original post is already sufficient contribution.
How much mouthpiece to take in?
Indeed. (Sometimes more, sometimes less.)
As always, you want to ANSWER the question.
Still, you did better this time than you usually do.
Tony
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2021-08-04 21:14
Everyone is different. I've always taught to start with as much as possible and as you play take a little less and less until you find the optimal amount. Also, the angle makes a difference so experiment with that as well. A little difference can make a big difference.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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