 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: AJ
Date: 2004-04-29 23:36
Ive been playing the clarinet for a long time now, and I dont know why, but just recently everyone is telling about the air thats coming out the sides of my mouth. Actually it only comes out of the left side. Is this bad? How do I fix it if I need to? Thank you
AJ
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-04-30 01:07
There's a big debate as to whether it's bad or not. Technically, in my opinion, it's bad. It's not PROPER since, technically, all your air should go THROUGH the instrument. However there are many pros out there that have this leakage. And the general consesus is that the audience will not hear it, only you and your immediate neighbors.
You just have to play around with tightening the sides of your mouth in your embouchre to get it to stop. I've noticed that certain mouthpieces for me tend to let more air leak out the sides than others. The shape of the blank I guess.
I have two recordings with air leakage going on. And it really bothers me only on ONE of them (because at times there is SUCH A VOLUME of air that it is almost as loud as his notes!) And the reason I heard those is because the clarinet more than likely was mic'ed or was close enough to one
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-04-30 11:42
Have you ever played with a group? Sometimes during clarinet practice we hear either others or ourselves leaking air when we get tired near the end of the practice.
Basically it's the muscles that form your embochure not being strong enough to hold the mouthpiece evenly. This usually happens because of fatigue, but sometimes there's a particular problem with muscle strength on one side. I have a problem with the right side of my face not being as strong as the left side is.
The cure for this is exercise, just as a physiotherapist would assign you specific exercises to improve your leg or arm strength after an injury. The books recommend double lipping to correct many problems including biting, tone production and so forth. I found that it forced me to strengthen the embouchure muscles since double-lipping doesn't allow me to rely on jaw strength to hold the mouthpiece. So unless you have a permanent muscle weakness on one side, double lipping for at least 10 minutes of your practice per day should help considerably.
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Author: William
Date: 2004-04-30 14:30
A friend of mine in college had the same problem--air leakage that caused an anoying hiss when heard "up close". In an orchestral or band peformance, the hiss was inaudible (and no problem) but for chamber music and solo recital, it was a profuound distraction to his otherwise quite musical efforts. He was considered to be our university's best student clarinetist and he went on to a distinguished college level teaching career, but he never learned to control the hiss. This sound problem is something that you should definately try to eliminate as it will always be a distraction for any future audition of solo performance you may wish to persue. I think that practicing double lip at the beginning of each session would be of help in learning how to form a "hissless" embouchure. Slightly softer reeds may also help. Good luck.
(Perhaps the "sound" is why my old friend choose to concentrate more on jazz saxophone later in his career)
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2004-04-30 15:18
Here's something to make us uneasy. We assume it is inaudible to the audience. I went to a recital once by a pro orchestral clarinetist. She was joined on one piece by another pro. The room was small, a new library had a little hall with about a hundred seats for small events like this. I enjoyed the perforance, but I could hear that the other clarinetist hissed. Later I was talking to a friend who had been there too. He is not a player, or even particularly experienced with music; he just goes to cool local events sometimes. Among other things he said to me, "And what was going on with that guy and the hissing? That really grated on me."
Maybe the fact that it was a duet invited critical sorts of people in the audience to compare the two players.
I guess I believe hissing IS audible and that the extra exercise and practice to prevent it is good.
WT
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Author: hans
Date: 2004-04-30 17:15
AJ,
This might help....
Hans
Embouchure
There are two methods: the upper teeth can rest on the mouthpiece,
or the upper lip can cover the upper teeth. Resting the upper
teeth on the mouthpiece may wear a groove in the mouthpiece
eventually and causes uncomfortable vibration in some players, but
the choice should be left up to the individual player.
Draw the lips back as if forming a slight smile. Point the chin so
that the lower teeth press forward against the lower lip. Allow a
little of the lower lip to curve in as a cushion over the front
teeth. Place the mouthpiece in the mouth, pointing toward the back
of the roof of the mouth, with the reed firmly on the lower lip.
Close the corners of the mouth in toward the mouthpiece with the
sides of the lower lip lifting to seal around it and let the upper
front teeth, with or without lips over them, rest on top of the
mouthpiece.
After a tone is produced, experiment with the amount of mouthpiece
taken into the mouth, the amount of lips over the teeth, the
clarinet angle from the body, and the tongue position. Some change
in lip pressure may be needed to go to different ranges.
Higher notes tend to need more air pressure to play in tune.
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-04-30 18:29
Just to clarify, as Hans noted above, double-lipping is the method of covering your upper teeth as well as your lower teeth. At first this can be quite painful, so it's a good idea to use a soft reed at first, and do this only for a few minutes at a time, rest, then try again. At first you may need to stabilize the clarinet with your knees until your embouchure is strong enough to handle the clarinet's movement as you play.
A positive side-effect of this is that you'll learn how to press the keys gently and not whack your fingers down as you play. Your upper lip won't tolerate the abuse. (Just try it if you don't know what I mean!) Your jaw will thank you as well, since it won't have to take up so much of the pressure, which in turn helps reduce neck and shoulder tension. Reducing neck and shoulder tension helps to reduce arm tension, and helps you open up your throat as well. Open throat and reduced tension helps you with your tone. It's a nice chain reaction that happens.
Some decide to continue with double-lipping their whole career, but others use it only as a remedial exercise and regularly play single-lipped. But at least it trains different muscles to come into play even when you've reverted back to single-lipping. You can search this BB for people's opinions on this.
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-04-30 21:50
AJ, there are some famous people who leak air so for that you are in fine company. I'd say that it's like anything else - it depends on the degree to which it is done. Minor & insignificant air leakage is like a squeak, even Sabine Meyer or Larry Combs will hit a bad note occasionally.
There are definitely some teachers & players who don't like it or approve of it. There are also some teachers & players who don't like other things, too.
My daughter was wearing a neck strap to several pre-audition (College visit) Teacher Lessons and several of the Teachers reacted negatively to her neckstrap, stating that she would do well to rid herself of "the crutch". They thought it portended weakness. She was able to get rid of it, so she did. I think that the Teachers were more right than wrong in their reasoning. Case closed. [no medical problems; an easy change to accomodate ]
This is definitely something to discuss with your teacher. Best of luck.
Post Edited (2004-05-01 01:03)
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Author: AJ
Date: 2004-05-01 05:37
I recently switched teachers and I really am not getting along with this new one. He heard my air leakage and he stuck is finger to were the air was leaking!!!!!! I couldnt believe it. He wants me to play like him, but his tone is more fat and large and loud. I like my tone more.
I use to double lip!! But then my older teacher told my about putting my top teeth on the mouth piece I found it was easier to toungue. I tried double lipping again and it did feel weird and that chain reaction did occur. I also realized that the air only leaks when I go into the upper register notes. B and above. My really low notes dont leak air.
I switched mouth pieces and I actually found out it was better for intonation but the air leakage was the same. I think Ill stick to what Im doing now and Ill double lip for excercise.
Thank you everyone for your help
AJ
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-05-01 08:07
Personally, I find any hissing highly objectionable, and like the heavy breathing of cellists, quite unprofessional.
I would return a bought CD if a player hissed on it. I am paying for music, not for sounds reminiscent of a toilet flushing!
I would even call it selfish, in that it detracts from audience enjoyment, even a single person, because audience enjoyment should be the player's primary concern when performing to a paying audience.
I know a very capable player who was turned down for recording work because of his hissing. I don't think anybody ever told him why. He is no longer a career clarinetist.
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Author: AJ
Date: 2004-05-01 08:59
I highly agree with you Gordon. When I perform I dont want the audience to be listening to "sounds reminiscent of a toilet flushing". LOL! So I shall try and fix this hissing as soon as I can before it becomes too much of a habit
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-05-01 14:49
From my limited perspective, hissing is not much to do with single or double lip, but to do with pulling the sides of the mouth in towards the mouthpiece. This is surely possible without altering the embouchure at the centre of the mouth, where it is so important.
I have encountered advocates of exercises without the mouthpiece, consisting of alternately pouting and smiling, to help develop the muscles concerned.
No doubt, individual differences of physiology play a part here.
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