 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Aussiegirl
Date: 2005-04-20 07:06
Ive searched in the archives a bit but i cant find much about this...
I went on band camp (yay!) last weekend expecting to play bari sax but ended up playing bass clarinet which was ok, but i havent played one for about 1.5 years. This was ok in itself, but when i got back from camp ive been trying to play my Bb clarinet, which is my main instrument and have found that not only is my embochure as tight but im really biting into the mouthpiece, and my teeth are getting really sore!
Has anybody else experienced this?
Fiona
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2005-04-20 14:07
When I played more then ~3 hours a day my upper teeth were getting sore so I started using really thick mouthpiece patches. On the bass clarinet I use two large .5mm Yamaha patches one on top of the other. On my crystal clarinet mouthpieces I use a .5mm Yamaha and then put a .8mm BG on top of that. My upper front teeth have been fine ever since. I never had this problem when I was a kid and figured it had something to do with getting old.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-04-20 19:12
I play with my retainer in whenever I play. I only take my retainer off when I am in the shower, eating, or what do you know - brushing my retainer. I've had my braces off for 8 months, but my teeth get horribly sore if I play without my retainer. It was bad at All-State auditions this year because I was so nervous that my retainer made me gag, so I had to play my All-State audition without it. That was the first time I had ever played that music w/o the retainer, and so it felt really weird. I made All-State still, but it was just an awkward experience. Ironically, later that day, the retainer was in my pocket and I leaned up against something and it broke. So now I use my thicker overnight retainer, which also helps keep the teeth in place and keeps the soreness away.
I don't know if a clear invisaline retainer would work to help get your soreness away, but it would be worth looking in to. Or, just change your embouchure and force yourself to use less pressure. Try Embouchure Training for the Clarinettist by Larry Guy... it may help you get back in to tip top shape.
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Author: VermontJM
Date: 2005-04-22 22:30
Maybe you just need to ease back into Bb- I know going from bass to bb was an issue for me, too...
If it hurts, STOP. It's not worth causing med problems or poor habits.
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