 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-10-08 19:57
Sort of a side subject from another post so I'll start it here.
Conner wrote (in another thread)Quote:
Ever since my first clarinet lesson, i was told to never change emboucher when moving up or down the clarint. Every single teaher was right, your emuboucher should not change as you move about the instrument. If you require a bit more mouthpiece to play "high C", then, in general, you probably need to play with more mouthpiece in all ranges of the horn. I always thought you weren't supposed to change embouchure, but I've had a few people (two professional musicians and a student from Juilliard) say otherwise. I've heard different things, about different aspects of the embouchure that I've been told should change while you're playing certain notes/dynamics.
Some things I've heard were, that you can roll your bottom lip a little down or up if you're trying to pop out a higher note in order to ensure that it'll sound. I've also been told that your embouchure should grow gradually firmer as you proceed DOWN the clarinet (into the lower notes), and that as you play higher and higher, it should grow gradually looser. It was also said in a masterclass that I attended that as you're running out of air, and the cavity in your mouth is getting smaller, that you should loosen the embouchure a bit to ensure that you don't bend the pitch too far upwards, and the opposite should stand true when playing forte (I guess the tendency is to get a little flat when playing out).
Just wondering what your thoughts were on these pieces of information. I've tried to stick to them and I feel it works for me, but I'm wondering if perhaps the "rock" embouchure that never changes is meant to be taught when beginning clarinet to help them begin playing, and as you progress you're told about "exceptions" to that rule. Sorta like learning the standard fingerings just to get the notes out, and learning alternate fingerings as the need arises.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2005-10-08 20:06
sfalexi wrote:
> ]I always thought
> you weren't supposed to change embouchure, but I've had a few
> people (two professional musicians and a student from
> Juilliard) say otherwise. I've heard different things, about
> different aspects of the embouchure that I've been told should
> change while you're playing certain notes/dynamics.
Watch any professional plarinetist carefully while they're at work. They're constantly making subtle changes in their embouchure and oral cavity (well, sometimes NOT so subtle changes in their oral cavity when they change registers!)
Talking in metaphors again - by telling someone not to vary their embouchure, while you're with them and observing, may help them from changing their embouchure so radically as to destroy whatever tone/coloration/pitch/etc. they're trying to accomplish.
Metaphor shouldn't become dogma, however, and it seems that there always is a danger of it becoming so.
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Author: Connor
Date: 2005-10-08 20:47
When i play, i find that only oral cavity and toung position change while assending the scale of the horn. I play twords the tip of my mouthpiece with the clarinet at a 10 degree angle, or practiclay vertical to my body. My embouchure could be compared to a trumpet players embouchure, try making a very tight buzz with your lips with a nice flat pointed chin. You will notice that there is a lot of mussle tension in the upper lip. This tension NEVER changes no matter what register i play in.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-10-08 21:13
Having observed many wind instrument players for a long time and trying to be analytical during my own practice time, I can tell you that I see a lot of controlled movement while we're playing. I find that exaggerating non-movement during practice time helps me gain control. I believe that's a good thing, no?
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2005-10-08 21:54
Not changing your embouchure (to a first approximation) whilst practising changing register can be thought of as 'learning to change your tongue position in order to change register, even if it can't be specified exactly how to do it.'
Afterwards, not having changed your embouchure to a first approximation can be modified to allow subtle changes of embouchure (to a second approximation) that may help in particular circumstances.
Tony
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2005-10-08 22:17
OK, I understand your confusion.
The idea is that you don't think to begin with about changing your embouchure as you practice.
That's because anything at that stage that you count as a 'change' of your embouchure is almost certain to be much too large.
(In mathematical language, it's true 'to a first approximation' that your embouchure doesn't change.)
You're better off learning the other parts of what is necessary.
But in the end, very small changes of embouchure will help in particular circumstances.
(That would count as a change 'to the second approximation', in mathematical terms.)
Hope that helps,
Tony
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Author: Claire
Date: 2005-10-09 02:21
Are we talking about changes in Embouchre or changes in jaw position? I always think of the embouchre as being a nice firm and pointed chin that always stay that way. I think what most people mean when they say about loosening the embouchre is that they actually mean dropping the bottom jaw further away from the mouthpiece.
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2005-10-09 03:29
When I play, nothing changes. At least, I don't think about anything changing. I keep a steady embouchoure and throat and tongue position. I am certain that I make adjusments without thinking though.
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Author: claril
Date: 2005-10-09 12:57
Well apart from changing embouchure for the reason of getting notes out, I thought you are supposed to control intonation with your embouchure, somepeople use a mixture of things but have you not heard of changing your embouchure at all, I think it has to be done to a certain degree fo whatever reason. Then again, when you start a student off, the idea is to keep a firm constant embouchure..
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Author: allencole
Date: 2005-10-09 16:50
I think that the idea is to avoid over, over-the-top embouchure changes--particularly if those changes result in frequent movement of the jaw. A lot of youngsters look like their chewing on the mouthpiece as they change registers.
If you can keep relatively still, those subtle things can come into play. I generally find that if I maintain breath support, I can think about what I want and generally get it with subtle, almost automatic adjustments.
When you see a lot of visible adjustment going on, I suspect that it's trying to make up for a lack of breath support.
Allen Cole
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