 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2005-10-20 14:20
Err, was that snugging?
Having great admiration for Tom Ridenour's ATG reed balancing system, I bought his "The Educator's Guide to the Clarinet" after reading the article in The Clarinet magazine. Tom's ideas are clearly set out, and I must say that a number of them caused some brain bombs with me. I may have received most of my training too long ago, or just interpreted what I was told my own way, but there were ideas there that surprised me.
I'll start with biting. Tom says there is a biting epidemic among clarinet players.....over 75% play with a biting embouchure. I have long known that I bite too hard, although in recent years, I have stopped doing that quite as much. When people said not to bite on the reed, I thought they meant not to put TOO MUCH jaw pressure on the reed. Ridenour's method is to have NO jaw pressure.
Here is what Tom says about it. If I am not getting it right, someone will surely tell me. (The function of the jaw is to provide a stable, unmoving opening for the mouthpiece. It is passively stationary. It should not clamp or close on the mouthpiece to control the reed vibration. Reed control comes from the reed being snugged more firmly against the lips. The snugging action comes from the right hand thumb pushing the mouthpiece upward. In this way, the reed receives a more indirect pressure. A biting embouchure directly forces the reed to press against the curve of the mouthpiece and dampens some of the good vibrations. )
I have been experimenting with this and, sure enough, it seems like it does do something to free up the sound. However, I have long used varying jaw pressure (along with tongue position and finger shading) to help tune notes up or down, or to change the sound quality. Maybe I don't aways want to play with a focused, pear-shaped tone. I don't think I have ever used the right hand thumb to vary pressure of the mouthpiece.
I am curious about how others view this.
johng
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-10-20 14:38
I agree with it. I found out that I get the best tone/control when I push the top of the mouthpiece against my UPPER teeth with my right and left thumbs (left thumb for me, mainly, while my right thumb simply helps keep the mouthpiece from slipping out my mouth) It really helped me to control that dubious thumb and register key C. Also, I find that a patch on the mouthpiece helps me to keep it in the same place (it doesn't slip against my top teeth) while applying pressure with my thumbs. And prevents unecessary scratches.
I don't see anything wrong with using slight jawpressure to help tune notes. You might want to try tightening and loosing the embouchure. Leave the jaw the same amount open, but try tightening/loosening the corners of the mouth and using your bottom lip rather than your entire jaw. This is the way it was explained at a masterclass by Charles Neidich to keep notes in tune.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: BobD
Date: 2005-10-20 14:38
TR's opinions have to be taken seriously given his years of experience. Personally I find it difficult to define biting. IF you didn't provide some upward support for the clarinet you wouldn't be able to play it....and your mouth alone couldn't hold it. So, obviously, you must provide upward support......one doesn't need to even say it. Nevertheless, saying it causes you to concentrate on the support vis a vis concentrating on jaw pressure.
I think that was/is his point.
Bob Draznik
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Markael
Date: 2005-10-20 16:26
I teach clarinet but I also take lessons from someone who is more advanced than I. We discussed this very point from Ridenour's book. She thinks he may have overstated his case against biting--perhaps understandably so, since it is such a persistent and intractable problem.
I have a good embouchure and a good tone, but I was having a little blip going from one register to another. We discovered that I was too conscientious about not changing my embouchure at all. An ever so slight adjustment needs to be made.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
