 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: will
Date: 1999-03-07 18:15
How do I develop a firmer embouchure? After practising for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, my mouth muscles (is that what you call it?) get very tired, and I have to rest before I can continue to play properly. I really need help, and thanks for any given!
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-03-07 18:57
Its like any other muscle. It takes time to train and you can't really speed up the process. All you can do is to continue to practice daily and it will become stronger. However here are somethings that will help a little.
1. Warm up with long tones.
2. Every 20 minutes to 1/2 hour take about a five minute break. This will let your embouchure "recover" a little and you can extend your practice sessions by more time than you lose in the break. Also you can use that break to mentally study the material you are on so that when you are playing you will get more benefit out of it.
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Author: Evan
Date: 1999-03-07 19:14
Do like Dee says, this works, and if you sound good and your mouth gets tired after playing it is a good indication that you have a good embachoure. I know some that can play for hours and hours without getting tired, unless they practice a lot, and I mean a lot, this is not a good sign, it shows they are using their chin instead of mouth muscles. Just practice, It will go away, at least you know you are doing it right.
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Author: Nicole Y.
Date: 1999-03-07 19:16
All I can tell you to do is practice...no that's not right...practice long tones. The long tones increase your endurance plus, it gives you more breath to play with.
Nicole Y.
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Author: Rick2
Date: 1999-03-08 14:55
There are two things I can think of offhand to exercise your emboucher. You can play on a reed 1/2 rating stiffer than normal for part of your practice, and you can practice long tones or just long songs with a lip vibrato. The lip vibrato will give you a good workout, especially if you do it with that stiffer reed. Just don't expect to go on much afterwards, your emboucher will be gone by the time you're done, especially the first few times.
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Author: will
Date: 1999-03-09 11:06
I hope I'm not sounding ignorant, but what's a lip vibrato?
Thanks.
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Author: Rick2
Date: 1999-03-09 15:04
Vibrato is that wah-wah sound that you hear on long tones. There are a number of ways to produce it, and using your lip is one way, you essentially say "vum-vum-vum" while you play the long tone. It's actually your jaw doing the work, so a bit of caution. 1) If you have trouble moving your jaw when you play without vibrato (i.e. normally) you probably want to stay away fromthe lip vibrato until the correct emboucher is well engrained. 2) Vibrato in any form is generally forbidden for clarinets in clzssical music, but in jazz, the opposite is pretty much true, you are pretty much expected to use one.
For some examples:
Excessive and extreme lip vibrato: Acker Bilk
Two guys that can turn it on and off, meaning using varying degrees of vibrato and sometimes no vibrato are Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. You can hear clips of each on the Amazon.com jazz area to see what they sound like.
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Author: Nicole Y.
Date: 1999-03-10 21:48
Hmmm. I would not suggest lip vibrato. To quote my band director, "You must vary that air from your diaphragm. Do not mess with yout embouchure or breathe from your chest. Vibrato!!! Play it with vibrato. Make those measure go up and down..."
Ha ha. Nice quote huh? I personally do not use vibrato as my band director doesn't allow it. That quote was for the flutes...
The rising freshman,
Nicole Y.
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Author: Ray Swing
Date: 1999-03-11 15:27
At each practice session spend about 10 to 15 minutes playing "Double Lip". I find that this really stresses my embouchure and of course helps to firm it up.
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Author: Rick2
Date: 1999-03-12 19:01
The diaphragm vibrato and lip vibrato are both possible on clarinet but have two distinctly different sounds. The diaphragm vibrato is far easier IMHO. I use both depending on the situation. I think the diaphragm vibrato is much better for a slow vibrato where you want the changes to be more subtle.
In any event, the lip vibrato was suggested as an exercise for strengthening the chops, not for playing in band class. I know they don't like vibrato on clarinet, but having not gone through band, I play it the way I want to and I put vibrato where I think it sounds good...MY interpretation of the written music, nobody else's.
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