Author: timg
Date: 2007-08-31 00:20
I'm a beginner at exactly the same stage. For most of last week I struggled with "the break": going from B to A made a squeak, and going from A to B the reed wouldn't vibrate at all.
My teacher corrected my embouchure: I had too much lip on the reed, preventing it from vibrating freely. I was also biting the reed slightly, and not providing the proper support from the outer parts of the lower lip. The sensation is as if I'm holding the reed by its outer edges, and barely pressing on the middle part.
He also taught me an exercise to demonstrate the correct throat shape: you sing the note into the mouthpiece, and slowly increase the air pressure until the clarinet resonates and sounds the note. If the clarinet note sounds, then your throat is properly shaped. If you can sing, then you'll find this a lot easier than I do!
It'll be a while before I can cross the break quickly and smoothly, but at least I can do it now. My wife does not understand why I am so happy to be able to play two consecutive notes :-)
-Tim
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The Clarinet BBoard
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