 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Firebird
Date: 2007-09-17 07:22
I need help on this one. I've noticed that I bite further from the tip of the mouthpiece than most people. So how far or close should it be?
Chan
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2007-09-17 07:59
As I remember from your other posts you play on a German clarinet/mouthpiece, right?
On the German clarinet it is common to take a bit more mouthpiece than on French, and many that play German clarinets seem to hold the clarinet further from the body than the French.
... from what I've seen.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2007-09-17 08:10
The ideal spot for the lower lips is where the reed leaves the mouthpiece table, ie where the curvy part in the mouthpiece window begins. Different mouthpieces have that spot in different locations, and where exactly your upper teeth rest on the mouthpiece is dictated by your anatomy and the shape of the beak.
Are you happy with your sound? Do you get tired easily? What does your teacher (or your band buddies) say?
--
Ben
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-09-17 09:47
You should never bite on a mouthpiece.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2007-09-17 11:16
> You should never bite on a mouthpiece.
Unless it is a chocolate mouthpiece. Would make a cool gift. Hmm. There's an idea for the upcoming season...
--
Ben
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2007-09-17 12:49
Dear Chris,
Thanks for saying, "never bite." Never, never EVER even think of biting.
Now that's cleared up, I saw a good suggestion earlier on this forum to choke up on it until you hear a squeak, then just back off slightly from that spot. Generally the longer the lay, the more mouthpiece one will take in. That would explain the desire to have more mouthpiece for a German horn since those mouthpieces are of a smaller tip openning and a longer lay.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2007-09-17 14:16
Put a piece of paper between the reed and the mouthpiece. Where the paper ends is typically a good position for your lower lip. Do not go below that point.
The lower the upper teeth the more chance of loss of control you will get. Experiment with what works for you with your upper teeth position. Neidich uses a very high top teeth position and quite low lower lip.
Typically the upper lip is closer to the tip of the mouthpiece than the bottom lip is.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: redwine
Date: 2007-09-17 14:53
Hello,
When I do clinics, here is what I have students do:
Put too much mouthpiece in your mouth, so that on an open g, you produce a "squeak" or a higher harmonic.
While you're playing, slowly pull the mouthpiece out of your mouth until you produce the proper open g.
That is roughly the correct spot for your mouth to be on the mouthpiece. It does correspond generally to where the mouthpiece curve starts.
If you put too little mouthpiece in your mouth, and you clamp hard, then your are effectively shortening the facing of your mouthpiece. I believe that one should allow as much of the reed to vibrate as is possible.
Beyond the amount of mouthpiece in your mouth, one can also experiment with angle of the clarinet. If you do not move your head nor neck, and while you play, change the angle of the clarinet coming out of your mouth, you can find the "sweet spot"--you'll hear it, when the sound rings as much as it will.
Ben Redwine, DMA
owner, RJ Music Group
Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
Selmer Paris artist
www.rjmusicgroup.com
www.redwinejazz.com
www.reedwizard.com
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Author: Firebird
Date: 2007-09-17 15:09
Thanks for all of your suggestions and advice. After some experimentation, I did find that I was biting a bit too far into the mouthpiece.
As for the hardware, earlier I put up a post on mouthpiece identification, and no one replied. It's unmarked except for the '30702' stamped at the front of the mouthpiece. The only thing for sure is that the mouthpiece is shorter than the French mouthpieces I have, but I have no way of getting other information, other than it plays rather terribly on Black Master 3.5 compared to Rue Lepic 56.
Once again, I appeal for distinguished members of this BBoard for help on the identification of this mouthpiece.
Many thanks in advance.
Chan
Post Edited (2007-09-17 15:10)
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2007-09-19 00:01
From redwine- "If you put too little mouthpiece in your mouth, and you clamp hard, then your are effectively shortening the facing of your mouthpiece."
How does this rule apply to playing on larger instruments? For example, would you put a bariton sax mouthpiece far enough into your mouth so that your lower lip reaches the beginning of the curve? If we put our lower lip a little short of the beginning of the curve we are not only shortening the facing, but we are bending the reed (ie. putting it into a state of tension). Wouldn't that give a different sound than if it were simply a shorter curve? Would there be any situations in which that might be desireable?
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2007-09-24 11:39
I go by sound.
If you take in too little, it's thin and strangled.
If you take in too much, you get a nasty honk.
You need to find the point somewhere between strangled chicken and honking goose.
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Author: joannew
Date: 2007-09-24 21:03
...somewhere between strangled chicken and honking goose
ah, what a lovely instrument we have!
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2007-09-24 22:04
Two measurements(if you are measuring) 1. how far onto the beak of the mouthpiece with the top teeth. 2. where on the reed with bottom teeth and lip. As a starting point I put my top teeth around 9mm from the tip of the moutpiece. That's where my teeth marks are.... I don't know if there is any magic to this placement but I sort of theorize that insufficient mouthpiece in your mouth will make leaps to the high register more difficult and also make for a rather small sound. I note that my mouthpiece is probably a 34 facing length= 17mm. I haven't tried it but I'll measure off that on the reed to see if the I am adhering to (where the reed breaks away theory) ....well I just did a preliminary test....My test indicated that 17mm produces a honky sound....way more reed than I put in my mouth. I must admit it is a difficult thing to measure here. All the best John
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2007-09-27 04:45
Quote:
Dear Chris,
Thanks for saying, "never bite." Never, never EVER even think of biting.
Now that's cleared up, I saw a good suggestion earlier on this forum to choke up on it until you hear a squeak, then just back off slightly from that spot. Generally the longer the lay, the more mouthpiece one will take in. That would explain the desire to have more mouthpiece for a German horn since those mouthpieces are of a smaller tip openning and a longer lay.
............Paul Aviles I'd go with this method on the "bite". While others say to look where the reed leaves the table and the mouthpiece rails start to curve away, I'd go for more of a "feel" like above instead of trying to measure the distance or look for an optimal point.
One thing, whenever first did this not too long ago, it felt like a WHOLE lotta mouthpiece was going in, but at the same time, it felt like I had more control. I've grown to love it.
US Army Japan Band
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