The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

Using air

Author: kawallace91
Date: 2011-08-21 21:24

I've been playing for nearly 10 years, and the ideas of "using more air" and "air support" have been expressed to me numerous times, but I feel it's still something I've yet to master. It's hard to say what exactly is going on when I play, but I feel like after I take a breath, I kind of hold it in and try to blow air from my mouth and throat rather than much lower (like my lungs where it's actually stored!) as I know I should. (hope that kind of makes sense) My embouchure tends to tire out quickly, and my cheeks often get a little puffy, both of which I think mostly result from the incorrect use (or maybe lack of use) of my air.

I did manage to make some improvements with this last school year by thinking about my tongue position. (Seemed strange to me, but it made something click!) My endurance has become MUCH better already, but it still has a lot of room to grow. I also struggle with playing loudly. If I could learn to really "use" my air, I think I'd be able to let go even more with my embouchure, and a lot of other things would fall into place.

What kinds of things do you feel or think about to really push out the air? Are there things with or without the clarinet to practice that will help? (Long tones, of course!