 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Maruja
Date: 2011-08-27 20:02
I have a new teacher - who, of course, is busy correcting my embouchure. She says that I grip too hard. She is probably right, as I always feel exhausted after playing for what is not really a long time.
My question is - how can I gauge which is the correct tension? Is there a special feeling, buzz, vibration, which tells you - 'this is the right grip, not too slack, not too tight'? Would using a tuner help?
(and having seen an advert for a P.E.T.E - personal emboucbure training device - has anyone on the board tried one?)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-08-27 21:02
There is no one fits all answer to this or almost anything. Experiment. You don't want to bite so much that you put your teeth thru your bottom lip but many of us use a lip saver if our teeth are sharp or we use a little extra pressure because we have strong jaws, as long as you don't pinch the reed closed. Using the top lip to help secure the mouthpiece helps a great deal in taking the pressure off the rest of your embouchure. If there's too much pressure on the sides of your mouth you will tire very quickly. Using more of a pucker direction, as if you're starting to whistle takes some of the tension away as opposed to pulling the sides of your mouth back as if you're smiling. It's a total combination of all your muscles so no one is over stressed. Hope this helps. ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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