 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: much2bored
Date: 2012-02-13 00:07
I haven't been playing up to par recently, and I've just now figured out why. My embouchure is forming a good enough seal around my reed and mouthpiece. On my r13 (what i usually play on), all i'm really getting is a weird tone. On my b12, pretty much every note is growling a little. I've been trying to fix it, but I haven't been able to do so yet. Does anyone have any solutions?
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Author: kdk
Date: 2012-02-13 01:48
Unless you can find a way to describe what you're hearing more clearly, any guess is probably as good as any other. Not up to par and weird tone could mean lots of things, and "growling a little" sounds to me like the sound I get when I hum while I'm playing.
Try to give us more information.
Karl
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Author: much2bored
Date: 2012-02-13 03:58
Well, not up to par is just not as well as I usually play, and that's exactly the sound I mean when I refer to growling (it can be done by humming, but it can also be done by leaking air out of the embouchure a certain way), and weird tone, I'm really not sure how to describe it. It varies a lot between notes.
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-02-13 07:05
I'm a little confused about what you are asking. Your thread is titled "leaky embrouchure" and yet you state that you are forming a good enough seal around the mouthpiece and reed. I'm going to assume that you meant to say you aren't forming a good enough seal. Since you said this is a recent phenomenon I suspect the problem is fatigue. Try taking a day or two off from practice and see if that helps. If so you may want to consider adding some long tones to your daily practice to help build up your endurance.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-02-13 09:04
Generically speaking the most important approach to embouchure is ALL AROUND the mouthpiece. Make sure you are using UPPER lip muscles (pushing down) as well as your cheek muscles pushing in (you feel your buccinators when trying to get a thick milkshake through a straw - just blow out instead with the same feeling). So you surround the mouthpiece with muscular support much like a rubber band around the mouthpiece.
The other big generality it is to use AIR, AIR, AIR. The most efficient use of air here is key. That is you want a swift, compact stream of air to produce the biggest sound. Make sure that you don't block the flow of air from your throat with the back of you tongue. Best way to think of this is to pretty much leave your tongue in the most natural, at rest position OR form it as if you were trying to say the sound "EEEEE."
THEN:
Push the air out by engaging your abdominal muscles (you know how you might tense up your middle just before you tell your little brother to try punching you in the stomach).
Of course these are pretty general, shotgun tips. You mention a recent issue. Perhaps you have suffered a chip or dent to your mouthpiece, or the weather conditions have messed with your reeds.
.................Paul Aviles
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