 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: thecuriousclarinet
Date: 2013-02-19 20:55
I took a year or so off from playing. I have been practicing for 3 hours a day for the last 3 months or so. I can't seem to get my embouchure muscles back in shape though. My embouchure is fine, but I can't play through an entire piece or even an etude without my embouchure crapping out on me mid-way through. It starts out as a small air leak and then gets bigger and bigger until I can no longer even keep my mouth on the instrument.
How can I practice to get the muscles back in shape? I've tried just playing for longer periods without a break, but that isn't working for me, since I just get the air leak. Is there something specific I can do that will work? Seems like I need something systematic that I can keep adding time to each week, but I'm not sure what that would be.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2013-02-19 22:34
Try long note practise ppp<fff>ppp etc also the JeanJean Vade Mecum exercises.
Also keep sessions to about 1 hour max and then take a long break after each session.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-02-21 20:12
Maybe the embouchure approach is not correct from the get go. If you are not involving the upper lip muscles for instance (think DOWN), or if you are not putting enough thought into the cheek muscles (what you engage trying to get a thick chocolate shake through a straw) which draw in (and down) the sides of you mouth, this might cause leaking regardless. So just actively engage all of that 'stuff' around the entire mouthpiece as if it where a rubber band completely encircling the mouthpiece with even pressure.
This being said, there is no "strain" perse involved here. The embouchure is merely a platform for the reed.
...............Paul Aviles
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