 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2013-03-24 20:07
I read somewhere that one could improve their embouchure by strengthening the musculature. The process involved parting the teeth and making a five count "ooo" and then a five count smile with the teeth apart and the corners drawn in and up instead of back and up (making a "wheeee"). They suggested fifty rounds with hard muscular focus. I barely made it to fifty and that night while playing, my embouchure was shot at the end of five or ten minutes. The next day my embouchure lasted not much longer than that before much of the air started to leak ( I usually don't experience this even after an hour). Today I noticed much more control, better upper register pitch and more musicality ( probably due to increased ease and confidence), but after about 15 minutes I had absolutely fatigued my embouchure. The degree of fatigue was laughable, because I could barely play a note until I rested for a few minutes and then I could eek out another few minutes before the fatigue set in again.
I'm not ready to give this up because I feel I've made progress and I think I know which direction I need to improve now. Needless to say, I was not aware that such simple exercises could result in such a powerful reaction. I think the muscular workout brings increased awareness of corners in, purse string, upper lip down and long flat chin.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2013-03-25 00:58
Many people have good results with these exercises, and it's nice to hear that they're helping you. I don't know if it originated with Larry Teal, but he mentions them in his Art of Saxophone Playing.
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Author: sonicbang
Date: 2013-03-25 08:16
As with all other muscle, you should keep in mind that this is a long process. You would better not doing too much excercise in the first few times. Another good excercise is to hold a pencil (a shorter one first) in your mouth using only your lips not your teeth. Of course the bigger part of the pencil should be outside your mouth. Hold it straght while forming a proper embochure let's say for 2 munutes. Then take 2 minutes rest. Do this 3-4 times. After 1-2 weeks, you can use a longer pencil, or add 1 minute to each part of the excercise.
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