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Re: How much mouthpiece to take in

Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-06-10 12:48

Ruben -

I find the spot where the reed and the rails diverge and mark the reed lightly with a pencil. Then I take the right amount of mouthpiece to put my lower teeth directly below the pencil mark. For me, this produces the freest, most resonant tone but is well below the squeaking point.

Where you put your upper lip depends on the shape of your jaw and teeth and the angle at which you hold your clarinet. Sherman Friedland has written that Gino Cioffi (who played double lip) put his upper lip very close to the tip. Kalmen Opperman and his student Richard Stoltzman (who also played double lip) supported the mouthpiece equally with the upper and lower lips and put their upper lips well down on the top of the mouthpiece. See http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lifeinlegacy.com/2010/0619/OppermanKalmen.jpg&imgrefurl=http://lifeinlegacy.com/display.php?weekof%3D2010-06-19&h=200&w=150&sz=10&tbnid=1qJQ3MBroyvkPM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=68&zoom=1&usg=__2R5kTfszst8qeaWa5XYheAakSAE=&docid=H83Gk0Md6CBzYM&sa=X&ei=NL-1UcXJMqXu0gG4-IHoCQ&ved=0CEQQ9QEwBA&dur=1985.

You do what works for your anatomy.

Ken Shaw

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