 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ruben
Date: 2013-06-10 09:24
The late Mitchell Lurie recommended taking in as much mouthpiece as possible: just short of the squeaking point. This is what I try to do, but then again, I play with a double-lip embouchure and I imagine this changes a few parameters. Lurie played single-lip, but encouraged his pupils to take up double-lip when he was teaching privately at the end of his life. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on the matter.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2013-06-10 13:52
I agree with Lurie. But Don't forget, that's different for every player depending on the mouthpiece you use, the reed strength, whether you have an overbite or underbite etc. I always tell my students to start with as much MP in their mouth as they can and then back it off until it's comfortable to play and articulate and get a good sound. There is no mark for everyone. Remember too, some MP have long thin beaks, some are short and fat and some are inbetween, some have long facings and some have short faceings and some have opened and some are closed. We are all built differently and every MP is different as well. Find what works best for you and your student. There is no hard fast rule.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: ruben
Date: 2013-06-10 18:23
As usual, sound, eminently sensible analytical advice from Ed and Ken, our two sages of the clarinet!
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Nessie1
Date: 2013-06-11 12:55
I would agree that much depends on the individual's anatomy and on set-up (mouthpiece, ligature, reed). However my observation is that a lot of inexperienced or less successful players don't put enough mouthpiece in - If it's not in your mouth, how is it going to work?
Whether this is because of nerves, lack of knowledge or some deep-seated freudian issues I could not say!
Keep blowing!
Vanessa.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2013-06-11 15:45
I got a kick out of your comment! You can tell when a student isn't taking in enough mouthpiece and this is a common fault. The sound is stuffed up because the reed isn't vibrating freely.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2013-06-11 22:50
Quote:
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. That's where I try to put my lower lip/teeth, but I mark it differently.
Taught to me at clarinetfest by Tom Puwalski: Take a THIN mouthpiece patch, or maybe even a piece of electrical tape and cut a very VERY thin sliver. Talking maybe 1/8-1/16 inch sliver. Place the sliver just below that point where the reed and rails separate. Now you can continue putting mouthpiece in until you FEEL that sliver of tape bump up against your lower lip. That should place your teeth right around the optimal point.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: kdk
Date: 2013-06-11 23:20
This, like most anything else about the clarinet, is a little bit situation-dependent. A resistant reed can be more easily controlled by taking less mouthpiece in. You may be able to make a reed that's a little too soft play acceptably by taking more in. A very soft non-attack entrance may come out more smoothly with less mouthpiece, less pressure and a little more air than with a maximal amount of mouthpiece and normal pressure (although it doesn't necessarily work the other way - more than usual mouthpiece and more pressure - for a loud, explosive attack). There are lots of situations in which a little flexibility about how much mouthpiece you take in makes a lot of difference.
That said, I agree there is a place on the facing curve to put against your lower lip that works best for a given mouthpiece with a nominal reed, and the other posters' descriptions of how to find it should work well.
Karl
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Author: Tom Puwalski
Date: 2013-06-19 20:57
Attachment: Mouthpiece tape.JPG (579k)
Alexi, the tape should be just barely inside your mouth. Here is a photo of a 1/16 of an inch wide piece of electrical tape on one of my mouthpieces with a relitively long facing.
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Author: Tom Puwalski
Date: 2013-06-19 21:01
I know a bunch of people will laugh at that, but I ( with my super sensitive higly developed double lip embouchure) can't feel a pencil line. And you will be amazed at how quickly you tend to pull a clarinet out of your mouth, Forcing you to use more embouchure, and more jaw to make it work.
Tom Puwalski
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-06-20 03:45
Quote from David Shiffrin master class at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium:
Shiffrin - "What mouthpiece are you using?"
Student - "Brand X"
Shiffrin - "Brand X? That's an expensive mouthpiece, use the whole facing you paid for !!!"
.............Paul Aviles
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