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Re: How to Play a nice piano and tapering?

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-10-23 13:43

This is almost my very favorite topic.

I am always talking about embouchure support with students versus biting. It is too easy to engage the jaw to stabilize the horn and attempt to control sound. There is a slight component of jaw energy in what we do, HOWEVER, if you are doing this CONSCIOUSLY then you are most likely using too much jaw pressure which is what we all refer to as 'biting.' DON'T DO IT !!!

The embouchure is most properly thought of as engaging the muscles ALL AROUND the mouthpiece (like a rubber band).

FIRSTLY the whole flat/firm chin thing is done to make the lower lip as flat and smooth as possible (most of us have that down pretty good).

NEXT come the cheek muscles (buccinators). If you've ever really struggle to get a thick chocolate shake through a straw (like a Wendy's Frosty) those are the muscles you use to ensure a good seal around the straw. Only on the clarinet you blow out of course. The cheek muscles bring the sides of you mouth in and down around the sides of the mouthpiece (a lot of us are not that good at this) and make the sides of you embouchure firm for about a half an inch past the corners of you mouth.

FINALLY you need to engage your upper lip muscles (most of us underutilize these muscles). Your upper lip does not just sit on the mouthpiece, it needs to actively provide a slight downward pressure. This pressure can and WILL be modulated as you play. In fact it is the upper lip and the cheek muscles that aid you more in the altissimo and when you play softer and softer so that you don't choke off the air that needs to move past the reed.

All that said you really also need to practice diminuendos (and crescendos). My favorite exercise is a Clark Brody long tone exercise that all my students are a bit too familiar with:

Start with a low "E." You want the sound to come out of nowhere (NO TONGUE, just air), softer than soft. You do this by having the embouchure 'loose' (looser than what you need); start the air and grab this ethereal note by gradually introducing more tautness. Once you have this 'almost note,' start counting VERY slowly (roughly quarter note equals 50 beats per minute) you count up to eight making the note with each successive beat louder until you get as loud as you can possibly play at eight. Then you diminuendo back down counting back (7, 6, 5...) until you get back down to 1 which is your softest volume and completely fade out to nothing (you can see this is one long note, soft to loud and back in 15 counts). Do this twice on low "E"; twice on "F;" twice on "F#"; and twice on "G." You'll feel like you've run around the block after that but it's a good way to develop tone, dynamics (explore your full palette), rhythm, and embouchure. In short it's a good little exercise.

..............Paul Aviles

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