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 Re: Embouchure and articulation
Author: Paul Aviles 
Date:   2018-07-06 04:02

Well yes, there is a "little" support. I mean that many folks put WAY too much effort into the whole embouchure thing. Here is a story that I pray illuminates without confusion:

Three years ago I was contacted by Bas DeJong of Viotto mouthpieces (he is from Holland and plays German clarinets and the associated method of playing). He was a bit perplexed with most Americans who obsess over embouchure and often work very hard at it. "In Germany (he said), you just put the mouthpiece in your mouth and blow."

And here is the crazy thing about this: German mouthpieces are VERY closed (usually less than 1mm open) and they normally use a 2 1/2 strength reed !!!!


I have spent the time since trying to replicate this technique on Boehm clarinets with Boehm mouthpieces and it is quite rewarding. You can use a relatively soft reed (say a #3 strength) on a fairly closed opening mouthpiece and get some really wonderful sounds (with all the associated dynamics) with very little effort at all. I don't really think about embouchure anymore, where it used to be an obsession all through college and an ongoing grind up until then.

I don't believe you have told us what mouthpiece and facing you use and the strength reed you use with it. Chances are the mouthpiece is too open (resistant) for you, and/or the reeds are far too heavy.


Just remember, the reed vibrates against the mouthpiece when air passes between the reed and mouthpiece. You need only draw your lips around the mouthpiece enough to keep air from flowing out around the mouthpiece, and that should be enough support to allow the reed to vibrate fine with a nice, supported column of air.

The air is really where you WORK at the clarinet. You need to actively push the air out with your abdominal muscles. Everything else is pretty relaxed.




...............Paul Aviles
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 Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
jam12 2018-07-02 07:28 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
jam12 2018-07-04 13:01 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
jam12 2018-07-02 10:03 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
Katrina 2018-07-04 19:05 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
rdc 2018-07-04 19:25 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
jam12 2018-07-05 08:07 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
jam12 2018-07-05 07:26 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
Paul Aviles 2018-07-06 02:16 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
jam12 2018-07-06 02:28 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
Paul Aviles 2018-07-07 23:31 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
Paul Aviles 2018-07-10 16:16 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
jam12 2018-08-07 09:11 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
Paul Aviles 2018-08-07 15:37 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
Paul Aviles 2018-08-07 22:36 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
Paul Aviles 2018-08-08 01:30 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
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 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
Paul Aviles 2018-08-08 14:53 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
Paul Aviles 2018-08-09 02:20 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
jam12 2018-08-13 07:16 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
jam12 2018-08-13 07:05 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
Paul Aviles 2018-08-13 15:46 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
jam12 2018-08-17 08:34 
 Re: Embouchure and articulation  new
jam12 2018-08-30 06:54 


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