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Re: Embouchure and articulation

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-07-07 15:07

Golly, do NOT concern yourself with glissando right now. This technique will only be used for the beginning of Rhapsody in Blue or occasional jazz nuance.

Your tongue from the video was WAY too far forward. When a note is sounded on the clarinet (in between articulations), the tongue should be BEHIND the tip of the mouthpiece/reed. You mentioned "tongue support." There is no such thing. The tongue does not support anything. Ideally, only stop the sound (articulate) with the smallest point of the tongue, then draw it back (slightly) very quickly to allow the reed to vibrate again.

We tongue, to give a clearer, more sudden start to a note (clarity), but you do not need it to play a note.

Ok, your set up sounds fine (reed strength and tip opening; good mouthpiece).

As for tongue "position," I would say for you, the best position is "relaxed," or what it would feel like when your just sitting in front of the tv watching a show. When I say to a student to think "EEEE" position, it is a "middle of the tongue thing." You want air flow to be just as if you were blowing on a hot cocoa to make it cooler. This is opposed to what you do with your tongue when you blow on your hands coming in from the cold to make them warmer (the wrong air flow position for clarinet).

BUT.....for you.....just don't think about it.

When your refer to throat, you are also referring to the tongue (it's much bigger than most of us think) For the back of the tongue, DO NOT think "ahhh." That position of the back of the tongue actually restricts air flow (not a lot, but enough).

I think from your squeaking descriptions that you ARE used to supporting the bottom of the reed with your tongue as witnessed in the videos. So practice LONG tones. By that I mean scales, scale like passages, WITHOUT the tongue. Just have it "float there" BEHIND the tip of the mouthpiece.

As for the embouchure, try this. Get in front of a mirror WITHOUT the clarinet. Now say "CHEESE" as if a photographer wanted to take your picture. Look at the fake smile (similar to video). Now, say "DOUGH." See that your mouth is just round. The correct clarinet embouchure looks closer to "DOUGH" than "CHEESE."
This is MUCH easier to illustrate in the same room......much like a private lesson (that should only cost $20).

Point being, there should be NO POINT to the corners of your mouth as I see in the video. But again, don't strain. The main point to any "work" with the embouchure is to get the lower lip THIN an SMOOTH across the lower teeth so that you don't damp the reed too much.

NOW.......DO NOT GLISSANDO ......for at least six months until you have a clear sound without the tongue touching the tip of the mouthpiece or reed at all (while a note is sounding).

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

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Embouchure and articulation new

jam12

2018-07-01 07:45