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Re: Embouchures in neutral description

Author: D Dow
Date: 2018-07-17 19:31

Mr Pay wrote
Are you saying that the lower lip presses against the reed independent of anything else? >>

No, I'm saying that what is important about the EMBOUCHURE must lie in the details of the contact of the lower lip and the reed. The post characterised that contact.

Of course other things come into it, and there are many other aspects of clarinet playing without which whatever you do with your embouchure would be useless.

>> So, then, is this contact between the muscles of the lower lip and the vibrating reed only one, but not the only, function of the overall embouchure? >>

Yes, if you want to expand the frame of discourse.

>> Doesn't the embouchure also provide the closure needed to direct air into the mouthpiece past the reed? Doesn't this function need some action from the upper lip muscles? >>

But that is surely secondary - even trivial. In THAT sense, you have an 'embouchure' when you 'blow' up a balloon.
response

Having studied neural science (I have MA Neuroscience ) I think there are several problems that have been posed...the air is specifically separate and is directed from a different part of the brain..also the reed is secondary to the embouchure pressure..so from a functionality aspect I feel this idea of the embouchure balloon idea is not relevant in the purely physical aspect of performance. The idea the lower reed being blow separate confounds this arguement..l..remember all activity is directed from the brain so think several centres of movement are involved. You have to remember performing comes from a purely physical phyche aspect of how the body interacts with the reed and mouthpiece. The brain also mirrors the stomach in terms of nerve linearity so this discussion is further complicated by how we also feel while we play\

https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/the-gut-brain-connection

The ASPECT of holding the clarinet also adds another physical element into this area and so the way we hold and mirror the way we want to sound further mitigates discussion..ie do we have an overbite underbite and our air pressure. Ie the upper lip has two major nerves across the top and they can certainly play a great role in the perception of the lower lip and jaw of how the sound we create conforms to this physical process of performance

https://www.ebmconsult.com/articles/anatomy-dermatomes-face

i would quickly add the lower lip may be a refiner of the elements but also providing there is no nerve damage in the upper lip we are talking about a fixed systems of nerves that need to work together. Another further element as we get older nerve damage can occur without us knowing...ie
https://www.nf2is.org/facial_nerve.php clarinet playing is greatly affected by disorders we can develop with aging.

https://www.nf2is.org/nf_img/facialnerves2.png

dd

David Dow

Post Edited (2018-07-17 19:48)

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