 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GenEric
Date: 2018-07-18 08:13
I've been noticing that my throat is extremely stressed after every rehearsal. My sound has been more shrill and my intonation has been going up the roof. I believe this has to be because of my stressed throat.
I'm trying to get the "yawning" relaxation but once I start playing, I instantly tense up. If I move my reed down a strength, I get too blatty. This is about as soft as I can go. Any remedies to this or practice tips to this?
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2018-07-19 23:02
I'd be curious to hear how this worked for you, GenEric. I've used it with some of my students particularly when they first come to me after playing for several years without lessons. I've found that tightening the throat is a bit like biting in that it seems initially to help with certain challenges in the upper registers but is actually trap that causes more problems in the long run than it 'solves'. Sometimes a student will have such constriction in their throat that they are unable to produce a tone at all at first when doing the exercise.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2018-07-19 23:53
GenEric wrote:
> I'm trying to get the "yawning" relaxation but once I start
> playing, I instantly tense up. If I move my reed down a
> strength, I get too blatty. This is about as soft as I can go.
> Any remedies to this or practice tips to this?
Depending on how you try to accomplish this, "'yawning' relaxation" can be an oxymoron. When you consciously produce a yawning sensation you may instead be stretching muscles and causing tightness, not eliminating it. The upshot can be rigidity, which will reduce resonance and may transfer farther up into the oral cavity and further damp resonance. IMO, in general, you're better off not focusing on doing anything in particular with your throat. The goal is to let the air come through unobstructed - the throat opening doesn't have to be enlarged especially, which is what a deliberate yawn tends to do (or is meant to do). Most of what we think we're doing in the throat area isn't really what's going on, anyway. The sensations can be deceiving.
Karl
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2018-07-20 07:07
Great advice above. Mouthpiece facing is also sooo dang important. Also playing the high register more. Music is often hard to find so try violin etudes.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2018-07-21 17:48
I always used the Yawn term as a help guide to teach students how to "Open" their throats. Of course one can't actually play with the throat in that position but it gives the student to idea of openness and freedom. The idea is for the air to pass through the "pipe" unobstructed and NOT use the throat to control your air support. Using more or less air pressure to change color or dynamics would come from diaphragm support even embouchure and tongue position. Not by constricting ones throat. So GenEric your problem could simply be nerves or tension. I say simple but it's not so simple to correct. I've found it easier to help a student when I have them in person so I can see and hear what they're doing, the equipment they use and experiment with them but I'll try to give you some advise. Try experimenting yourself with everything being very relaxed, embouchure, throat, diaphragm even to the point you sound weak and flat. Then slowly begin firming up to the point that you begin sounding like yourself. Try to "feel" the best positions or your body and repeat, repeat and repeat until it's normal. Also experiment with you tongue position, a little higher, a little lower, in back in front etc. Because if the tongue blocks the air from flowing freely it can back up the air and make your trroat tight. OK, good luck.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: GenEric
Date: 2018-07-22 08:00
Thanks!
The "Stuff cloth up bell" technique was very useful and I managed to bring my pitch down a considerable amount. I wanted to clarify that although the embouchure is not suppose to move, the throat and tongue are allowed to move to match the pitch and tone?
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2018-07-22 17:11
GenEric said, "I wanted to clarify that although the embouchure is not suppose to move". I just want to say that my feeling is that the embouchure has a so much to do with tone color and pitch and although I agree it should not "noticeably move" there is a lot of "subtle" movement the player can do to improve the color and pitch as well as control throughtout different registers. I myself have found the "tension or pressure" of my embouchure changes slightly in many different situations. I doubt if someone watching me would notice but I certianly feel the changes when I'm conscience of it. Think about what happens if you skip down, or up, a three octave skip. I know each person is individual but that has always been my playing and teaching philosophy. Do whatever is necessary to get the best result from your instrument. There's no rule that should be set in stone. I know this wil shock some people but on bass clarinet I even move the placement of my upper teeth slightly in different registers at times to acheive what I consider the ultimate result and I've had a very successful career on both instruments.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: TomS
Date: 2018-07-22 19:42
An old teacher of mine would have you play just the MP ... the pitch should be about high C ... if you get a higher tone, you are using excessive ratchet jaw pressure, not forming the embouchure correctly and/or not voicing properly. In addition, people that get the higher pitch in this test have a tendency to play sharp and with a smaller, thinner sound.
Tom
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Author: GenEric
Date: 2018-07-23 08:15
Hey Tom! I tried your MP test and I was playing a concert C but I'm sure you mean concert Bb. I made sure that I was not biting, my clarinet was at a low angle, and my tongue was at a correct position (high sides, low middle, almost touching reeds). However, my throat is "hissing" the air instead of freely blowing the air.
I cant get it to stay relaxed. After a couple of seconds, it goes back to tensing up.
Also wanted to note that I'm playing an M13L and V12 3.5+ reeds
Post Edited (2018-07-23 19:47)
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2018-07-23 08:38
Concert C is standard. It doesn't have to be perfectly in tune. My natural set point tends to be about 10 - 20 cents flat on that note. Mouthpiece and barrel together should get you approximately concert F#. Keep resetting and be patient. The stuffed up bell exercise is something one would often work with daily for maybe 2 or 3 weeks before seeing lasting results.
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