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Embouchure adjustment improves tone, kills A5 :(

Author: Douggie
Date: 2018-10-03 03:44

I’m an adult learner, playing clarinet about 1.5 years. I played sax for a couple of years at school (about 30 years ago) and I suspect that while this experience helped me get the clarinet to speak initially, I have probably never developed a ‘proper’ clarinet embouchure. My teacher doesn’t seek to think I have any embouchure issues, though, and when I ask about my tone his response is usually ‘fine’ or ‘good’. However, I do feel that my tone is lacking, and want to improve it. So, after a fair bit of reading / watching Michelle Anderson’s videos, I tried the following changes:

- Less lower lip over bottom teeth, lip pulled a bit tighter against teeth.
- Chin pulled down more
- Lips more “oh / ooo” to surround MP (I had trouble with air leaks here in the past)
- Back of tongue higher / against upper teeth
- Straighter, more upright / forward facing posture (I do tend to look down)
- Work on air support

These feel like quite big changes, and the whole embouchure feels very different. However, there is a BIG improvement in tone – lower notes sound much fuller / more resonant, and higher notes smoother and sweeter. It is now much easier to articulate in the altissimo register, and notes that I had previously had trouble with (F#6, G6) speak much more easily.

However, these changes completely kill A5 (first line above staff), which now comes out as an overblown squeak. Sometimes I can get it to sound properly, but it quickly reverts to the squeak. This also occasionally happens (but to a much lesser extent) with G5. No issues with any other notes. If I revert back to my normal “don’t think about it” embouchure, then I can play A5 / G5 without any problems.

I know I’ve made a lot of changes at once. I’ve tried to isolate exactly which change is causing the problem, but without success. Any thoughts much appreciated! Thanks..

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