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Same embouchure for different facings?

Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2019-11-28 00:23

Fobes Eb mouthpiece facing is 15mm (Brand 30). The new Selmer Focus/Concept has a 23mm (Brand 46 facing).

Can a player use the same standard, single lip, French embouchure for facings that are so far apart? The reason I ask is due to the wider aperture opening of the longer facing.

Does the wider aperture affect the embouchure formation that much on a standard sized mouthpiece?

Would one of the facings be more difficult or easier than the other to form?

Thanks.

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Re: Same embouchure for different facings?

Author: Tobin
Date: 2019-11-28 00:59

The fulcrum point provided by the embouchure needs to overlap the fulcrum point of the mpc/reed — so I would use more mpc with the Selmer 28mm facing, meaning I would accept more in my mouth.

Just as I use the same embouchure on bass clarinet and saxophone.

James

Gnothi Seauton

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Re: Same embouchure for different facings?

Author: kdk
Date: 2019-11-28 01:06

I don't see why your basic embouchure formation would need to be different, except that you would probably find yourself needing (or at least wanting) to put more of the longer-curved mouthpiece in your mouth, which would mean forming your lips around a little thicker part of the beak. That would depend, of course, on the shape of the beak.

Karl

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Re: Same embouchure for different facings?

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-11-28 01:22

Maybe you mean rather the same habitual "feel?" The answer to that is, no. Just bringing a bit more mouthpiece into your mouth (though simple) will "feel" quite different and require a retraining period (I have to check the point past which a mouthpiece will play for easily a month to become more habituated to the change).

But as others have said, this doesn't change the basic embouchure construct. Do just as you have before with your lips and associated musculature.

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

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Re: Same embouchure for different facings?

Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2019-11-28 07:36

I feel it takes a few weeks or so to adjust to a new setup. Your ear is often key to hearing how you sound at different positions of your embouchure related to all of the registers of the clarinets and saxes. Some players play with a double lip or a single lip and sometimes switch around. Each setting is or can be a bit different.

There are other factors too, such as articulation to reed strengths.

So your answer should be to test out the mouthpieces for a few days, mainly for comfort.

I'm not happy with this extra long facing on the Selmer Concept Eb clarinet. 38 to 40 should often be the longest on the brand gauge. IMO, Selmer makes a very decent mouthpiece but they need help with facings. The mouthpiece is too small to accept this long of a facing and the reeds won't work correctly.

Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces

Yamaha Artist 2015

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