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Re: Double Lipping vs Single Lipping Pros & Cons?

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-03-22 18:35

For me there is still a bit of mystery to the various classical clarinet tones. Part of the problem for me is that it was not possible for me to hear the gamut of players under all different conditions (or close to each other in time).

For example though I've heard Robert Marcellus and Larry Combs live, and relatively close (small recital halls). Their sound was almost spooky in that it seemed to completely take over the space even at very low dynamic levels. Their sounds in context within the orchestra and on recordings goes without question. Then there is Drucker whose sound is thinner in recording in a way that I found less exciting. However when I finally heard him live in a smaller venue his sound came off much more mellow and refined. I never heard how he played with regard to embouchure but he always said clarinet playing was really easy for him.

Finally you have playing like the great Harold Wright which was so light and could do so many things effortlessly in recordings. He was famously a double lip player that I never had the chance to hear live. Then there is Dale Fedele whose recorded sound seems very similar but I don't know what approach he uses. He's pretty accessible though so I think you could ask him.

So the question is: Is it necessary to expend all that extra energy in embouchure (and air too) to obtain that last bit of "room altering sound?" For some great players the answer is yes. But is it worth it? Each player must answer that for themselves.

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

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