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Leaking air through mouth

Author: BenS
Date: 2023-05-04 23:56

I have taken up the clarinet (after having not played for 60 years) about 3 or 4 months ago. I believe I have made considerable progress, but still struggling with how to keep from leaking air through my mouth. In fact, it has gotten worse. For a while I was able to practice about 30 minutes before I could detect leaking, but now after I do about five or ten minutes of long note warmups, I start to leak and have to quit. Hard to make much practice with that routine. I would appreciate any suggestions. I have done a lot of double lip playing, but the problem exists with single or double lip.

Thanks.

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Re: Leaking air through mouth

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-05-05 00:24

Personally I think it has to do with having some preconceived idea of what an embouchure should look like. Leaking is just about unavoidable with the "smile" embouchure. I think any embouchure where one feels a need to execute real effort can be too much.

You could start by trying just bringing the corners of you mouth DOWN and BACK. I kind of think it makes one look like a parrot. At least with that posture there is no contrary effort that encourages a leak.

The basic idea of the embouchure IS to hold the air in the mouth and to remain flexible throughout play to be able to adjust pitch, timbre and dynamics in such a way to produce the most constancy of pitch and timbre throughout any dynamic. There is a current thread just labeled Harold Wright. Listen to his take on the two posted Rose etudes........amazing stuff.

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

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Re: Leaking air through mouth

Author: Tom H
Date: 2023-05-05 01:21

Yes what Paul says. I had a similar problem decades ago while doing my masters. My teacher made some suggestions, but it turned out just being a matter of being aware when t was happening (most of the time) and adjusting. Psychological I suppose. I think I had heard a fellow student leaking air while playing back in college and for some reason started doing it myself. Haven't had the problem in decades.

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Re: Leaking air through mouth

Author: JoeRomano
Date: 2023-05-05 07:52

I've had some issues with air leakage. One device that actually helped me greatly get those corners in, and develop, the muscles to do so, is the wind-o. It's not cheap, but for me it was worth it.

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Re: Leaking air through mouth

Author: BenS
Date: 2023-05-08 16:16

Thank you all. I will continue to plug away at it.

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