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RE: What's the right mouthpiece bite?

Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 1999-07-12 18:01

Steve wrote:
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How do you find the ideal amount of mouthpiece that should go into your mouth? In the lower registers I can get a reasonably good tone. I have to use more mouthpiece, though, in the altissimo register in order to reach most of the notes. (I'm still working on being able to play decently in that range at all.) Conversely, if I use this "altissimo" amount of mouthpiece in the lower registers, my tone becomes very flat and full of squeaks.

Should I stick with more bite on my mouthpiece and adjust playing in the lower registers through more practice, or is there something else I should do to improve my technique in the altissimo register?

Steve -

Here's some stuff I posted a couple of months ago.

You have less flexibility in where you place your lower lip on the reed in the altissimo register. The perfect point is exactly where the reed separates from the lay of the mouthpiece. Hold the instrument vertical and with the reed facing left (or right, if you prefer). Note the separation point and make a very light pencil mark on the reed. Your lower teeth should be exactly at that mark.

There are as many theories about how to form an embouchure as there are players, but one thing is sure: contortions produce tension. With the clarinet in your lap, relax your face, lower your jaw a little bit, gently raise the instrument and "pierce" your closed lips with the mouthpiece. As you provide muscular support, the skin surface should move as little as possible, so that your facial expression is as close as possible to how it would be if you were not playing.

One of the best exercises for improving altissimo register playing is to work on the same fingering in 3 registers. Start with good, firm low A. Press the register key very gently and gradually, so that you can't predict when you will jump to the E above. Do that a few times to get both registers sounding good. Then play the A, go to E, and very gradually roll your left index fingertip down to leak the hole. Once again, you should not be able to predict when you will jump up to the C#.

Try not to make any change in embouchure or tongue, throat and palate position. Keep the middle E and, as much as possible, the low A tone quality in your ear, and carry the "roundness" into the third register. C#, after all, is not a particularly high note, and it helps to think of it as "not all that high."

It’s reasonably easy to keep your fingers relaxed and resting lightly on the keys for the low A and the middle E. Concentrate on keeping it the same for the C#. It's very tempting to squeeze hard with your fingers to try to get the note out. Embouchure pinching and hand tension feed off each other, so you should work on keeping the finger pressure light.

When you get the A/E/C# sequence under control, move to Bb/F/D, and so on up to Eb/Bb/G. When you do Bb/F/D, don't add the Ab/Eb "resonance" key the first few times. Tolerate the flatness to keep finger movement as small as possible until you feel comfortable.

I play double lip full time. It will help in these exercises if you can use double lip at least part time, since this makes the slur smoother, and any tension or lack of physical coordination will be more obvious to you.

Many method books tell you to use an AHH vowel shape in your mouth for low notes and to move more and more toward EEE as you go higher, on the theory that the higher pitch needs a higher vowel or a smaller resonating chamber in the mouth. For me, doing this produces nothing but a thin tone and squeaks on the high notes. Instead, the higher I go, the more I try to stay aware of keeping an AHH vowel, to keep the lower register smoothness and sweetness as I go higher.

One important way to control the brightness of your tone is to put more or less of your lower lip over your teeth. Most of the method books say you should put about half of the red part of the lower lip over the teeth. This is noticeably less than most people use. When I want a more penetrating sound, I stretch the tip of my chin down, thinning the pad over my lower teeth and pulling all but a
small part of the red part of my lower lip outside my teeth. This adds energy and brightness to the sound and lets me balance other instruments without having to play louder. Schoenberg called it "Hauptstimme" (main voice) and called for it when he wanted a part to be heard, even if it was not the highest line.

By going the opposite way, relaxing the effort to keep the tip of my chin down, the skin bunches up slightly, more of the red part of my lip goes over my teeth, and the pad between my teeth and the reed gets thicker. This softens the sound quality, making it more covered. Schoneberg called it "Nebenstimme" (neighbor voice) and called for it when he wanted a part not to be dominant, even if higher in pitch than the main line. By thickening and enlarging the lip pad over your teeth, you can play high notes with a "covered" quality. You really never have to worry about being “spread” on top. You'll always be heard. Think of being warm, smooth and neighborly.

It's important to have good breath support. However, this does not necessarily mean blowing hard. Thin the airstream down, so that it feels like it has speed and momentum, but not too much volume.

The reed is more critical for the high notes. If you're having trouble playing soft in the altissimo, the tip of the reed is probably too stiff. Put the reed on a flat piece of glass and stroke the vamp with rush, 600 grit sandpaper, or other fine abrasive, always toward the tip, to thin it down slightly from the tip back 3/16" or so. Make the area you work on curved, to match the shape of the tip. The thinner tip will vibrate more easily in the altissimo, while the thicker area behind will keep the sound from being buzzy. Work *very* slowly, and be prepared to ruin some reeds as you learn.

Also, the reed works better when it is very slightly narrower than the tip - about the width of a light pencil line. Narrow the reed on a fine file or sandpaper, always leading with the butt end. Then, using a nail file, carefully take off a tiny amount of the sharp corners at the sides of the tip, which cause whistles. Then hold the reed on with your thumb and move it from side to side in tiny increments to find the (very obvious) place where the ease of playing and resonance are greatest; hold the reed there and very carefully put on the ligature. Take extra care to make sure there is no non-sealing areas, particularly at the corners of the tip of the reed.

Finally, make sure the bottom of the reed is absolutely flat and smooth.

Don't forget to check the condition of your instrument. Pad tightness is more important as you go higher. Even the tiniest leak, particularly in the upper joint, can make the horn impossible to play up high. Also, the less the register key opens the better. It's easy to experiment by putting one or more layers of adhesive tape under the bottom end of the register key touch. While you're at it, take off the register key and clean out the tube with a pipe cleaner and a drop or two of isopropyl alcohol.

The mouthpiece makes a difference, of course. An open mouthpiece is more difficult to play softly in the altissimo, but, on the other hand, it's is less fussy about reeds. For me, it's been worthwhile to go to a closer lay and spend more time adjusting reeds.

Different barrel bores can also affect control of the high notes. Try a Moennig or Chadash barrel. Better yet, go to a custom mouthpiece maker and get a mouthpiece and barrel matched to your instrument and your playing style.

In the end, all the abstract description can't do nearly as much as a teacher who can hear and see exactly what you’re doing. Also, if you're not in a playing group, you should be. Playing with a group is a tremendous charge, and with other people to play along with, you don't feel so bad about missing a note or not getting one of the high notes just right.

Practice makes perfect, but playing with others makes pleasure, and counts as practice.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Ken Shaw

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