 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ben
Date: 2002-11-26 14:36
What causes it and why is it really discouraged. Is it because it makes it harder to keep a good emboucure, or because it looks funny, or something else?
My teacher has sometimes said I am doing this sometimes during a lesson but whenever I am looking in a morror while practicing, it has not been apparent. Any additional suggestions to get rid of this habbit (asuming it is bad)?
I have seen a number of fine clarinetists puff their cheeks to circular breath. So is it okay then, but only then?
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Author: William
Date: 2002-11-26 15:14
Unless you want to look like Dizzy Gillespi--not only is puffing bad for your embouchure, but also makes it impossible to maintain steady breath support for your sound and phrasings. When you have become good enough to use circular breathing, then--and only then--you can puff your cheeks. Until then, listen to your teacher. Keeping a "pointed" chin will help add tension to your cheeks and prevent puffing. How Diz got away with it and played so well is a mystery to me--but maybe if he had played the clarinet.......(who knows)
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Author: Franklin Stover
Date: 2002-11-26 17:47
It's simply that you lose control by puffing the cheeks out. This affects adversely tonguing, sound quality, and really limits expressive playing. Furthermore, the mouth has to conform to that small mouthpiece opening. You have to think of yourself as an extension of the instrument - you are part of the bore of your instrument. Lastly, there's no good way to play in tune w/ puffed out cheeks. You'll always be flat, and your upper register will very crappy. Listen to your teacher.
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2002-11-26 22:11
One more warning from an ex-tuba player - your cheeks will stretch and get bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Makes a wicked party trick though!
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-11-26 22:20
4 points:
1. Ever experienced that tight, tense feeling in front of and below the ears after blowing up balloons, perhaps as a kid? Keeping the cheeks against the teeth seals thes ducts from the parotid saliva glands - against the teeth. This stops one from blowing air back through the ducts into the glands, which is the uncomfortable feeling. Evidence: If one is experiencing this uncomfortable feeling it can be relieved by massaging the glands (from the area mentioned towards the cheeks). One can feel AIR bubbling out of the ducts, which are in the cheeks soewhere near the 5th upper teeth from the front of the mouth.
2. Puffing is a result of lack of development/strength/control of the muscles which control the cheeks. If puffing is practiced regularly and to excess then the tissues of the cheeek are likely to be stretched, resulting in bull-dog look later in life.
3. Thne cheeks can pocket relativelyh little air compared with the back of the throat. If the back of the throat is utilized for circular breathing, then puffing the cheeks is unnecessary for this technique.
4. Some of the greats of brass playing have puffed their cheeks - enormously.
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Author: James
Date: 2002-11-27 15:03
Umm... there seems to be a lot of interesting explainations... hmm.. Let me tell you the real reason why you would puff your cheeks. It simply has to do with your tounge position. If you notice, when you puff your cheeks your tounge position is quite low. Now if you are to keep your tounge in a high position (correctly) you shouldn't be able to puff your cheeks. Now since puffing your cheeks is related to your tounge position, which is realated to your sound, when you puff your cheeks you are imparing your focus by imparing your tounge position. Sounds kind of complicated.. really isn't.
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Author: Robert
Date: 2002-11-27 22:08
I disagree with James. Tongue position and cheek-puffing are completely independant. It's possible to puff your cheeks and keep a high tongue position.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2002-11-27 22:26
Puffed cheeks do make it difficult to exercise fine control over the embouchure though.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-11-28 00:54
I disagree with James. Tongue position and cheek-puffing are completely independant. It's possible to puff your cheeks and keep a high tongue position.
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