 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-08-30 22:17
I didn't even buy her book, but just read the little that was available free on Amazon in their take a peek inside feature. One of the hints in her 100 clarinet secrets was that people sometimes have trouble with the altissimo because they don't realize that that range requires a different embrasure. Usually my altissimo D two lines above the staff sounds horrible, flat, pinched and abrasive. Her suggestion is to move the lower lip contact point almost 1/4 inch lower towards the bell. Well today I tried it and amazingly the note was downright easy, open and not flat at all.
This is startling because my understanding was that you apply more pressure to the reed in order to bring up the pitch. With a lower contact point of the lower lip, the pressure is reduced and yet the pitch comes up. You can then feel the reed vibrating freely against the lip and the tone sounds like music instead of the note I'm trying to be done with so as not to offend my own ears (and others). I will be climbing the scale now with my new approach.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: rmk54
Date: 2012-08-30 23:10
No offense to the OP, but the above post shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what Ms. Gingras is writing about.
I'm sure taking more mouthpiece is helping his (?) altissimo, but that improved EMBOUCHURE (ahem...) should be used throughout the range of the clarinet, not only for one particular register.
Often I will slur from low E to C7 to demonstrate to students that no embouchure change is needed or desired to successfully play in the altissimo.
The pitch is probably rising due to the increased air speed obtained by no longer closing off the reed.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-08-31 00:25
It seems that this is the correct spelling of embouchure not embrochure as I had it. Do we actually pronounce it without the r sound after the b ? I always say it with an r sound and no one has ever corrected me. If we accept the ou spelling than I imagine it should be pronounced. ... Am bow sure. ... not Am bro sure. Now I not only have to correct my spelling, but my pronunciation. This is going to pretty difficult considering I've been putting the "bro" in embouchure for so many years.
Personally I'd rather have a good embouchure than be spot on with my spelling. But both are possible.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2012-08-31 01:36
Garth Libre wrote:
> Do we actually pronounce it without the
> r sound after the b ?
There is no 'r' sound after the 'b'. It's a common misspelling and mispronounciation.
'Embrasure' is another common misspelling. It is a valid word, but isn't appropriate in a musical context - dentistry, military fortifications, and architecture is where that one belongs
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2012-08-31 01:43
I've never done this (at least I don't think I've ever done this), but it's an interesting idea that is worth exploring. It might be a bit out of the mainstream, but I think there are others who have done it or something similar.
What Gingras is suggesting might be similar to a concept that Joe Allard taught.
http://joeallard.org/stucol/Allard%20Legacy.pdf
(Please check out the second column on the second page).
Ed Palanker (or any other former Joe Allard students), perhaps you'll have some interesting remarks to add.
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Author: Simon
Date: 2012-08-31 02:21
I am a little confused with the description move the lower lip contact point almost 1/4 inch lower towards the bell.
So does this mean more mouthpiece as RMK54 suggests?
Can someone please clarify.
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Author: Paula S
Date: 2012-08-31 08:13
Emma Johnson also advises to let the lower jaw drop when playing altissimo notes. I think it may help people people to relax and stop pinching. I think it is easy when learning, to pinch to the point where the reed stops vibrating properly. I let my jaw drop a little when I get above high A. I also find that centering the note behind my my first upper jaw molars helps me consistently achieve altissimo B natural and C without launching myself off the floor with the effort. ;-). I don't move my upper jaw at all and I have heard the movement of the lower jaw likened to the action required by it when you yawn. I think taking more mouthpiece can sometimes improve your embouchure across the range but it can also make people sound like a duck and encourage squeaks if it is too far in. Also psychologically when the note doesn't sound so abrasive, I think it encourages you to maintain more air pressure as many people 'back off' when they hear an unpleasant sound which is then self defeating. Garth I thought for years that 'embouchure' was spelt 'embrochure'. If you hear a French person pronounce it, it can sound very much like there is an 'r' lurking there. ;-) Keep on experimenting Garth and when you get there just think of all the lovely music available to you which you never imagined you could ever play. Good luck!
Post Edited (2012-08-31 08:35)
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2012-08-31 20:56
I don't know Mark, if you take the definition of embrasure as "an opening ... through which missiles may be discharged," it's a fairly accurate description for some players I've heard. ![[hot]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/hot.gif)
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-09-01 01:25
According to the above, It does seem like many people do change the position and pressure of the lower lip during the upper range and lower range. I tried maintaining the same exact embouchure top to bottom and at this particular point of time, I feel I fall into problems if I do. I get squeaks on the bottom and less openess on the top. Maybe I'll learn a one size fits all embouchure one day, but for now, I need to do a bit of a change up.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2012-09-01 07:20
The instruction "don't MOVE the embouchure" is rather like the instruction "don't PUSH the gas pedal" if you're starting a car from stationary with a manual gearshift.
To a first order approximation, you DON'T do anything. But to a second order approximation, you do.
Tony
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