 The Fingering Forum
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Author: RoB - Clarinet Master
Date: 2003-09-30 01:39
when i play my clarinet, i find that a lot of air is escaping through my lips. am i holding the clarinet wrog in my mouth? it produces a faint hissing sound. please help!!!
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Author: Theboy_2
Date: 2003-09-30 03:33
yes. you need to make sure the corner of your lips are tight together. have your top teeth on your mouthpiece and your lip curled under your bottom teeth. have your corners of your mouth together. there should be a seal so no air can escape going through your mouthpeice. if there is air leaking through your mouth, your embourchure is too loose. hope this helps.
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Author: Gnomon
Date: 2003-09-30 08:06
You also need to practice a lot. At the start you should use a very soft reed, say a 1.5, until your lips are strong enough to stop the air escaping. After a few months, you can change to a harder reed and increase the pressure.
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Author: cmtigger
Date: 2003-10-10 02:30
I don't agree with the softer reed- sometimes that makes it sound like more hissing. I'd stick with a reed that's about a 2. Also, do make sure that there is a good seal, and don't be afraid to really press it against your top teeth. My mouthpiece has a pad on it, so that I don't wear a tooth indention into it like I have past mouthpieces. My college professor also used to always say, "get your chin down" basically meaning to not let your chin relax, but don't push it up against the mouthpiece. It's easier to demonstrate than explain.
Gnomon wrote:
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You also need to practice a lot. At the start you should use a very soft reed, say a 1.5, until your lips are strong enough to stop the air escaping. After a few months, you can change to a harder reed and increase the pressure.
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Author: wildsmiley88
Date: 2003-11-10 22:33
You need to firm up your embouchure. You're lips are too loose. Basically you need to seal it up . Your reed might be too hard too. Try a softer one if you need to.
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Author: special sam
Date: 2004-01-13 00:00
Yes, you do need to practice, alot. Now, I know I am not exactly the best musician, and I am going to school to improve. But, my director has always told me to keep my embouchure really firm. And, practicing long tones will help to strengthen the muscles in your lips and jaw.
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Author: Math Man
Date: 2004-04-06 19:13
There is a slight chance that you need to just tighten the ligature on the reed a little. This happened to me one time. It took several month to figure it out.
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