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Variety in successful embouchures

Author: DaphnisetChloe
Date: 2015-01-23 03:34

For the last three weeks I have been experimenting with double-lip embouchure, inspired by reading about and listening to recordings of such legendary players as Harold Wright, Ralph Mclane, Gino Cioffi, and Gaston Hamelin, who all played this way. While I don't think I will play with this as my standard embouchure, I found practicing with double-lip for a few hours a day improved the sound I produce with my normal (single-lip) embouchure.

Anyway, this makes me very interested in the wide variety of different embouchures the leading players of yesterday and today successfully play(ed) with. For those of you who who have studied with leading professionals/are leading professionals, what embouchure do you use and advocate/your teacher used and advocated?

As a student, I play with the embouchure that my teacher Peter Jenkin (principal clarinet, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra) plays with and advocates, which is a 'smile' type embouchure (flat, pointed chin, corners of mouth pinned back against the top teeth in an upwards direction, clarinet at around a 30 degree angle from body, standard amount of mouthpiece taken into mouth).

I'm just very curious, as it seems each different embouchure has its own pros and cons, and by exploring the different ones that 'work' so to speak, great improvements in sound can be made.

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Re: Variety in successful embouchures

Author: WeberBrahms
Date: 2015-01-23 03:53

I started with a single lip embouchure as a kid, but ended up gradually changing to double lip as I used mouthpieces with smaller and smaller tip openings. I can't imagine being able to get a decent sound out of my m13 or m13lyre if I were to switch back.

I never took lessons with world class clarinetists.

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Re: Variety in successful embouchures

Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2015-01-23 18:27

I was also a single lip player for many years, but switched to double lip and have no plans to go back.

There have been many excellent embouchure discussions on this board, and here's one from 2008 that you may find helpful: http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=286916&t=286759

Be sure to check out this Loraine Enloe link (included in 2008):
http://libres.uncg.edu/edocs/etd/1436/umi-uncg-1436.pdf

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Re: Variety in successful embouchures

Author: TomS
Date: 2015-01-23 20:41

I have sharp upper teeth and a piece of paper over these teeth annoy me and keeps coming off.

But I agree, I try a little double lip daily. It opens the sound up, and I can play all but above super A.

Our former principal clarinet in the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, used double lip occasionally, maybe just in an exposed brief solo line that needed even more beauty and depth. Then he switched back to single lip, after his ordeal.

I think all players need this, at least for occasional use, as a part of their arsenal.

Tom

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