 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: CarlT
Date: 2011-07-09 02:27
It seems I saw an old thread about someone using tape to position the top teeth on the MP (using the tape as a stop), but I have searched and couldn't find it. I actually crudely tried this with some adhesive tape, and it seemed to work, but I probably didn't do it correctly, and adhesive tape may not be the best type of tape to use.
I have been doing a lot of practice in the lower altissimo, up to high G anyway, and I found that (duh) if I didn't have enough mp in my mouth, the high G, especially, would not respond well; conversely if I was very careful to put just the right amount of MP in my mouth, even the chalumeau notes would sound. The problem though, is that, so far, it's hit or miss for me, so I was looking for at least a temporary method of guiding me to just the right distance for my top teeth to be on the MP.
I would certainly appreciate any guidance you might share on this.
CarlT
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-07-09 02:57
Tom Puwalski (if I remember correctly) has two methods and uses that tape method.
One method is to play an open G, and put more and more mouthpiece in your mouth until you get a squeak. Then back off "a hair" and that's the perfect amount of mouthpiece. It should allow you to play the full range without changing the embouchure much throughout it.
As for the tape, take a regular mouthpiece patch, and cut a small strip. Then put that small strip lower and lower till you get that squeak. The mouthpiece patch will stay on and resist saliva more than just "tape". Use it as a backstop for your teeth.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-07-09 04:41
My teacher suggests that your upper teeth will mark a mouthpiece patch and clue you when your teeth are properly positioned (in the groove).
... but my patches resist indentation --so I use the Pawalski open G + squeak.
If I don't have enough mouthpiece in my mouth, my tone quality gets thin.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-07-09 19:19
I agree with using as much MP as is comfortable and gives you the best result but you also have to experiment with the angle of the instrument. At one of my lessons with Bob Marculles he experimented with me for almost an hour holding it out a bit, bringing it in a bit etc. until he thought I got the best result, I agreed. Ended up holding the clarinet about a half an inch out more than I did before. Keep in mind, I already sounded pretty good so we were looking for a slight improvement. So it's not just how much you take in but the angle as well. I also agree with using a patch, either thin or thick, experiment with both types. You will put a grove in the patch in a very short period of time. ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2011-07-10 11:00
I once did this for a young student who would never keep the mouthpiece in the same place. Just to get him in the habit of keeping one position, I put the patch there as a back stop and told him to always touch it. After a few weeks his didn't move nearly as much.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-07-10 17:47
Reading the thread header before I read the thread itself, I imagined a crime scene. The conductor gets stuck in a traffic jam and arrives last for the rehearsal. Walking across the parking lot to the building, he discovers the first clarinetist face-down on the pavement between cars. The conductor turns the clarinet player over. His lips are pulled back and taped to his front teeth with a blood-slicked plastic reed stuck through the tape and between his teeth. The conductor surmises that the sharp plastic reed is very likely what someone used to slit the clarinet player's throat. (No fingerprints, of course. Even a trumpet player knows enough to wear gloves.)
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2011-07-10 17:48)
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Author: Buster
Date: 2011-07-10 18:34
Lelia,
Sounds like you've got the plot for the season premiere of The Mentalist there.
-JH
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