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Re: Beginners Embrochure

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-01-12 12:20

Dear Grey,

Starting with the lower lip over lower teeth is just the beginning of the "support" one needs for a good emborchure. The entire mouthpiece must be surrounded with firm lip support - imagine a rubber band around the mouthpiece. You are therefore actively drawing the upper lip down upon the top of the mouhtpiece (not just resting it there) and engaging the buccinator (sp?) muscles of the cheeks (used for sucking liquid up a straw) to support the sides. So.......the area from the lower lip to the chin should be stretched out and firm (much like what you would do if you ever shaved that beard) and the entire aperture into which you insert the mouthpiece is FIRM.

This is an important point. You are not "squeezing" the mouthpiece in a cruching fashion, you are merely creating a firm platform all around it. You should conscientiously be able to form your emborchure sans clarinet and then put the mouthpiece into that space.

Also, try to maintain enough of an angle with the clarinet so that the lower teeth are not perpendicular to the reed but 45 to 70 degrees off the perpendicular (down of course!!!).

.................Paul Aviles

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