 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clari
Date: 2008-04-28 05:44
Hi,
I am an amateur player and just pick up clarinet again after many years of stoppage. I couldn't find much documentations or methods on the web regarding adjusting embouchure or other techniques regarding teeth configuration. As you know not everyone has perfect straight teeth that is aligned at the center. I would like to know if there are some known techniques to adjust your posture or embouchure based on teeth configuration or problems. Does anyone have some experience to share with me here?
I have noticed that from my reed that I am actually using more right ear of the reed that the left based on the moisture level shown on the tip. That is probably due to the fact my lower teeth are not not aligned on the center and tilted towards the left. If I look at them from the mirror, the lower teeth formed a slope instead of flat line. But then with the lower lips rolls on, things look symmetrically on the surface again but the underlying support is not. So to compensate for that, instead of holding the clarinet straight, I try to shift it to the left slightly to compensate for that slope and that would make the moisture line appear to be equal on both ears of the reed. But I aren't sure if I am doing the right thing as most players I saw are holding the clarinet straght and not sure if my adjustment have any side effects on the air column or other problms going forward. I do remember the sax player Kenny G actually play the soprano tilted to one side with a quite drammatic angle, I arent' sure if he was compensating for his teeth configurations. I would really appreciate if anyone has similar experience or advice or pointers to documentation to share this wtih me.
thanks
MC
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-04-28 07:18
There are a number of players who have a "skewbouchure"... Put the mouthpiece where your tone is best and mouth muscle fatigue is least. It may look odd, but what counts is that the mouthpiece is in a relatively optimal position, which is different everywhere.
I too have a "tilted bite", ie when I bite on a pencil the way a tango dancer bites on a rose, the pencil is not horizontal. I compensate by slightly twisting the mouthpiece in the barrel so that the clarinet holes face up but the reed is parallel to my biting plane. But as I still hold the beak in the middle of my mouth, it's not noticeable. And if it were, so what.
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Ben
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-04-28 11:58
Gee Ben, that's what that well known sop sax player, Kenny, does too! Also, would sure like to see a pic of you biting that rose.....or do you only do pencils.
Bob Draznik
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-04-28 13:22
Eww, now my rose just has gone limp. ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
Besides, I prefer chopstick, they're designed to go into mouths (quite unlike pencils which always have that funny tasting lacquer).
--
Ben
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2008-04-28 16:09
AW, come on, Ben and Bob, I believe Clari asked a pertinent question, after all, the teeth do form the "solid" structure in our embouchures, don't they ? I'm presently [sort of] playing with a temporary bridge where my middle [centered] 3 bottom teeth are gone and its a different emb.-type world. One broke out and it plus 2 more have been bad from childhood and now pulled for corrective dentistry at long last. I hope to get the permanent bridge this week, and then see what sop, alto and bass cl playing I can do. I guess that because of having 3 embouchures, had oboe and eng horn also a long time ago, I seem to be able to readily adapt, so long as I don't forget which horn I'm playing !! Just AM thots, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Ryder
Date: 2008-04-30 01:33
Go here-
http://webpages.acs.ttu.edu/dshea/supportingpages/clarinetinformation.html
In one of these presentations by David Shea, the profesor of Clarinet at Texas Tech it disucusses embouchure.
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