 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Sarah M
Date: 2011-08-04 00:15
From the inspiration of Michele Gingras's book "More Clarinet Secrets" I have found a solution for students who don't put enough mouthpiece in their mouth:
With the existing mouthpiece patch already on the mouthpiece, take an additional mouthpiece patch and cut some of the top part off.....put it on top of the existing mouthpiece patch such that the two lay exactly on top of one another (the one laying on top is just missing a part of it). When the student puts the mouthpiece in their mouth this additional patch will act as a landmark/bumper so that the teeth need to be against/ touching that edge at all times. Just cut a little bit off at first, try it to see if that gets the teeth far enough down the mouthpiece; if not, cut more off until you get the amount right. After a while the student will no longer need this aid, but for those who are breaking habits this is extremely helpful.
This tip also aids in knowing if the right hand thumb is doing its job to keep the mouthpiece in place. If your teeth aren't touching the bumper that means the amount of mouthpiece in your mouth has likely decreased and your right hand thumb isn't pushing upwards.
I wanted to share my new revelation with all of you BBoarders as a thanks for all the advice that you've given me over the years. You've changed the way I play, and I hope this tidbit may help you and your students too.
Post Edited (2011-08-04 00:15)
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2011-08-04 01:30
To add to that, I would just like to say that before you set the second mouthpiece patch on top of the other one, I would first find exactly where the best playing spot is on the mouthpiece and then set. Cause if you put it too far, it'll cause squeeks, too short and the tone will be too thin and not as full. This is a great idea though btw.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-08-04 02:15
I love little tips and tricks like this! Excellent and thanks for putting it up for those of us who may not have read the book or heard this before.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: luca1
Date: 2011-08-04 14:34
I do the same minus the second patch. I set the perfect position and the teeth snug up against it, but not on it. I did try the layering technique a few months ago but found it too unstable for me, and air escaped with the double patch more readily. I have seen a Tom Ridenour video in which he suggests two patches however, and advocates it as it opens up the mouth chamber just that much more.
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Author: William
Date: 2011-08-04 14:49
This, to me, is kind of like putting tape on the finger board of a stringed instrument to help beginning fingers find the correct note positions. You never want to see those tapes on advanced students and certainly not accomplished amatuer or pro players. Same for this idea of using mpc patches to find the "correct" placement of the teeth on the mouthpiece. That is a feeling that can be learned early on through trial and error, best sound, response of articulation, etc, and should not be necessary for 95% of the readers of this BB. If you need one to help you remember placement, then you are not practicing correctly or consistantly enough--or you should switch to the bass drum.........or chorus.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2011-08-04 23:15
William implies an important point - that sometimes a crutch meant to help a beginner grasp a physical concept can eventually get in the way. I can't make myself say that this shouldn't be done - sometimes avoiding a frustrated student is worth taking a shortcut. But it does make me think back over all the years I taught elementary strings and the difficulty of weaning some kids off those beginner crutches long after they shouldn't have been needed. In addition to the fingerboard tapes, which string teachers argue about constantly, are other beginning crutches or accommodations. I can remember more than one child who, long after his right hand was easily strong enough to hold a violin or viola bow the "correct" way (with the thumb under the stick, which gives the hand more flexibility) still insisted on putting his thumb under the frog, which is one way many Suzuki teachers in particular try to establish the rounded fingers and pinky of the more advanced grip in hands that are small and relatively weak. Putting corn/callous pads with holes in them on the stick where the pinky sits is another one that many students as they get older refuse out of habit to let go.
I'm assuming you're suggesting this for a student who is not on his/her own taking an amount of mouthpiece that will produce optimal tone. It may be that the best way to use this might be to explain clearly to the student what you're trying to accomplish and then leaving the extra guide patch on the mouthpiece for only a short time - maybe as little as a week or two. Once the sensation has been established, I'd be wary of letting the extra patch become a long-term crutch, partly because it then can become too limiting. Where your teeth sit on the mouthpiece actually has as much (or more) to do with the angle at which you hold the mouthpiece in your mouth. If you move the clarinet out away from you, more beak will go into your mouth with the lower lip kept in the same position. The opposite is true, of course, if you drop the bell and move the instrument closer. Also, although young students would be less likely to make the adjustment, the amount of reed needed in your mouth can be affected by the strength of the reed - a more resistant reed can be gotten to play more easily by taking less into the mouth so the contact point is on a softer area of the profile.
Karl
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