 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: AAAClarinet
Date: 2013-05-15 09:13
I understand that the angle at which one holds their clarinet can have a lot to do with teeth or jaw. ( under bite, over bite ). I was wondering if people find there to be a sweet spot (angle) for individual tone preferences. I am very comfortable playing with my clarinet almost vertical, and have been playing that way for a while. when experimenting the other day with angles i thought i heard more "ping" in my sound with a greater angle. were my ears playing tricks on me? thanks for any replies..
AAAClarinet
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Author: Joarkh
Date: 2013-05-15 09:49
I have actually been thinking about the same the past few days. Some years ago, I played a little less vertical than I have done the past year. My method was as follows: Using a pen, find the highest spot in the roof of your mouth. Then, imagine that this spot is where your air stream should hit, before it reflects from here and into the clarinet.
If this spot is further to the front of your mouth, the resulting angle is smaller. If it is further back, the angle will be greater. I believe that I may have found a spot which is not the highest using the pen, due to some subconscious wish to play almost vertically... anyway, I think that instinctively, I have tried to keep the angle as small as possible because I have believed that the greater angle, the higher probability of biting. But is it necessarily so? Maybe the angle is not as important as how you form and use your muscles in the embouchure. Also, the flow of air is always of the greatest importance, so if a larger angle makes the air stream freer (and remember to let it hit the top, from there reflecting into the clarinet), then I would do so - of course at no point biting, still.
Joar
Clarinet and saxophone teacher, clarinet freelancer
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-05-15 10:16
My personal opinion is similar to Joar. You produce a flow of air by pushing from your core (this is the air generator). When you are not blowing into the clarinet, there should be that ready, fully generated pressure waiting to be released like a balloon. Like a balloon with a small hole in it (a thin stream of air rushing out of it), your core/mouth system releases the focused stream of air into the mouthpiece.
In this scenario I firmly believe that angle has NOTHING to do with the influence of the sound as far as the air goes since you can have a pin hole at any point across the balloon and you'd still get the same force of air.
NOW, that said, the teeth DO play a role (over/under bite notwithstanding). If you have the clarinet pointed out from the body such that the bottom edge of the top teeth, and the top edge of the bottom teeth are pointed straight at each other with only the mouthpiece/reed in between, then chances are greater that you are just going to CLAMP down on the reed ("bite").
So angling closer to the body will help develop a 'fulcrum' rather than a 'bite' which is far more comfortable and will not clamp the reed closed.
Remember though.....AIR is by far most important aspect of sound.
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: JonTheReeds
Date: 2013-05-15 12:10
My teacher's perspective is that the important point is to blow air across the reed to keep it vibrating. The easiest way to achieve this is by blowing down and through the clarinet. This means raising the clarinet upwards away from the body rather than keeping the clarinet close to the body as the latter requires the air flow to pass over the roof of the mouth which means that it hits the mouthpiece at an angle.
Another benefit of not holding the clarinet close to the vertical is that it improves tonguing as it is easier to tongue on the gap between reed and mouthpiece rather than tonguing flat on the reed (a point I think that Jack Brymer makes in his book).
Of course, everyone's body is different and what works for one person may not work for another. Since I have stopped holding the clarinet close to my body I have found my tone is improve, my body posture is more relaxed (and I don't suffer from muscle pains) and it is easier to play high notes.
It would be interesting to hear other people's viewpoints, especially those that have changed from holding the clarinet close to body to holding it away from the body, and vice versa
(I wonder if the technique of holding the clarinet close to the body arises from a lack of space in an ensemble, rather than any benefit to the player?)
--------------------------------------
The older I get, the better I was
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Author: Taras12
Date: 2013-05-15 14:22
Everyone's anatomy is different. Perhaps my emboucher is still not fully developed and consistant, but I do notice a change in the tone when I hold my clarinet at about 20 - 25 degrees from the vertical. That seems to be my sweet spot. At 45 degrees I get a better projection (since the clarinet points more outward) but the sound is "pinched" and doesn't ring.
I've also heard using angle to create a glissando, as a technique, though I've never tried it. Has anyone done this?
Tristan
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Author: SchlockRod
Date: 2013-05-18 08:08
I started back into clarinet about a year ago and have really been playing a lot the last 3-4 months. I'm mainly a sax man so I'm not sure how relevant my view is, but I've been holding the clarinet out about 50-60 degrees from my body, where I clearly hear a much more resonant tone, and my airflow/embouchure feel more free, lending credence to what my ears hear and my gut feels.
I get the point about it may be easier to bite, but that seems a separate issue that we just need to learn to avoid, by giving it the necessary wind and proper embouchure. We as sax players do that (if we're doing things properly).
I personally am seeing the benefits of what's called "double-lip" embouchure on both instruments, for me.
I firmly believe each aspect of playing needs to vary from player to player, as there are so many physical, mental, and spiritual (in every sense of the word) variables.
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