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Re: Tired mouth problems

Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2014-07-26 17:46

It's possible that going to a softer reed will help. As I've gotten older, that's what I've done. Herb Blayman, former solo clarinet in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, commented in the 70s that he switched to softer reeds as he aged.

Perhaps your mouthpiece needs refacing, especially if you do a lot of playing. If your reeds aren't balanced, that can also contribute to embouchure fatigue.

You might also want to rethink your mouthpiece/reed combination. There are so many possible combinations that you may have to try several so that you find one that works for you. A few years ago I switched from a fairly closed mouthpiece and a hard reed (nice sound, but a lot of embouchure fatigue) to a slightly more open one with a softer reed (much more comfortable now). I know a high school student who gets great results with a Vandoren B-45 (fairly open mouthpiece) and 2 1/2 Vandoren traditional reeds. It's not a combination I'd use, but after a lot of trial and error, he finds it works very well for him.

There was a great discussion about this topic a couple years ago:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=375987&t=375987

Post Edited (2014-07-26 17:48)

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kitsy7

2014-07-26 10:48