 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Exiawolf
Date: 2015-10-13 07:10
Recently I've seen quite a few things that recommend rolling in the top lip when forming your embouchure. I tried to do this, and found that I couldn't close my corners when I did do this, however it looks like a lot of players do roll in their top lip (Or at least give the impression that they are from the outside perspective). What's your opinion on this?
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdyD2rPq6RI
(Ignore the smile part of the embouchure)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2015-10-13 18:01
Yes, folding the top lip in helps support the mouthpiece and directs the air more efficiently as well as contributing to opening the air passages. In many ways it imitates playing double lip without the pain for someone that hasn't been doing it for many years. I'd suggest playing double lip for a minute or two here and there to get the feeling of folding your upper lip into the mouthpiece.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-10-14 00:11
As Ed has already mentioned, pulling the lip back in many ways mimics a double-lip embouchure without actually putting the lip under your teeth, and it offers many of the same advantages.
I've always felt, though it was never suggested to me by my teachers (all of whom were either students of Bonade or students of Gigliotti,who followed Bonade's concept) that pulling the lip back makes it easier to close the lips evenly and securely around the mouthpiece because it's the only way really to get the top and bottom lips aligned with each other. If the top lip is out away from the mouthpiece and the bottom lip is pulled over your teeth, it makes bringing them together more difficult. Also, an upper lip that isn't actively engaged leaves all the work to the lower lip, with the result often that the jaw takes over, causing a greater tendency to pinch (bite).
If doing this seems to increase air leakage (you can't close the corners), I would guess without seeing you that you're doing something else in addition to curling your lip back that's causing the problem. You may be tensing your facial muscles and actually pulling your corners back (away from the mouthpiece), which is essentially what a "smile" embouchure does.
BTW, I don't see anyplace in the Jonathan Jones video where he shows a "smile" embouchure. Only, maybe, while he's demonstrating the upper lip action without the clarinet (he exaggerates the exposure of the top teeth, too). When he actually forms an embouchure, his teeth aren't visible and he is closing the corners very naturally.
Karl
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2015-10-14 04:20
Often people say that double lip playing hurts. Yes I have to agree, although I play pain free with a double lip, but I've done this since about the 7th grade. If you take something like the size of a cigarette paper and fold it up, then place it over your front teeth you will be able to play longer and this will help develop stronger muscles. I am not suggesting to switch to double lip but to practice long tones from pp to fff to pp when you first start to practice. Look in a mirror.
I'm not sure about the smile idea. This can change the opening of your throat to an "E" sound. I personally don't like that type of clarinet sound. I like the open throat "O" sound, but we are all different and prefer different sounds.
You can't predict the position of the top lip because some people have an under bite some have an over bite. With a double lip you can help build up the muscles for support.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2015-10-19 05:56)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-10-14 08:08
I sorta disagree with what is being said about the top lip. You are not pulling it back, you are just "engaging the top lip." That is, you actively press downward somewhat with your top lip (it doesn't just sit on the top of the mouthpiece like a lump). Larry Combs used to speak of adding more and more top lip as you move up in range. His words were, "it's like turning a key."
As for sealing the embouchure, it is the buccinator muscles (cheek muscles along the sides of the mouth that control bring the "corners" in and down. As a separate set of muscles from the upper lip, you use the cheek muscles to seal the embouchure, and they operate independently of the upper lip (much like they are also independent of the bottom lip as well).
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: JasonOlney
Date: 2015-10-15 18:58
I think the word "rolling" might be the wrong way to think about it. It's actually extraordinary how important the right word can be when trying to convey an approach to playing.
Generally I point out that the top teeth and the top of the mouthpiece meet and make a right angle. Think about tucking your top lip into that corner. OR you can think about keep the lip close to the teeth and then press down on the top of the mouthpiece, corners of the top lip leading to the center of the top lip.
Thinking about rolling could make you try to curl the lip in some way, which I don't think is that effective.
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