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Reed Strength - is it too strong? or is it the embouchure?

Author: abiqen
Date: 2016-08-16 22:29

I'm a student clarinetist with about 5 years experience with playing the Bb clarinet. I've never been the best player, and my embouchure is not very good - or at least, if it is, then my tone quality doesn't reflect it. You know that kind of ugly flat tone middle school clarinetists with loose embouchures have? It's that kind of squawky, dying frog sound, but instead of flat, it tends sharp. At this rate, I'm wondering if it's a reed issue. I play on a 4 Vandoren reed, which is unusual for my level of experience - most of my peers play on 3's and 3&1/2's. I had to change last year when lower strengths keep squeaking on me. (They also wore out incredibly fast - the reed were spent after a couple of hours playing.)

So is that an indicator of any issues with my embouchure? Or is it an indicator of something else?

Also, as for any other problems my embouchure has - sometimes air leaks from the sides. That's about it. The instructor says it looks visually fine.

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