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Problem when playing Double Lip

Author: zhangray4
Date: 2017-10-29 21:57

I play with a double lip embouchure, which is basically when both lips curl over the teeth when playing the clarinet, upper lip too. I've been doing this since I've started playing the clarinet in 6th grade. Then I found out in my sophomore year that everyone was using single lip so I changed to single lip for maybe a few months. But I liked double lip better, so I can now play both double lip and single lip.

Starting this summer, I've increased my reed strength from Vandoren V12 #3.5 to #3.5+. At that time, I felt the #3.5 was too soft, and the #3.5+ was a little too hard. Now I think #3.5+ is perfect for me.

But as I start practicing more and more for college auditions and prescreening recordings, I've gotten to the point where I physically can't play double lip anymore. I try playing double lip for a while, and am forced to stop playing and switch to single lip, since my upper lip hurts so much when that happens. I think there is a cut in my upper lip (I can feel it with my tongue and barely with my fingers, and sometimes it stings). I sound much better on double lip: my teacher listened to me play both ways and said so.

The problem is this: it doesn't hurt if I relax my embouchure, but if I relax it, my pitch drops significantly. I'm playing a Vandoren M30 (which is probably pitched at 440 or perhaps even lower) and on the barrel that came with my R13 (66 mm).

Are there any experts out here who can give me some suggestions? Should I put some paper over my upper teeth? Is it my mouthpiece/barrel that's causing the problem?

Thanks!

-- Ray Zhang

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Problem when playing Double Lip

zhangray4

2017-10-29 21:57