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Re: Overblowing

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2019-01-25 13:16

GenEric wrote:

> ... I've been told to take as
> much mouthpiece and to push the sides of my mouth. I generally
> ignored the negative consequences because I thought I would get
> used to them. However, the more I play, the more I realize that
> the "right" amount of mouthpiece I should be taking should be
> way less than normal in order to achieve a focused, dark sound
> on a closed mouthpiece.

I've read that advice (to take as much mouthpiece as possible until it starts to squeak) more times than I can count. Whenever I've experimented with following it, the result has always been abysmal. Mostly, I think, because it really is possible to play, however badly but without squeaking, with too much reed in your mouth.

Try this experiment. Slide a piece of paper - as thin paper as you have on hand - between the reed and the facing down as far as it goes until it stops. The conventional wisdom is that your point of contact (where the lower teeth, covered by the lower lip, contact the reed) should be where the reed and mouthpiece separate. The paper will locate this fairly accurately for you (the separation happens slightly lower, but it's close enough to make the point). Put a piece of tape that is thick enough to feel with your lower lip (I've used electrical tape; "Duck" tape will work) across the reed so that its upper edge is where the paper stops. Take the paper out.

Now, put the mouthpiece in your mouth and form your embouchure at the upper edge of the tape. The tape won't interfere with playing. I have found **every time I've tried this** that the "separation point" I've marked with the tape is much less far down than I was trying to play with just the advice to push the mouthpiece in until the reed begins to squawk.

Keep in mind that most French mouthpieces (including most if not all of the Vandoren line) have curves that separate from the reed at about 16-19 mm from the tip - that's less that 3/4 of an inch. I'm not sure how Daniel Bonade came up with 1-1/2 inches - I think he just guessed. That might even include part of the ligature.

I haven't ever used Michele's way of finding the contact point (because this is the first time I've seen it) - perhaps it works better than just jamming the reed in farther until you lose control.

The point is that it is possible to control the reed (but only sort-of) short of squeaking farther down than the separation point.

Karl

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