Author: Micke Isotalo ★2017
Date: 2020-06-20 14:33
Especially those of you who have switched from more or less biting (jaw pressure) to non-biting, how did it affect your intonation?
I made that switch to full extent just about a year ago, and one effect on my intonation was like a teeter-totter with previously sharp/sharpish upper clarion and third register notes going flat while first register lower notes went up (at least some of them). High notes going down with less embouchure pressure wasn't a surprise, but didn't expect the lowest notes going up (the latter isn't a big problem, though for example the low e which previously was spot on with the correction key on my B-flat is now 7-10 cents sharp).
Another interesting effect has been that while the previously flat d#4-f#4 region remained as such, the corresponding second register notes (a#5-c6) became exactly as flat - note by note. Just increased lip pressure isn't enough for me to get these upper notes in tune, so from a#5 on I still need to engage also my jaw.
I don't see some moderate jaw pressure in the upper registers as too bad in itself (can't notice any harm to the tone there), though less changes of any kind between registers would of course be desirable - as well as to keep the more relaxed and effortless non-biting way of playing also in the high register.
These observations have led me to think about a re-constructed clarinet, for non-biting players (?). That is, with a re-tuning of the d#4-f4 interval by rising it 10-15 cents (in my case d#4 +10, e4 +15 and f4 +10 cents). Considering the amount of adjustment, I don't think that just a re-tuning of the existing tone holes would be sufficient, but already when they are drilled they would need to be placed higher up on the body. Thus my idea is that this way these notes could be played with exactly the same embouchure pressure in both registers - and with no biting.
What's your idea about such a re-constructed clarinet, and how about possible drawbacks? Two such ones that I've been thinking about are 1) possible undertoning on the notes in the second register (I've noticed such when playing experimentally with exactly the same embouchure pressure there as in the first register, and not caring about the intonation - but could this perhaps be addressed with adjusted voicing?), and 2) a re-positioning of these tone holes would most likely affect also the intonation in the third register - but would it be for the better or for the worse (as said, now I'm flat in that register, without some jaw pressure)? Maybe also a concern about the tone quality could be added, if these second register notes could be played in tune with no added embouchure pressure compared to the first register.
I should perhaps add that my clarinets are Reform Boehm, and thus maybe not behaving exactly as more typical French bore clarinets. However, when I tested some Buffet Tradition clarinets they actually behaved very similarly. The d#4-f4 region was more or less exactly as flat as on my clarinets (with some minor differences depending on the mouthpiece), and also the a#5-c6 was flat but not quite as much as in the first register (both with the same embouchure pressure).
I would also be interested about any other intonation issues possibly related to a non-biting embouchure, and how you tackled them.
Post Edited (2020-06-20 16:39)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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