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Embouchure Jaw Position

Author: ResourcefulHedgehog
Date: 2024-04-16 00:27

Hi all,
I've noticed recently that when I play clarinet I push my lower jaw quite far down the mouthpiece- essentially giving myself an "artificial underbite" where the lower teeth/jaw are further in front than the upper teeth/jaw. In my resting position I don't have an underbite or anything so it's not like this is the natural placement of my jaw.

When I try to play in the completely relaxed position, the sound quality reduces significantly and I can't really get any notes out higher than a long b. (It's also very hard to get myself to play like that because my face subconsciously molds to my normal embouchure without me realising 😂).
In the more "normal embouchure" (which I assume isn't the one I'm doing), do you actually not need to move your jaw at all from it's natural position? Do you just tighten your lips and... blow? If so this seems pretty wild to me.
Also wondering if my embouchure is something that needs to be fixed. I don't want to cause jaw strain further down the line when I start practicing more hours in a day leading to inability to play without pain. And how would I go about fixing this considering I currently can barely make a sound without pushing my lower jaw forward?

Sorry, lot of questions here, If anyone has any advice I'd be very grateful.

Post Edited (2024-04-20 11:25)

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