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Re: Embouchure

Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2007-08-01 14:58

Iceland clarinet wrote:

>> I like to think of the embouchure like Jack Brymer does in his book The clarinet[.]>>

Well, Brymer says that things other than the lips are important, and in the service of this idea, he prefers to use the term 'embouchure' in a more general way -- to include, for instance, mouth resonance. (Indeed, he suggests ironically that the term 'labiture' would be more appropriate for discussion of the function merely of the lips.)

But this is a very general problem that applies to ANY analysis. Analysis divides up the world in an arbitrary way, and then describes the relationship between the two or more parts created by the division. Its only justification is that a useful insight turns out to be generated by that particular division.

In this case, just one useful insight is generated by separating out the role played by the lips from the role played by other parts of the system.

It is that the lower lip must be capable both of exerting pressure on the reed, AND of damping its vibrations selectively. Moreover, that capability must be precisely variable over short time-scales. Any 'labiture' that enables THAT is an acceptable one.

Once such a 'labiture' is established, the player is free to go on and combine it with the other variables -- which you can include under the term 'embouchure' if you like. The article by Campione, and several of my own posts, explain why some characteristics of the labiture are forced by the criteria of acceptability described above.

Tony

Post Edited (2007-08-01 15:01)

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