Hi
I have been playing the clarinet for a little more than a year now and am having trouble with the embouchure.
I have a lot of difficulty playing a note in the perfect pitch it is always flat, I have played different clarinets with the same result it is not the instrument . When I tighten my embouchure up enough I can't fit my tongue past my lip to tongue the notes.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance
Phel
Phel-
I have three thoughts
1] you need to get some lessons- a half-decent instructor could have this problem solved in one or two lessons
2] Being flat while playing reed [single or double reeds] instruments requires strong diaphragm support. The problem you describe comes from breathing wrong and blowing out incorrectly. It is difficult to describe but when you inhale you should think /try to fill your lungs from the bottom to the top and not from the top to the bottom- then while exhaling push from below not by squeezing your chest.
3] Tonguing is not done how you describe it. Most books and teachers describe tonguing as a flicking the tongue against the end of the mouthpiece and the end of the reed- this is not 'past' your lips at all- or at least shouldn't be.
This is pretty far off topic so I can't imagine anyone else needing this information so if you have other quesitons you can contact me directly
yrs- Jay Hamilton
soundand@drizzle.com
Thanks for the hints
Phel
What Jay says is absolutely correct, also maybe you're using reeds that are too hard, causing you to screw up your embouchure too much. Start with a softer reed, then as your muscles develop, move up to something harder, but still comfortable.