flat emboucher

2003-10-13 09:46 pm

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

Re: flat emboucher

Reply #1 – 2003-10-14 02:40 am

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

Re: flat emboucher

Reply #2 – 2003-10-14 08:09 pm

Thanks for the hints

Phel

Re: flat emboucher

Reply #3 – 2003-10-15 03:50 am

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.