Joined
·
2,655 Posts
Here's an excellent article on double lip embouchure that just came out.
http://www.theclarinet.co.uk/articles/doublelip.shtml
Any double lip clarinetists on the Forum? I use a type of double lip on clarinet, bass clarinet, and saxophone. I've actually come full-circle with double lip embouchure.....
In my saxophone studies through elementary and high school I developed a double lip embouchure. Looking back, I scratch my head over how none of my teachers either corrected it or said anything about it. However, when I arrived at Berklee and began studying with Joe Viola, Joe took one look at my embouchure and said "You're using a double embouchure!". I then spent at least a semester working with Joe in completely changing my embouchure and playing. After this, I used a single embouchure for the next 35 some-odd years.
Around 5-6 years ago I was spending a lot of time with the C melody and was striving to get a bigger sound on it. At the time Ralph Morgan encouraged me to take in more of the mouthpiece. But, I had problems with taking in more mouthpiece. My chops quickly wore out and I had problems with the mouthpiece slipping. Then old day, based on an intuitive hunch I tried lifting my top teeth off the mouthpiece beak. I wasn't using a true "French" or double embouchure in having my top lip under my front teeth. I simply lifted my teeth from the mouthpiece. The results of using this embouchure were a huge breakthrough for me. My sound was bigger, there was an increased level of projection, and (importantly) my chops did not wear out as they did when I tried taking in more mouthpiece with a single embouchure.
Having such good results with this embouchure on saxophone I tried a modified version of it on clarinet (with a tight lower lip) and quickly ran into control problems. So, I continued to use a "traditional" single embouchure on clarinet. However, when I acquired a bass clarinet last Fall I quickly discovered that I got great results on it with a similar embouchure as I was using on tenor with the teeth off the mouthpiece...however, the embouchure not being as loose as on tenor and being more clarinet-like. By then I was having a small amount of top lip under my front teeth.
Getting good results with this embouchure on bass clarinet, I then went back to the soprano clarinet and tried it. It took a couple of weeks to become comfortable with my version of a double embouchure on clarinet -- especially, in terms of control and playing in the high range. But, after I got the hang of it, it then felt completely natural...like I had been playing that way all my life.
So, I've come full-circle back to playing with a double embouchure as I did as a kid and I'm extremely happy with the results.
Finding this article on double lip embouchure is a big deal for me as it's helping me to have a better understanding of the WHY behind the embouchure changes that first came to me as an intuitive hunch. The article has also shown me some ways in which I can make some minor tweaks to my embouchure to make it work even better. I'm really happy that I stumbled upon this web site!
Roger
http://www.theclarinet.co.uk/articles/doublelip.shtml
Any double lip clarinetists on the Forum? I use a type of double lip on clarinet, bass clarinet, and saxophone. I've actually come full-circle with double lip embouchure.....
In my saxophone studies through elementary and high school I developed a double lip embouchure. Looking back, I scratch my head over how none of my teachers either corrected it or said anything about it. However, when I arrived at Berklee and began studying with Joe Viola, Joe took one look at my embouchure and said "You're using a double embouchure!". I then spent at least a semester working with Joe in completely changing my embouchure and playing. After this, I used a single embouchure for the next 35 some-odd years.
Around 5-6 years ago I was spending a lot of time with the C melody and was striving to get a bigger sound on it. At the time Ralph Morgan encouraged me to take in more of the mouthpiece. But, I had problems with taking in more mouthpiece. My chops quickly wore out and I had problems with the mouthpiece slipping. Then old day, based on an intuitive hunch I tried lifting my top teeth off the mouthpiece beak. I wasn't using a true "French" or double embouchure in having my top lip under my front teeth. I simply lifted my teeth from the mouthpiece. The results of using this embouchure were a huge breakthrough for me. My sound was bigger, there was an increased level of projection, and (importantly) my chops did not wear out as they did when I tried taking in more mouthpiece with a single embouchure.
Having such good results with this embouchure on saxophone I tried a modified version of it on clarinet (with a tight lower lip) and quickly ran into control problems. So, I continued to use a "traditional" single embouchure on clarinet. However, when I acquired a bass clarinet last Fall I quickly discovered that I got great results on it with a similar embouchure as I was using on tenor with the teeth off the mouthpiece...however, the embouchure not being as loose as on tenor and being more clarinet-like. By then I was having a small amount of top lip under my front teeth.
Getting good results with this embouchure on bass clarinet, I then went back to the soprano clarinet and tried it. It took a couple of weeks to become comfortable with my version of a double embouchure on clarinet -- especially, in terms of control and playing in the high range. But, after I got the hang of it, it then felt completely natural...like I had been playing that way all my life.
So, I've come full-circle back to playing with a double embouchure as I did as a kid and I'm extremely happy with the results.
Finding this article on double lip embouchure is a big deal for me as it's helping me to have a better understanding of the WHY behind the embouchure changes that first came to me as an intuitive hunch. The article has also shown me some ways in which I can make some minor tweaks to my embouchure to make it work even better. I'm really happy that I stumbled upon this web site!
Roger