Embouchure is just the fancy word used to refer to the way in which a player applies the mouth to the mouthpiece or reed of a wind instrument. This simple yet fancy word, however, is the foundation to achieving the desired tone! On your clarinet, we will focus on how to properly position your mouth and the setup (referring to the combination of the mouthpiece, reed, and ligature) and what to listen for using the setup and barrel alone to ensure the correct embouchure is being used to produce the proper tone.
The Setup!
Even before attempting to form a proper embouchure, you should make sure that you have a successful setup made up of an adequate mouthpiece, reed, and ligature. If your director or private instructor has gone over this with you and you are ready to go with reliable equipment, feel free to continue to The Process below. If not, there are a few things you should have in mind when putting together your setup:
· For the mouthpiece, in order to maximize control in all registers, a mouthpiece with a medium close tip and a medium length
facing or lay is best. . The challenge with this is that every company has different designations for each mouthpiece attribute.
Your director, private instructor, or local instrument vendor will be able to help you pick out the mouthpiece that is right for you
and your instrument. One thing you can easily check for on your own is the evenness of the mouthpiece facing. With the reed
properly secured onto the mouthpiece with the ligature, slide a piece of paper between the reed and the mouthpiece face until it
will not slide down any further. If the paper remains perpendicular to the reed, then the mouthpiece has good even side rails for
the reed to vibrate evenly on. If the paper stops at angle, then the side rails are poor and uneven and it will be hard for the reed
to vibrate evenly on the mouthpiece face.
· For the reed, you should always have multiple playable ones on hand that are resilient, medium in strength (2.5 or 3), not
warped, symmetrically cut, and golden brown in color without the presence of heavy black streaks in the bark of the cane. It is
important that the strength of the reed match the opening of the mouthpiece face (the distance between the tip of the
mouthpiece and the tip of the reed) – the more open the mouthpiece is the softer the reed needs to be, and the more closed the
mouthpiece is the harder the reed needs to be. Again, your director, private instructor, or local music supply vendor will be able
to help you pick out an adequate brand and strength of reed that is appropriate for you and your mouthpiece.
· For the ligature, it needs to be the proper size for your mouthpiece and be able to apply the proper tension on the reed. The
ligature must be big enough to allow the back end of the reed to be slipped under it and onto the mouthpiece and be able to be
tightened enough to hold the reed firmly in place while not stifling or bruising the reed.
· For the mouthpiece, in order to maximize control in all registers, a mouthpiece with a medium close tip and a medium length
facing or lay is best. . The challenge with this is that every company has different designations for each mouthpiece attribute.
Your director, private instructor, or local instrument vendor will be able to help you pick out the mouthpiece that is right for you
and your instrument. One thing you can easily check for on your own is the evenness of the mouthpiece facing. With the reed
properly secured onto the mouthpiece with the ligature, slide a piece of paper between the reed and the mouthpiece face until it
will not slide down any further. If the paper remains perpendicular to the reed, then the mouthpiece has good even side rails for
the reed to vibrate evenly on. If the paper stops at angle, then the side rails are poor and uneven and it will be hard for the reed
to vibrate evenly on the mouthpiece face.
· For the reed, you should always have multiple playable ones on hand that are resilient, medium in strength (2.5 or 3), not
warped, symmetrically cut, and golden brown in color without the presence of heavy black streaks in the bark of the cane. It is
important that the strength of the reed match the opening of the mouthpiece face (the distance between the tip of the
mouthpiece and the tip of the reed) – the more open the mouthpiece is the softer the reed needs to be, and the more closed the
mouthpiece is the harder the reed needs to be. Again, your director, private instructor, or local music supply vendor will be able
to help you pick out an adequate brand and strength of reed that is appropriate for you and your mouthpiece.
· For the ligature, it needs to be the proper size for your mouthpiece and be able to apply the proper tension on the reed. The
ligature must be big enough to allow the back end of the reed to be slipped under it and onto the mouthpiece and be able to be
tightened enough to hold the reed firmly in place while not stifling or bruising the reed.
The Process
You are going to start with wetting BOTH ENDS of the reed in your mouth. This allows all of the cane to absorb the moisture equally and will help fill in any porous spots the reed may have. The reed must stay properly wet to avoid response problems when playing the instrument. If using a brand new reed, it will help to soak it in warm water for 2 to 3 minutes. While doing this before a practice session or rehearsal, this would be a good time to assemble your instrument. |
Place your upper teeth on the mouthpiece. Looking at the profile (side) of the setup and moving back from the tip, right above where the reed first makes contact with the mouthpiece is where the top teeth should be place. |
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Make an exaggerated facial "A". This will firm up your lips to your teeth, cause your chin to become very flat, and curve your bottom lip over your lower teeth. |
Maintaining the feeling of the facial "A", add a facial "Q" on top of it. This will instantly bring into position the muscles which surround the lips and complete the formation of the perfect clarinet embouchure. |
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Now it's time to test your embouchure! Take a deep breath, re-form the "A-Q" embouchure, and blow with the same amount of air pressure you would use to blow out birthday candles. With the mouthpiece and barrel alone, this will result in the sound of a high concert 'F-sharp'. You can use a tuner to check if you are getting the correct pitch, or just match the pitch and sound you are hearing here. |
TroubleShooting
If you are not quite able to match the correct pitch and sound on the mouthpiece and barrel, don't get worried just yet! There are several things we can change and fix to help you achieve the proper embouchure and produce the correct sound! Listening to the examples below, find which one most closely matches the sound you are making and follow the instructions provided to help you get closer to the desired tone.
Are you getting no tone and just hear rushing air, like in the example here? In this instance, there is one likely cause – there is no pressure of any kind against the reed. To fix this, you will need to increase your lower lip pressure against the reed. There could also be too much reed in your mouth, in which case you will simply need to put less mouthpiece in your mouth. In addition, the reed may be too stiff. If this is the case, you can get a softer reed or, if you feel comfortable doing so, use some ultra fine grade sand paper to lighten the sides and heart of the reed, being sure to keep the cane symmetrical and balanced – ask your teacher to help you with this!
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Are you producing a squawk-like tone or flat pitch, like in the example here? One cause for this is insufficient pressure against the reed. To fix this, increase the lip pressure of your embouchure. You may also have too much reed in your mouth, in which case you will simply need to put less mouthpiece in your mouth. A third cause of this type of sound is insufficient intensity in your air flow. To fix this, increase the intensity of your air by blowing faster air into the mouthpiece. And finally, you may just be playing on a reed that is too soft. In this case, you can get a harder reed or clip the tip of the soft reed – unless you are an experienced clarinet player, I would leave this type of adjusting to your director, private instructor, or repair shop.
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Are you producing squeaks or a continuous high-pitched squeal, like in the example here? One cause for this is insufficient pressure against the reed. To fix this, increase the lip pressure of your embouchure. You may also have too much reed in your mouth, in which case you will simply need to put less mouthpiece in your mouth. A third cause of this type of sound is that the mouthpiece is angled too high. To fix this, raise your head and/or bring the mouthpiece and barrel closer to your body. And finally, you may just be playing on a reed that is too soft. In this case, you can get a harder reed or clip the tip of the soft reed – unless you are an experienced clarinet player, I would leave this type of adjusting to your director, private instructor, or repair shop.
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Do you hear intense air only or is the air stream completely stopped, like in the example here? This indicates that there may be too much lip pressure against the reed. Re-form your "A-Q" embouchure making sure you are not biting and your chin is not bunching up. You might also have too little reed in your mouth, in which case you will simply need to put more mouthpiece in your mouth. In addition, you may need to adjust the strength of your reed to ensure it is vibrating responsively (not too hard) as well as not closing off under the air pressure (not too soft). |
Are you producing a thin tone and sharp pitch, like in the example here? While this is usually less frequently heard, there could be a combination of causes. You may have too much bottom lip pressure against the reed, in which case you should re-form your "A-Q" embouchure making sure you are not biting. You may also have too little reed in your mouth, which is easily fixed by putting more mouthpiece in your mouth. In addition, your throat may be tight or closed – taking a "sigh" type of breath can help relax and loosen the throat. Finally, your reed may be too hard, in which case you can get a softer reed or use some ultra fine grade sand paper to lighten the sides and heart of the reed, being sure to keep the cane symmetrical and balanced – ask your teacher to help you with this!
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Flying Along! ...
Now that you have mastered your clarinet embouchure, it is time to move on to your First Notes!