How To Play Clarinet With Better Tone Using An Embouchure Checkup
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- Опубликовано: 21 июл 2024
- Michelle Anderson, founder of Clarinet Mentors, (www.learnclarinetnow.com) presents a clarinet lesson on how to improve tone by focusing on one important embouchure correction. This will help high notes to play better, give you much clear tone quality and better dynamic range.
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My son gave me a clarinet for Mother's Day, and I haven't played for 45 years! I'm already getting so much out of your videos. Surprisingly, my embouchure came back to me like an old friend! I'm looking forward to continuing with your videos in the coming weeks. Thanks!.
Linda Christopherson What a great Mother's Day gift! I find that most people who return to the clarinet after a long absence find that much of their former skill returns within about 3 months. On some level, I think the body does remember these things. Have fun with it.
Another grateful viewer! Three weeks ago took up clarinet again after decades, but nearly abandoned it because my tone was awful. I was blaming reeds, mouthpiece, the instrument, and mainly my own incompetence. But after watching your video, I got my new teacher to critique my embouchure. Between her advice and yours, my tone is now 1000% better. And high notes, once just muffled squeaks, are effortless. So thank you, thank you for uploading this. I've subscribed now and will be busy working my way through your videos.
Hi Clare, Thanks so much for the kind words. It is amazing how much our bodies seem to remember about clarinet, even after a long break. My guess is that you will regain most of your abilities in about 3 months, especially if you are focusing on good habits as you get back into playing. Good luck with it.
I can't thank you enough!!! I've been playing the clarinet (without any teacher) for a couple of months now and of course, my embouchure was wrong. I could hear a difference in tone just after a second! Wow
This makes such a difference for most people, and I it is a hard one to just figure out alone. It made a huge difference for me when I was taught this by my first teacher. The more you use it, the more your tone will improve. I'm glad it is helpful to you.
Fabulous to experience what a good teacher can do to you! Some of us take for granted our embouchure...we believe we've seen enough of it through our lessons and nothing is farther from the truth! Now comes the long road of trial and error but, hopefully, it will lead to a better sound world, thanks to you!
Hernán Villamil This technic is really helpful. I hope it helps you to fine tune things even further!
Thank you! This video helped me understand why I was having bad tone. Now that I have a good embouchure, my tone is fantastic!
Hi. I’m 70 years old and have decided to learn how to play an instrument. Your helpful video is a real help. Thanks a lot
Thank you so much for this Michelle. Of all the embouchure videos on RUclips this is superior above them all. So very very helpful. Great gratitude to you.
Why 10 people don't like this video is deeply puzzling. I didn't think that I would listen to all of this, but the details are fascinating, and you present it all with such cheerful force that I am inspired. Thank you for all the work you pour into your videos!
One of the best lessons I've had on the clarinet. Thanks Michelle!
Thanks Omar! I hope you are enjoying your clarinet.
I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out if my lip is placed correctly. I was hoping to find a video on how to get rid of the fuzzy sound I make when playing notes around E, F, and G (On my clarinet). I think people call these notes open whole notes? I'm not sure. I've noticed this fuzzy sound when I'm practicing at home where no one else is playing. I know how long ago this video was posted but I'm hoping you could help?
Super helpful, and superbly well explained and illustrated. The "live" cursor over the embouchure photos plus explanation made the somewhat complex material very, very clear! --Thanks so much.
Can you make a video on the difference in double lipping and single lipping? I've been playing for about 7 years and I really want to advance myself even more. Thank you and I love your videos! It's like having my own private lesson teacher at home.
Michelle, this one is really good, specially the before and after photos.. Worth recycling in a future newsletter.
I'm trying to teach myself using videos and lesson books, and it felt like I was using too much energy to play, and it was because of my embouchure! I pulled too much of my lip in!
Thank you so much for this lesson!
After seventy years on and off playing,using the double lip is quite daunting but your video has given me the incentive to sweat out two weeks of trying every day to adjust to the double lip embouchure,makes more sense than biting and smothering the reed vibrations.What I do is try to use the double lip technique as I watch your video,very reassuring to see how you use your index finger to pull down the lower lip,well,just eleven more days to go.Thanks for your help and sage advice.
I have always tried to hold a proper embouchure but there was something missing. In this video, those nuances needed are pointed out. I am sure my sound will greatly improve.
Keep up helping clarinet players all over the world.
Regards from Medellin-Colombia.
Thanks for the feedback!
I was having some truble on my embouchure because I haven't played in a really long time so I was trying to find something to help me with that. I just want to say thank you for putting this video up. It really helped me a lot. (At first I didn't know I was doing any of that until I saw this video.) So thank you so very much miss
This was so helpful thank you Michelle
Look forward to your next video
Eunice Clark
Excellent instructive video.I'm getting good results with the legere european signature reed.
Thank you Miss Anderson.I learn a lot from your teaching the clarinet and just want to say thank you mam .
Thanks for the kind words. I hope you are enjoying your clarinet.
Really really helpful Michelle, thank you so much
Thank you for todays lesson. Looks important, I´m going to work on and come back to you.
I like this video very much. Thank you so much for your advice. Will keep practicing on this. THX
Excellent! Thanks so much for this great video.
Great thanks for your inspiring videos !!
Great information, very detailed!
thank you dear Michelle it was really helpful
Thank you for the great tips!
Thanks for your right embouchure checkup !
Hung Song I'm glad you appreciate this. Thanks!
I like this, this more than likely explains why especially my higher notes, are flat when I come in from a piano break. My high note tone can be unstable and go flat, so I'm going to get the other half to take some pics tomorrow! :)
Thanks for the tips!! Very usefull pedagogycal stuff for my students
Wow gonna practice this definitely
o mah gash dis was so helpful. I didn’t even know those stuff you mentioned
Hi Michelle, my name is Sandynho Im from Uruguay, i started paying clarinet about two weeks ago and my progress in my opinion is quite good, though i dont[t have were to compeare personaly cause i havent find a professor yet and dont know anyone that plays, i played piano and guitar so i have musical education, but clarinet is another dimension, im glad i find your web and youtube page couse its helping me a lot of liberating my from the bad habits and bad self techniqe that one develops just for playing instinctively. Im using Magnani and Baermann[s methods and complement with online contents. Maybe if i have some troubles i could ask u and help me. For now just thanking you a lot for your work that inspired me a lot. Kisses and hugs
Hi Sandy. It sounds like you are off to a good start. Good luck with your clarinet!
I was wondering if you could make a video on voicing and the difference from double and single lipping. Over the past 7 years I've been playing, I've become pretty advanced and want to take it a step further. Thank you.
Hi Ms. Anderson! I absolutely LOVE your videos. I've been back on clarinet after a two year hiatus; recently, every time I play, I've been experiencing air leaks, particularly from the right side of my mouth. What mainly causes this? How can I fix this? I've tried over and over to tighten my corners, use a less resistant reed, but no luck. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Usually leaking air is just a sign that the muscles that hold the corners of your mouth in are not very strong (yet…). If you keep working on it, perhaps with some long tones, looking in the mirror, they will strengthen. I am usually not too concerned about that because with most people it will correct itself as you practise regularly.
thank you I into my 3rd week of learning. The SQUEAKING was making me very frustrated. MIchelle your help with the embouchure is great . So now I have a guide to focus on when I start that SQUEAKING I can stop and readjust
It is so much better when we know what is causing the squeaks. Eventually the squeaking will be less frequent (although we are never completely free of this clarinet curse!).
Another excellent video, thank-you very much Michelle. Please can you do something similar focusing on where exactly in your mouth the tongue is supposed to be, during all stages of blowing but particularly during long legato phrases, and the differences in tone that result from different tongue positions. This would be hugely helpful to me!
Great idea Marc. The short answer is that for most classical playing, the tongue should remain consistently high, most of the time. There are nuances, but usual we end up with unintended bad nuances if our tongue wanders too much.
Thank-you. My hero is Benny Goodman and I hear him doing all sorts of different inflections with his tongue, however I know if I want any chance of playing that music in the future, I must learn a classical method/discipline, so that's exactly what I'm doing. I bought a collection of Boosey & Hawkes books 2nd-hand and I'm comfortably in the middle of all the Grade 2 exercises with a practice regime of 2-3hrs every day. Best thing I've ever done in my entire life!
It sounds like you are right on track. Enjoy!
Can you give a tutorial on how to gliss on the clarinet. If you can.
I'm still having trouble with making noises
I had a breakthrough today. I discovered a way to make the notes that ‘don’t sound so good’ much better. Instead of opening my jaw up wide, as wide as it would go, I closed it up somewhat. If I understood you Michelle, the main idea to create a good embouchure is to open the jaw and point it down as much as possible? If I do this, I get all kinds of terrible sounds.
There is a ‘sweet spot’ for jaw placement. If I close it up too much, I can squeak more easily. If I open it up too much, I get a Kazoo kind of sound.
Somewhere between the two, full open and closed down, there is a ‘sweet spot’! If I play with my jaw in that position, the notes sound sweet and pure! This makes sense to me on a scientific basis too. Everyone’s mouth is slightly different. Some are small, some larger. Some have tight young cheeks, some fleshy old & loose cheeks. It would seem that with all these variations, a slightly different ‘jaw set’ would be called for. Am I on to something here, or am I setting myself up for more 'bad habits'?
BTW, I noticed some 'lizard brain' going on too. LOL
Hi - You are correct that there is definitely a sweet spot for jaw pressure. I am glad that you are experimenting with it. My embouchure descriptions to pull things down and away from the reed relate more to the stuff that sits on top of the jaw bone - lips, muscle and skin. The idea is to pull all of that down and away from the reed so that it vibrates as freely as possible. It sounds like you are on the right track with your jaw.
Thanks for this lesson. I'm going to do just as you stated. Thanks for the examples.
Yolanda Herbert Good luck with this! I hope you are enjoying your clarinet.
It's helping alot....:0) I'm still practicing..
Hi How long each practise should I do this pulling down exersize please,to get the best results
I really need a lot of help getting rid of the fuzzy sound when I play pls help
This is very helpful!!!!
I'm glad that you enjoyed this.
The best!!! Ty!
I've been playing clarinet for about 3 years now. The sound is really sounding, how do I say this, cloudy or dirty. I've been trying everything, cleaning the clarinet, checking the reed, the right embochure I think everything! Please help me as soon as possible. Thank you!
hello, i stopped playing clarinet for a while and when i got back i was unable to play from the c register up. I played a high staff e and what came out was a two ledger line d. please help, i dont know what to do f
thank you
Hi Michelle, this question is not related to the video but can you give me your advice regarding swabs. The one I use, I made from a cotton handkerchief but it is getting old. What do you recommend: Silk, microfiber or cotton? or chamois? Thanks a lot
HI Natalie, I'm not an expert on the best swabs, but I use the cotton handkerchief ones for "everyday use", and I have a nice black silk one for performing. The silk is not quite as absorptive, but it never gets stuck (which sometimes the cotton one does). I have seen many chamois ones leave fibers and debris inside the instrument, so I usually advice against those.
useful information
What is a good book with scales and rhythms to us in practice session. Something to help figuring speed
Hi, I was wandering if maybe you could do a video on how to sight read better because I have failed many auditions because of my poor sight reading skills. I am now looking for some tips to help improve so that I can make it into GMEA all state. Thank you in advance.
Great idea. I'll put that on this list. The short answer is that the more patterns you have learned (fingering, rhythms, articulations) until they feel like they are on "autopilot", the easier sight-reading becomes. I'll do a video as well.
Thank you
Seems to be unanimous ~~ you're a terrific clarinet teacher ! Thank you.
My embochure is good but for some reason when I play on staff Bb or notes above high F/G it sounds either ear bleeding or just straight up bad.
When I did this it immediately improved my tone, but now there is pain on my lower lip from my bottom teeth...am I doing something wrong?
Same for me.
I can’t seem to paste a photo in the comments box. Any suggestions
Currently practicing my embouchure, do you have any suggestions on how i can play for a long time without my embouchure getting tired and air spilling out of my corners unvoluntarily?
Those muscles are often very weak at first, but they strengthen over time. Having air leak after playing a while likely means that you are "working on it". Keep trying to bring the corners in, and trust that like any other muscle set, your endurance will increase with regular practise. It really just takes time (but it is worth it).
I'm just now coming back to playing my clarinet after a lay off of 2 years. In the mean time I tried other instruments so I can still read music well. My problem is a 'trill' on certain notes. Usually the high 'E', but that can change depending on my embouchure. It can happen on open G too, but that note is much easier to control than high 'E'. I tried #3, 3.5 reeds, and changed my ligature and bought a new mouthpiece. I can control this 'trill' with my embouchure, somewhat but its a real chore to do so. Any Ideas?
Hi Ernest, It is a bit tricky to guess without hearing you, but sometimes a wobble in the sound comes from air moving unevenly. On clarinet, you generally want a very fast, steady airstream. Another thing that could be getting in your way is that your tongue could be moving around in your mouth and giving you more variation in sound than you want. If you try moving your tongue between "heeee" and "haw" while sustaining one note you can hear how your sound is affected. (For classical playing, you should aim for "heee".)
Clarinet Mentors (Michelle Anderson) Hee, I assume is with the tongue close to the roof of the mouth and haw is with the tongue, away from the roof of the mouth?
Yes! That's right.
What about bass clarinet? Is there a difference?
I've been playing clarinet for about half a year and before second semester I would produce a clear g sound, but now that I play, the sound isn't so clear, it's more airy? Can you help me with that?
If you are still blowing as quickly as you were, it sounds like it could be a reed issue. Try some new ones, and see if that helps.
I have no front teeth either top or bottom. I find lower dentures wobbly and don't use them. I have found the Clarineo,( you will probably shudder in horror), much easier to play than the Clarinet but I wonder if you have any suggestions how I would improve my tone.
At 8:52, the video gets super quiet, as in some of your other videos. Are you changing your computer settings while recording that would cause this? Or maybe it's happening during editing. I hope you get it figured out; it's most... unfortunate.
I don't know what to do...I just bought a Yamaha 255 clarinet...I am trying to practice my embouchure...and I'm doing ok until I try to play a higher note that requires me to open up register key in the back of the clarinet...as soon as I try to play a higher B, C, or D and I open the register key, ....I can't do it....I can't get the reed to vibrate and it feels like I'm trying to blow up one of those difficult skinny balloons they use to make balloon animals....any suggestions??? Sometimes, I feel like I'm going to pass out and my lungs feel strained....??? help?
If you've just started playing the clarinet then it's going to be more difficult. I've been playing for five years and I still struggle in the altissimo register! What's really going to help you is practice. Breathing exercises and long tones are going to be your best friends if you want to improve quickly (even though they may be boring). My biggest piece of advice is not to give up!! I couldn't get up to a clarion B natural until I had been playing for almost two years. Playing an instrument is difficult for everyone, regardless of how long they've been learning. Keep at it! Watch videos and keep asking questions (even the music shop workers could help you out!). Good luck! :)
@@estellevenable1672 I have since found a music teacher to help me... and you're right, it takes practice.... I didn't give up ... I always think of giving up but then I never do.... my heart's desire always overrides my mind's frustration...
I've been working on my embouchure and trying to understand how the reed comes into play as well.... I've been able to use the back register key and play the higher B, C, and D notes.... sometimes I get stuck and/or sqeaky... but I'm getting better at it... I'll eventually get better than Squidward on SpongeBob...😀
Thank you very much for your response! I really appreciate it. 😀
I'm in band and I play clarinet and my other clarinet friend always looks down and I remind him all the time to look up. My other friend his bottom lip is never over his bottom teeth but I never said any thing because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. Now since I found you I can tell them both to look at this video.
I play the clarinet using the double lip embouchure. In my opinion, the sound quailty is better using this type of embouchure.
A double-lip embouchure is great for tone! Many people highly recommend it.
Such a great tip! I'll see how bad my "blob" looks.
I am getting so discouraged....I just want to send the clarinet back....I don't think I can do this....it hurts my lips....it hurts my lungs...it hurts my thumb on the thumb rest and I can't play it
Cheaper than a facelift!
I do my best but I'm missing my front lower teeth plus at 70 I'm trying to teach an old dog new tricks.
and all I can do is squeak with it...I might as well be Squidward from Spongebob.
Hi Michelle, thanks so much for your answer. I will continue with handkerchiefs.. There were various opinions online and I wanted to check with you before making a decision. Did you receive my Email with a pix of my embouchure? I am without a teacher for a little while and wld have appreciated your input. I sent it at michelle@clarinetmentors,com. Was that right?
ZUT !!! JE SUIS BARBU ET JE NE VOIS PAS MON MENTON . Pas de chance !!!
Hi Jacques, you can always try just pulling your chin down with your fingers. If you have a lumberjack beard, this might be trickier!
I know I have a tenancy to turn the corners of my mouth up into a smile when i play. Althogh my bottom lip is good. :)
There are still some schools of playing that recommend the smile, but I find for most people it leads to excessive biting on the reed.
well, I guess there's no help here...a girl with the same problem hasn't received a response....don't see any responding for a over a year from anyone in these comments....I'm sending the clarinet back...no one will help...no one ever does.
parker 1126 ....because I want to....lol...I was looking for answers wherever I could find them...I have most of the answers I need now. 😊
that's one crappy embrochure . You need to check out Parker or Coltrane to get the best out of the Mouthpiece
+Raef Black For a jazz sound, those guys are the masters! Great suggestion. My suggestion here is to help achieve a good classical sound, which most school bands model after.
Clarinet Mentors (Michelle Anderson)
what is the difference betwen a classical and jazz sound. No difference. A good sound is a good sound. Coltrane had a (so called) classical setup, Dexter was in between. Sonny rollins had a large lay and big reed. A good sound is a good sound.
+Raef Black you're pretty delusional if you think that there is no difference between classical and jazz sound. Learn your genres! And btw Coltrane did not have a "so called" classical setup. He played on a closed metal Link with an extremely hard reed, that isn't considered classical.
Horrorlink
learn my genres! Your kidding me ?Here , Classical horn players sound and play shit. And jazz players often sound good (as they don't think 'sounding like a duck is good). So classical players don't use small tips and hard reeds? Shut the fuck up!
+Raef Black Look, your whole argument is based on the point that you don't like the classical sound in general. You obviously prefer jazz (btw, i have been a jazz musician for like 11 years now, i do like the jazz sound more too). But that doesn't defend that you need a certain style and technique if you wanna play classic. That's what i've been told in NY New School for Jazz and in retrospect makes a lot of sense. Try to play in an classical ensemble with an jazz embouchure, you'll get laughed at.