Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • April 2013
15
Regardless of our age and
experience as clarinetists and music
educators, I have found it necessary
to constantly practice and revisit
the fundamentals of embouchure,
tone quality, breath support, finger
motion, technical development,
and reed maintenance. Without
the attention to detail in the
fundamentals, the execution of our
music making in our ensembles,
chamber music and solo repertoire
is limited, at best. This article will
examine the areas of embouchure,
amount of mouthpiece, hand
position, and finger motion as well
as offer some tips I have found
effective in working with students
at all levels.
Embouchure
As clarinetists, we obsess about
the pointed chin, but miss the point
that the top lip is equally important
in forming the correct embouchure.
To quote renowned pedagogue,
Robert Marcellus, “using the top lip
actively helps prevent unnecessary
jaw pressure into the reed, even
preventing sharp intonation in soft
passages.” Encourage your students
to pull the top lip down against
the teeth and the mouthpiece,
so it is tucked very neatly. (See
example 1 for a side profile of the
tucked lip, with the lower jaw back
and down.) Andy Crisanti, retired
principal clarinet of the Fort Worth
Symphony, once described the
perfect embouchure position as a
45-degree angle from the tip of the
nose to the tip of the chin. With the
tucked top lip and pointed chin,
the idea of an overbite position
should be maintained, without
moving, during register changes.
Think the syllable “ee” to properly
shape the oral cavity. This shape
allows the air column to be at a fast
compression for maximum focus
to the sound and evenness during
register changes. Some clarinet
teachers prefer the French syllable
“teu”: tee for tonguing and “eu”
for the shape of the lips, resulting
in “teu.”
Amount of mouthpiece
in the mouth
This is a detail of clarinet
pedagogy that many times gets
overlooked. Taking the proper
amount of mouthpiece into the
mouth can solve many problems
with intonation, response, tonal
focus, and depth of sound. One
visual illustration I use with
students is placing a card between
the reed and the mouthpiece. The
mouthpiece should go into the
mouth at the point where the card
stops at the bottom of the facing.
(See example 2 below.)
Taking more mouthpiece allows
maximum efficiency from the reed,
brings the reed closer to the tongue,
and allows for a more intense sound
at the softer dynamic levels. There
is a point where taking too much
mouthpiece can result in a spread,
flat sound. Not taking enough will
result in a sharp, thinner quality.
It is important to experiment with
each student and determine what
is the best amount for them, based
on their equipment and the size of
their mouth.
Clarinet Fundamentals . . . Revisited !
Gary Whi tman
example 1
example 2