Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • April 2014
16
mouth, relax the jaw a little bit forward, stretch the
bottom lip in, and chin muscle down, and the chin
muscle will feel like it is stretching down and across
the jaw. Then the corners go in toward the sides of the
mouthpiece.
MEC:
Is this for someone who has a natural overbite?
JD:
If you relax the jawbone forward, it will be
moving so that the top and bottom teeth get close to
being parallel to each other. If there’s a big overbite,
they still slide the jaw forward a little bit, but their
teeth may not be parallel. The vast majority of people
eventually are going to have their top and bottom teeth
pretty much parallel. This keeps them from biting
up into the reed, and it provides good support. You
get control of the reed, without bite. You know that
sound that everybody gets when they can’t get the high
notes, like a grunting undertone? If you have them
slide the jaw forward, higher notes will speak, and the
undertone will disappear. That’s when you’ll know the
embouchure is in the right place.
Then, the corners of the mouth stay tight against the
eye teeth (or canines) and will move inward toward the
mouthpiece. (I do not teach the smiley embouchure
because that makes people bite.) The top lip should
be working. In other words, it has to do something up
there. It’s tight against the gums, and it’s tight against
the teeth. Then you blow by saying “shh.” So, you set
the structure of the embouchure by moving the jaw
forward, you set the muscles around that structure,
and then you blow, “shh.”
MEC:
So you’re doing a single-lipped embouchure.
JD:
Yes, I do the single lip because if you use your
top lip, you don’t need to do double.
MEC:
Is your top lip pushed down at all?
JD:
Yes, it pushes tight against the teeth and gums
and down against the mouthpiece. That’s where I think
you get a lot of control. Also, if you stretch your top lip
under your nose, like you have an itch right there, and
you are relaxing your jaw forward, your chin muscle
automatically goes down, even when you are just a
beginner. Those muscles are all connected. If they’re
going like this [bunches the chin], it’s because they’re
not using the top lip and not moving the jawbone
forward. They need to stretch their jaw forward
through their chin muscle. I make a big distinction
between jaw position and chin muscle, but they work
together beautifully if they are in the right place.
MEC:
At what angle do you have your clarinet? Does
it vary?
JD:
The top teeth are on the top of the mouthpiece,
and your jaw is going forward; your bottom teeth are
parallel to the top teeth. Now to find the angle, you
can actually move the clarinet up and down to find a
sweet spot. If the jaw’s correct and the embouchure’s
there, but the clarinet is angled too far out, the tone
will spread. If you angle too far in, it will be pinched.
If you get it right, all of a sudden you’ll go “ahh,”
because the sound will be controlled and vibrant, and
that’s how you determine the correct placement. So,
the angle is determined by where it sounds best.
MEC:
So which way do you direct your airstream?
Going down the horn? Across the reed?
JD:
It’s going against the reed.
MEC:
What part of the reed?
JD:
Right above where the pressure point is. Your
goal is to blow against the reed, so that it beats
against
the facing of the mouthpiece.
MEC:
So more like a little bit below the tip.
JD:
Yes, and it’ll be there if you’re going, “shh,
shh.” Because if you use your tongue correctly, you’re
keeping the wind “tunnel” consistent, which will mean
you’re getting a good, even tone.
Clarinet Clari ty: An Interview wi th Jul ie DeRoche