tone
If students don't like the way they sound, they aren't going to want to practice, and probably won't continue. Work on tone in class and students will have fun playing at home.
Mouthpiece and Barrel
- Pitch: Concert F# (too high: biting, too low: loose/open)
- Individually place the mouthpiece and barrel in each student's mouth the first time they play to ensure correct placement and greater chance of success
- Students only take their mouthpiece and barrel home when they can demonstrate proper reed installation and can produce a tone on their own
- Wiggle mouthpiece and barrel to check firmness of embouchure
- Add upper joint when everyone can make an immediate tone response, and match and sustain the Concert F#
- Teach new concepts throughout the year using mouthpiece and barrel, such as tonguing, dynamics, note length, style, rhythms, etc
- Continue modeling and echoing on the mouthpiece and barrel daily for the entire first year, check pitch and tone of mouthpiece and barrel with older students on a regular basis
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Mouthpiece Sirens
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Tonguing
When?
Once students achieve an immediate response of a Concert F# on the mouthpiece and barrel. Air and embouchure have to be great before introducing the tongue. This will take a few weeks. In the meantime, use lots of slurred exercises and find lines in the book that don't have repeated notes that need to be tongued.
How?
Upside-Down Trick
Have students turn their mouthpiece and barrel upside-down so the reed is now against the top lip. Students will need to curl their top lip over their top teeth for this to work. Now blow and tongue; students will have to precisely touch the tip of the tongue to the tip of the reed. This will fix the "thwat" tonguers and jaw movers.
When?
Once students achieve an immediate response of a Concert F# on the mouthpiece and barrel. Air and embouchure have to be great before introducing the tongue. This will take a few weeks. In the meantime, use lots of slurred exercises and find lines in the book that don't have repeated notes that need to be tongued.
How?
- On the mouthpiece and barrel, to maintain consistent Concert F# pitch while tonguing
- Students place tip of tongue on tip of reed and blow, but keep tongue on the reed. No sound should come out.
- Teacher makes a hand gesture for students to release tongue from the reed while they are blowing, an immediate tone should be produced.
- Teacher closes hand, students tongue goes back on the reed, etc.
- Teacher's hand starts to go faster, soon students are lightly flicking the end of the reed
- Have students tongue pretty quickly right away, to prevent the air from stopping
Upside-Down Trick
Have students turn their mouthpiece and barrel upside-down so the reed is now against the top lip. Students will need to curl their top lip over their top teeth for this to work. Now blow and tongue; students will have to precisely touch the tip of the tongue to the tip of the reed. This will fix the "thwat" tonguers and jaw movers.
High Notes (Going Over the Breaks)
When?
Trouble? If students are having a hard time playing the high notes, check for the following:
When?
- Tonguing is clean and consistent
- Pitch is stable when tonguing; embouchure is strong and air is fast
- Low E and F generate immediate responses
- Student plays low C, teacher presses register key and a G should pop out without any adjustment from the student. From here the student should be able to slur from G up to high C
Trouble? If students are having a hard time playing the high notes, check for the following:
- Aural cavity inside mouth might be compressed. Students should lift their soft palette, they can feel this by saying "eee" and lifting up their eyebrows
- Firm chin
- Firm upper lip
- Correct amount of mouthpiece in mouth
- Correct amount of bottom lip on reed (not too much)
- Fast air speed
- Appropriate reed strength (not too soft)
- Reed positioned on mouthpiece correctly
- Correct fingering and hand position
- Check that mouthpiece and barrel pitch is still Concert F#
Tone Troubleshooting
Fuzzy, muffled tone: too much bottom lip is on the reed, lift clarinet out (too much bottom lip also makes it hard to tongue clearly)
Shrill high notes: bottom lip is too tight (have students play a few notes with a double lip embouchure to feel the proper balance between lips)
Honky, spread tone, high notes out of tune: loose upper lip (double lip embouchure will help students feel the correct firmness of the upper lip. Students can also put a small folded piece of paper between their upper lip and top teeth while playing and hold the paper in place to work on top lip control)
Puffy cheeks: lightly bite insides of cheeks to be more aware of cheek location. Practice blowing out with an embouchure but no mouthpiece
Fuzzy, muffled tone: too much bottom lip is on the reed, lift clarinet out (too much bottom lip also makes it hard to tongue clearly)
Shrill high notes: bottom lip is too tight (have students play a few notes with a double lip embouchure to feel the proper balance between lips)
Honky, spread tone, high notes out of tune: loose upper lip (double lip embouchure will help students feel the correct firmness of the upper lip. Students can also put a small folded piece of paper between their upper lip and top teeth while playing and hold the paper in place to work on top lip control)
Puffy cheeks: lightly bite insides of cheeks to be more aware of cheek location. Practice blowing out with an embouchure but no mouthpiece