Correct embouchure is EXTREMELY important for getting a good sound on any instrument, but the clarinet is particularly difficult. One of the pitfalls that young clarinetists fall into is thinking that they are right simply because they can get a sound out and play a bunch of notes (or across the break). This is FALSE, and explains why students often don’t learn the correct mouth shape for clarinet playing. Unlike a brass player, who CANNOT access the full range of their instrument without first developing a correct embouchure, clarinetists can get the majority of notes out while using a poorly developed and incorrect embouchure (they won’t sound very pretty, though!).
Three very important elements of the embouchure for a clarinetist are:
- Pointed/Flat chin
- High tongue
- Corners in
When these two elements work together, musical magic happens.
Watch THIS VIDEO to learn how to make a proper clarinet embouchure.
Enjoy!
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About Lady Fair
Lady is a musician with a bachelor's degree in music education. She plays multiple instruments and has participated in numerous musical ensembles, giving her a wide variety of experiences and knowledge to use in her teaching career. Of her ensemble participation, she has fifteen years of band experience, nine years choral, and four years in orchestra. Éowyn's primary instrument is clarinet, with voice and piano being close secondary instruments. Throughout her musical education career she studied voice and clarinet simultaneously. In addition to clarinet, piano, and voice, she has also studied violin and oboe at the college level, and also plays recorder, tin whistle, and other instruments in the woodwind family.
If you ask her, she will say, "I chose to major in music education because I have a desire to use my knowledge and experience in music to share its beauty and foster a love of music in the hearts of my students. I hope to encourage my students to try their hardest, feel like they have accomplished something, and give them a life long passion for music."
Lady currently teaches private lessons on clarinet, sax, flute, oboe, piano, and voice, and recently gained a position teaching orchestra and chorus at a local middle school. She is also a member of the Once Upon a Dream woodwind ensembles.
Adventures of a Music Teacher 