When visiting the music museum in Paris, I got to know that the reed on top set up was the original standard for clarinet. Later I heard that some Italian player used it in the 20th century. Well...
I tried the "Bad Smell" and the "Wolf Whistle" together. Think I sprained something 😂 Seriously, appreciate the exercises! I definitely need relaxation techniques. I've actually noticed when playing gigs, that my sound gets better as the night goes on. Thinking about it in this context, my embouchure is probably tiring and relaxing on its own? Thanks again!
So first exercise talks about top lip up but use side pressure. Second exercise is about using virtually no side pressure. Do we want no pressure from top lip and sides ?
I'm thrilled to see you demo these embouchure exercises! I studied with Joe Allard for many years, including 6 years at New England Conservatory. I teach Joe's magic, but I wasn't aware of anyone else doing so! Yay Jamie! I love your videos!
I just watched this and tried all of the exercises, and I couldn’t get a sound out using any of them. I know my embouchure has gotten lazy over the past year, how much and how often should I practice these to eventually be able to play with them? Just feeling a little discouraged
I've played my whole life with a double embouchure. I just can't do the top teeth thing. Is it possible to get an impressive tone without putting your teeth on the mouthpiece?
Hi, a lot of educators advice to keep embochure relax, so why same time saying the muscles must be strong? Weaker muscle equal less pressure or I really misunderstood entire concept. My teacher plays with double embochure, both leaps out , top teeth not touch mouthpiece, the sound he is produce is incomparable to any others what I heard live. But most importantly he always says "keep chicks tight, very tight so there is no place for relaxation. Now who is wrong who is right, just getting confused😮. Thanks
Well, for some reason, having strength and endurance allows you to stay relaxed for longer. There are many different ways of getting a good result so try a few different ways and see which you prefer.
Man, I think when we play using much pressure and tension, we lost endurance and dinamic control of tip opening. So it makes a lot harder to control the tune, make all articulations and effects like subtone and slap tonguing and also the overtones and altíssimo notes while to do it we need a precise embrochure control that overhelmed lips hardly could give. So relaxed do not mean weak, its more for "prepared to everything" at neutral position waiting for some "special move" 😂
@@GetYourSaxTogetheryeah it’s the same way on guitar. I always get aggravated when people say “stay relaxed”. It wasted years of my playing because I didn’t understand you needed to workout your wrist with fast songs to feel the burn before getting to point of relaxation. It’s like the gym.
Sorry for sticking my two cents in; I think Jamie would agree that your current teacher is off-base using a double reed embouchure for saxophone. Yes, Trane did it, but it was an unusual choice, which is generally not the best one. Even a classical clarinetist would not do this, much less a saxophonist playing modern music. Thanks!
“Even though you’re gunna look like a right…..” Nice save 😂 Needed this video a lot actually. Jamie giving us what we need without us even asking 😊 Cheers mate
I learned somethings about myself with these. Exercise 1: I found that I don't use my upper lip when playing. Good to know since I also play bassoon. I'm not sure about after a couple of hours, though. However, I couldn't lift my lip workout my fingers. Then again, I can't even do that while sitting on the couch without a mouthpiece, I discovered. As for the sound, I play bari and struggled to blow enough air for long with my lip up, losing so much air through my teeth. As for the 2nd, I found that my sides get tighter when I get tired, before I even know that I'm getting tired. Iwonder what I'm compensating for. I'm definitely going to do this one throughout my practice sessions just to stay on top of this and maybe extend my play time a little... with better sound through the end. The 3rd exercise is just fun. 🙂 I had no problems any of with these, and I'm relieved that I haven't picked up too many bad habits over the years. But I'm still going to use them all to see if it will continue to improve my tone and those of my students.
Interesting video! I believe the early clarinet players played upside down. However is there a contradiction in that playing upside down or double lip must involve some tension in the top lip? I am a pro clarinet player who has taken up the sax in my dotage and am struggling with the embouchure, it seems to need enough tension to avoid a flat and breathy sound but this is quite fatiguing!
I need to learn how to relax the bottom of my embouchure - I get pain in muscles below the lower lip. Probably because muscles on each side are weak....
Thanks so much for this lesson! I'm struggle so much to get "the feel" of my neck and my air flow when using right embrochure. This lesson help me to figure out! Many thanks!
Hi Jamie! can you explain me one thing pls... I play sax a second year, and my first teacher was telling me to "bite" n hold the mouthpiece such way that nobody can take it out from my mouth.. but its too painful for me... maybe my teeth are too sharp...so I feel lots of pain of my teeth cutting my lower lip.. and after that there is big ditch on my inner side of lip...and even some kinda bubbles... and because of that I'm psychologically trying to avoid the pain and pressing less .. then it affects the sound .. so I started putting small piece of cloth on my lower teeth as a pad and then I can play long and perform. But I wanna get out of this crutch , its not convenient when I need to talk or sing, every time to remove it.. also doesn't look estethically good, when im adjusting with my tongue that cloth which has shifted inside my mouth. And basically I think nobody in the world plays like that🙈 So what could be yours suggestion?
Your embouchure is totally wrong. You be using the least possible pressure. Never bite on the mouthpiece. My advice is the exact OPPOSITE of your teacher I’m afraid. You should never cause yourself pain on your lip. It’s nothing to do with your teeth being sharp or not. Watch my video on having an embouchure like a goldfish! Basically, stop biting. Stop using pressure on the reed. Today. Please.
I'm starting to wonder if embouchure even does anything, while in the regular range of the saxophone (aka no altissimo) I can play the sax just fine by merely suggesting some embouchure touching on the mouthpiece. Hell I think it would be possible to create a tone by not even having the moutpiece in the mouth and just blowing real hard toward it, if the reeds soft enough. That's not saying I'd blow real hard in a 'wispy' embouchoure, but I sure as hecc am getting by without doing embouchure strenghtening stuff like that QQqqqqqqq thing where one goes kyuuuuuuuuuu with a real tense mouth to pull the lips taught over the teeth.
Hmmm. The first exercise seems like it would just make you compensate with tooth/jaw pressure. I do almost the exact opposite exercise and practice with no tooth contact, lip only.
This is so much fun, and is really helping me with bringing awareness to all the tightness in my embouchure. Quick tip, the light on your left is turned a bit too much to the back wall. Since you like to move around, every time you move closer to the camera, you cast a shadow on your face, like in the first shot of the video.
