Page 6 - Info Magazine nr 14 december 2020

If a clarinetist does not relax his throat, a good tone cannot be heard and it may even happen
that the high register (from the "long B") does not come out. Of course, it is a given that there
should be no tension in the shoulders, neck and that the general posture is good.
A practical exercise for learning how to relax the throat is to say "ooohhhhh" or blow warm air"
(as if you were fogging up a window) through your clarinet.

I prefer ‘airflow’ because it implies a movement in the breath. The word 'breath support'
implies a certain static state, which of course is not typical for the airflow, when playing a
wind instrument.
The basic element of breath support/airflow sounds easier said than done.
How do you make a good breath support/airflow and above all: how do you
explain it to a pupil? Actually, breath support/airflow is the pressure you
apply to your abdominal muscles to support the air. So, you should not blow
as if you were blowing out a candle (one short, firm blow), but as if you were
making a thin line as long as possible with your breath, with speed. You can
also make the comparison with an airplane: if it doesn't have enough speed,
it will crash. Or a high-pressure sprayer for your garden, on which there is
always water pressure, but water only comes out when you let go of the le-
ver. You tighten your abdominal muscles to support the airflow.

Finally, check your student's embouchure: are the upper teeth firmly placed on the mouthpiece
(use a sticker to prevent slipping!), close the lips tightly around the mouthpiece, and very impor-
tant: check if the pupil isn’t biting or squeezing too much. Often clarinetists get tired while playing
the clarinet, because they use too much pressure and tension in their mouth and lip muscles while
playing. But actually, their abdominal muscles should get tired, as if you've done a core-workout
in the gym. Because that’s where the tension is, nowhere else!
A good embouchure of course also includes a good mouthpiece with a not too large, but also
not too small tip opening and a matching reed. A reed that is too soft will result in pinching and
biting; no breath support/airflow is needed (bad idea!). A reed that is too hard is too tiring. Howe-
ver, rather choose a reed that is slightly on the harder side so you that you must play with breath
support/airflow.

Back to the change of register. In addition to all the above,
it's also just a matter of a fingering at the very top of the
clarinet (the B-flat with thumb and index finger is relatively
close to the mouthpiece: your airflow is there within a few
centimeters), while the next "long B" is at the very bot-
tom of your clarinet (your airflow has to bridge that distan-
ce, and that to an overtone!). So, remember that with the
airflow you not only have to bridge a greater distance, but
you also have to take into account much more resistance
with the notes that are "far away from the mouthpiece".

I would like to end this article with some exercises that
can help a pupil to get more playability in the register ex-
change. If these exercises do not work, first check that
the basic elements of rel laxation, breath support/airflow
and embouchure are in order.
Cécile Rongen, clarinet teacher
and head of education HKU
Utrecht Conservatoire
December 2020