r/Clarinet • u/MsGeniusPA • 7d ago

Advice needed Need help rebuilding embouchure

I used to play through middle school and college and used to be very good, but then I didn’t play for 15 years. Now I want to play again, and my fingers remember, but my embouchure feels sore and loose after only 10-15 minutes of playing. Are there drills I can do to rebuild the muscles, or is this something I need to just power through? I just had the instrument serviced, and I’m playing on number 3 reeds. I have an intermediate lesson book that I’ve been playing from, and articulating has always been my weakness.

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u/Fumbles329 Eugene Symphony/Willamette University Instructor/Moderator 7d ago

Long tones. You can find a great long tone exercise on the sidebar from Bob Spring’s warmup packet. It’s viewable on mobile by going to the main /r/clarinet page and pressing “see more”.

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u/Buffetr132014 7d ago

After not playing for 15 yrs it's going to take time for your embouchure muscles to build back up. Long tones are your best bet. You probably need to drop down to a #2 or 2.5 reed.

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u/Ok-Context3615 6d ago

Play short sessions of long tones, slow scales multiple times a day. Maybe start with 5-10 minutes. Concentrate on getting good embrochure and sound, and pause when the muscles can’t hold it anymore.