I've been playing the clarinet for several years in the school band, and I began taking private lessons about six months ago. I've been able to do everything my instructor told me to do easily, except that I have a horrible embouchure. I can't keep my chin flat. He keeps telling me to smile and then close my mouth around the mouthpiece, but it hasn't been working out. Does anybody have any advice on how I could improve it?

The whole smiling thing doesn't work. It stretches the muscles in your face so that they are thinner maker your sound thinner as well, especially in the higher notes.

My advice, keep your lips tight but not too tight that it will make it flat or is it sharp...either way not too tight. do that and at the same time try to keep your chin down. and the smiling thing wont NOT work.have to go! TRY IT OUT!

Can't help your embouchore with a post, but I'll try a few things.

Sometimes with my students it works for them to imagine applying chapstick/lipstick to their bottom lip. The chin automatically flattens to give the lip a nice flat surface for application. Try rubbing you finger across your bottom and see if that works to get you a flat chin.

One more... but I almost can't describe it in text. Put your thumb against your top teeths' edge. Push up on yout teeth. While pushing up, push down against your thumb with your top lip, letting your bottom jaw and lip stay away from your thumb. You should feel your chin flatten out as you do this. If it works for you, transfer the feeling to your mouthpiece. Top lip pushes down and around, and mouthpiece against the top teeth.

Good Luck to you


BH

I was told by my instructor to imagine I was putting on chap stick, and That seemed to work for me.
Try bringing yoour lower jaw in a bit, that got me exactly where I needed to be embouchure wise.

apart fropm not being the ideal embouchure, what effect does this have on your playing? If it does not have a negative effect, then why fix what isn't broke.

I spent years with a teacher trying to change my embouchure and in the end I refused and I managed to get a performance degree out of it.

Sometimes depending on your teeht, the shape of your mouth and lips etc, it won't be a picture perfect embouchure. If it works, leave it.