As I mentioned earlier, we are often not very aware of what is happening inside our mouths. I like to use various exercises that help develop awareness and give greater control. These exercises can be done without the clarinet, or you can first do them without the instrument, memorize the sensations, and then immediately try the same sensations while playing the clarinet.

1. Exercise for the middle part of the tongue

Say the German "ich" several times in a whisper. The German "ich" sound can be approximated by combining two English sensations: the vowel quality of the "i" in the word "itch", and the soft, forward "h" sound found in words like "huge".

Pay attention to the hissing sound. Prolong it - you should clearly hear this hiss, similar to the sound a cat makes when hissing. Try to become aware of and remember the movement of the tongue.

Next, form an embouchure without the mouthpiece: the mouth is slightly open, the chin is flat, the corners of the lips are closed, the upper lip is lengthened and gently pressed downward, and a compact, round, or slightly oval opening is formed in the center of the lips. Without changing the position of the jaw or lips, whisper the German "ich" again and prolong the hissing sound. Repeat this several times and try to memorize the tongue movement.

Then, form the embouchure as described above and simply start exhaling through the small opening in the center of the lips. Exhale with enough intensity to clearly hear the hiss of air passing through the narrow opening. Now, without stopping the exhalation and without changing the embouchure, raise the middle part of the tongue, thinking of the German "ich". You should clearly hear the hiss become louder, and possibly even turn into a whistle. Repeat several times, memorizing the sensations.

Finally, try this exercise with the mouthpiece and clarinet. Place the mouthpiece in the mouth, form the embouchure, and begin exhaling without producing a sound. You should hear the hiss of air passing between the mouthpiece and the reed. This hiss should be low and intense. Without stopping the airflow and without changing the embouchure, raise the middle part of the tongue while thinking of "ich". You will hear the character of the hiss change - it will become louder and more focused. Then, without changing the tongue position and continuing to hiss, gently apply a bit of pressure to the reed by slightly firming the embouchure, making the opening smaller using the lips, the lower jaw, or, more realistically, a combination of both.

I should note that it is often said that a high tongue position helps to focus the sound. I do not fully agree with this. In my experience, sound focus depends more on the compactness of embouchure, I mean this small circular opening in the center of the lips. However, raising the middle part of the tongue helps concentrate and intensify the airflow, redirect it, and ultimately makes sound production easier and with less pressure on the reed. As is often said, if the sound is not supported by the breath, it will have to be supported by the embouchure, often by unnecessarily clamping the reed.

2. Exercise for feeling the internal volume of the mouth

Form the embouchure without the mouthpiece as described above. It is very important to keep the embouchure unchanged throughout the exercise - only the internal volume of the mouth should change.

Begin exhaling through the compact opening in the center of the lips, creating a hissing sound as the air passes between the lips. Now start changing the character of the hiss while trying not to change the size of the opening. First, make the hiss as high-pitched as possible, then gradually make it lower and lower, and finally return it to a higher position.

Most likely, to make the hiss higher, you will need to raise the tongue and bring it closer to the opening in the lips. To make the hiss lower, you will need to lower the tongue, move it farther away from the opening, and raise the soft palate, as if yawning or imagining a hot potato in the mouth.

Try to stay aware of what is happening inside your mouth as the pitch of the hiss changes. Whistling exercises can also be very useful here, if you know how to whistle. Even if you cannot whistle properly, simply imitating a whistle and memorizing the internal sensations can be very helpful.

After that, try alternating these hissing or whistling exercises with playing the clarinet. First, hiss or whistle in a very high position, memorize the sensations, and then try to play a note on the clarinet with those same sensations. Next, hiss or whistle in the lowest possible position, memorize the sensations, and again try to play a note using the same feeling. Then try something in between. Experiment in different registers. Find the height of the hiss or whistle that produces the ideal resonance for specific notes on the clarinet.

3. Direction of the airflow

It may seem that the direction of the airflow is not very important, but in reality, where we direct the air depends on the relative positions of the jaw, tongue, and soft palate, and this can be useful for shaping the sound.

Take a cup filled with water and bring it to your lips as if you were about to drink. Instead of taking a sip, form the embouchure and begin exhaling onto the water. Direct the air stream downward, toward the near edge of the cup. Then direct the air toward the far edge of the cup. After that, move the air stream back and forth from the near edge to the far edge.

Next, try playing the clarinet while first directing the air more downward and then more forward. Which do you prefer? In my experience, directing the air slightly downward works better, as if blowing toward the near edge of the cup. Another useful image is to imagine a hot day, you pull the collar of your shirt away from your body and blow downward inside your shirt to cool yourself, without tilting your head.

You can also think of directing the air toward the small gap between the two upper front teeth. This may seem to contradict the idea of blowing downward, but in reality, what we feel as direction is often simply pressure in a certain part of the mouth. The internal shape of the oral cavity then redirects and shapes the airflow as needed, assuming the lower jaw is not pushed forward.

Another interesting idea is to direct the air upward toward the soft palate, inflating it like a sail and allowing the air to circulate and then descend toward the mouthpiece.

Finally, my favorite airflow direction exercise. Place the mouthpiece in your mouth, form the embouchure as if you are about to play, and inhale through the nose. Inhale slowly, as if drawing in a subtle scent. Pay attention to the sensations inside the mouth. Do you feel any expansion? Any coolness in a particular area?

Most likely, somewhere inside the oral cavity, above the nostrils, and just below the bridge of the nose, you will feel a slight expansion or a cool sensation. This is an area toward which you can try directing the exhalation. Next time, inhale through the nose again and direct the exhalation toward the area where you felt the coolness or expansion. As Marcel Tabuteau said: "Never blow into the reed, blow straight into the nose, into the bridge of the nose, feel the pressure behind the nose, the reed will work by itself".

These exercises are challenging. Take your time. It's not guaranteed that every single one will work for you, but I still do them from time to time, and I have periods when I forget about them, but I return to them again and again, discovering something new in the sensations and sound. Experiment with them too.