Quick Fix Friday: Head Position

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted a Quick Fix Friday, so I’d thought I’d remedy that with a quick post on proper head position.

You probably know not to slouch, cross your feet, or allow other poor posture habits into your practicing, but when was the last time you checked out your head position?

An alarming number of clarinetists (student and professional) are guilty of dipping their heads towards their chests when they play. This is a no-no because it constricts your air flow, and we all know that bad air = bad sound.

The quick fix? Check your head position in a mirror while you’re practicing to make sure that your chin is parallel to the ground. If you find yourself consistently dipping your chin, make sure that your music stand is raised to eye-level. You can even raise it a bit higher to ensure that your head position doesn’t drop (just make sure that you don’t over-correct the issue!). Make sure that you are bringing the clarinet to you, not the other way around. In addition to restricting air flow, bringing your head forward to the clarinet is a pain in the neck – literally! It creates unnecessary tension and muscle use, so avoid this at all costs.

Happy Friday, and happy practicing!