How Far Should You Put the Mouthpiece in Your Mouth?

How Deep Should the Mouthpiece Go

Reference Numbers

• About 1/3 of the mouthpiece
• Upper teeth ~1.27cm from the tip

These are starting points. Mouth size, lip thickness, and tooth alignment all affect your ideal position.

Finding Your Sweet Spot

Two-way testing:

1. Shallow to deep: Start with less mouthpiece, gradually take more. Blow and listen each time.
2. Deep to shallow: Start with more, gradually reduce.

Test both directions until you find the sound with both warm woodwind richness AND bright metallic clarity.

Effect of Depth

| Position | Sound | |----------|-------| | Too deep | Muffled, tight, pitch rises | | Too shallow | Airy, wobbly, leaks air | | Sweet spot | Warm + bright combined |

Mirror Practice

The mirror tells you three things: Is your mouth shape right? Is your lower lip truly covering teeth? Are your cheeks puffed?