An Embouchure Aid for Wind Musicians
(2023)
author(s): Giuseppe Sapienza
published in: KC Research Portal
Name: Giuseppe Sapienza
Main Subject: Classical Clarinet
Research Supervisor: Wouter Verschuren
Title of the Research: An Embouchure Aid for Wind Musicians
Research Question: Assessing whether playing a wind instrument can change tooth position and investigate the effectiveness of an embouchure support device to provide dental support.
This study was inspired by the author's personal experience of discomfort and pain while playing the clarinet and aims to investigate the potential relationship between dental health and clarinet playing, specifically the impact of the mouthpiece on tooth position and stability.
A literature review of previous studies on the connection between wind instruments and tooth movement was conducted. The author collaborated with two professional dentists to develop an embouchure support device called PlayAid. The device was prototyped and tested by the author with a positive outcome.
The study found a correlation between playing the clarinet and an increased risk of dental problems, including tooth mobility, erosion, and discomfort. The upper incisors were the most commonly affected teeth. The literature review showed that playing wind instruments can cause changes in tooth position, specifically an increase in overjet.
Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that an embouchure support device, like PlayAid, can effectively provide dental support for players with dental problems but also for those who exclusively seek better embouchure comfort and sound quality.
The chosen format of a presentation will be a public exposition of the results of the research with a live demonstration of PlayAid.
Chapter of my thesis: musical analysis of the piece
(last edited: 2025)
author(s): Juan David Vélez
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
The text discusses how traditional Colombian music has mainly been interpreted by typical instruments, such as drums and guitars, but also incorporates non-traditional instruments, like the saxophone, opening new possibilities for the diffusion of these rhythms. The saxophone, a relatively new instrument in academic music and outside traditional Colombian music, has been adapted to perform native rhythms like fandango, cumbia, and chandé. Suite for Solo Saxophone by Colombian composer Herman Fernando Carvajal is an example of this adaptation, blending traditional melodies with extended saxophone techniques. This study aims to present this work and generate interest among non-Colombian musicians on how to interpret these rhythms through the saxophone, highlighting its role in Colombian traditional music and its ability to expand the expressive possibilities of the instrument.