squeeze the notes or are chops open?

[w00005414]

I feel like I am so close! I definitely have my corners unlocked but I seemed to be going back and forth between these 2 embouchures.

1. The top lip is rolled into the mouthpiece with the aperture fairly low in the cup and the lips are rolled in against each other. I am not using any excess force to make the lips meet. With this position I can play very clean in the staff. As I get to the top of the staff and higher I need to bring my corners outward slightly to keep the lips meeting together in the center (maybe the corners go outward and upward). With this approach I struggle a little bit above the staff and I can't play that loud up high.

2. In this 2nd position the top lip is also rolled into the cup but there is a space between the top and bottom lip. I feel like the lips are a lot more relaxed. In the staff I battle with accuracy but at and above the staff I can play high and I can play loud if need be. Below the staff I really need to drop the jaw and my accuracy is pretty crappy. After a few days of playing this way the air seems to over take the top lip when playing above the staff and I have to resort to tightening my corners to keep the center of the chops in place.

Any suggestions?
_________________
Brian Gibson

http://arbansonline.com

[trumpetteacher1]

TOL and lip slurs are the primary methods for stabilizing and merging variations in lip position.

[w00005414]