Getting the upper lip to relax and stay loose

[Lionel]

This is kind of a "Part 2" to that isometric exercise post. In fact most isometric exercise is close to useless if it isnt followed up with a definitive plan to direct these newly strengthened muscles to regulate the flowing air in a manner conducive to upper register production.

But first, I apologize in advance for the length of this post. I sorta got into it, and felt a brainstorm coming on. Then kind of rolled with the current.

Like if you just ball up your lips in a tight compressed pucker hey guess what? Nothing will come out the end of your horn. Okay maybe a hiss but if the air cant pass through? No sound of value can possibly result. You have "blocked the sound".

So clearly the sheer development of brute strength in the facial/embouchure muscles is of little help in and of itself. So before we go ahead and blindly increase the strength of our facial muscles it would probably be a good idea to define the reason why we've chosen to strengthen them.

Like lets start with an analogy or comparison. Most of us have at one time or another have picked up a guitar or other stringed instrument and begun to pluck the thing. The first thing you noticed was probably,

"Hey these strings sure are hard to depress firmly"

And maybe your guitar teacher gave you one of those sissor-like hand strengtheners. The one with a spring in the middle to give the device lots of push-back. Regardless we easily understood the reason our teacher advised the strengthening of our fret bound hand: make our hand stronger so that it could easily carry the load created by pressing the strings down over the fretboard. Okay fine, we get it but what function are we trumpet players trying to improve by using the pencil exercise for facial muscle development? Or in the case presented in the other topic the pencil exercise taken to the extreme by taping two pencils together end to end?

The first obvious answer is that we're increasing our endurance. This is being accomplished two ways and probably more. By strengthening our lip and facial muscles they will not tire so quickly. Thus both our performance is improved as well as the likelihood that our upper register will become more musical. Because obviously if our endurance is increased we'll have the ability to spend longer hours practicing and performing in the upper register. Practice ='s Improvement.

Even more practice? ='s even more improvement.

Pretty easy to understand. We'll call this increased endurance part "A" of how stronger chops facillitate upper register development. However this isnt the only way in which an isometric exercise helps is it? Correct! Because the strengthening of our facial/embouchure muscles does more than just increase our endurance. A lot more. It can,

B. Increase the strength in that area(s) where improved muscle contraction increases the upper lip's ability to sustain a higher pitch. While I don't like to use the term "pinching" it probably is applicable here. A stronger set of chops increases the "pinching power" in the specific area where the chops require additional muscular compression necessary to increase the pitch. Or being able to channel a higher airstream pressure into higher pitches. And,

C. Stronger chops require less arm pressure to sustain high notes. And here in letter C is what I consider one of the most valuable pieces of information which a trumpet player can possibly utilize. Granted I have a couple more ideas probably of equal value. Just ask me sometime. But this one in "C" is a real lightbulb going off. Because if we know that developing stronger chops can reduce arm pressure?

Then it follows that the best way to use our recently improved muscular strength in our chops is to PRACTICE HIGH NOTES WITH MINIMAL ARM PRESSURE! This last line takes the place of maybe 45 minutes worth of theory as to "what muscles should we use to play high notes And what muscles should we not employ to blow high notes.

Enter Roy Stevens Palm Practice exercise.

Roy's palm practice technique is one of the reasons why I don't go as hard on him as some other critics do. Granted some of their criticism is valid. As the Stevens system taken exactly as Roy or his mentor William Costello designed it really didnt work except for a fortunate few. Never-the-less the Palm Exercise is great. If you want more usable range? Start practicing with the horn's valve casing on your palm today. Careful however,

This is not a warm up and can be very demanding on your chops. Dont practice this every day. And especially not on the day of a concert. Else you'll be cooked.

"Stick a fork in Lionel, he's cooked'

Yet a conscientiously applied practice regimen of both the double pencil and the Palm practice method ought to result in the fastest increase in range. Perhaps only a positive mouthpiece change can produce such similar improvement. And yet mouthpiece changes while sometimes crucial to improvement tend to "plateau out". Meaning that the improvement gained through a positive mouthpiece change has a maximum yield in range development.

Conversely the continued improvement created by isometric exercise coupled with the Palm practice method may actually have no limitations in improvement. It could be infinite! Granted I absolutely love my newest mouthpiece. I carved it out myself two years ago to the day almost. However since starting both the Palm practice method and the double pencil?

I have consistently increased improvement in my high range practically every month since I started sincerely incorporated the routines into my practice. It took me practically a year to be able to hold the double pencil a full minute. And yet as I passed the first whole minute? I noticed that I could blow above the high G with near zero arm pressure! And now with the double pencil holding between 1:45 to 2:00 minutes?

The double C is coming out WITH JUST THE HORN VALVE CASING RESTING ONLY ON MY LEFT PALM!!!

For me this is the achievement of a lifetime. I no longer look at the trumpet with inner trepidation. I have a much renewed optimism. Have found out WHAT WORKS FOR ME. That and I think more than a few of the rest of us who've achieved only mediocre or moderate results from various systems.

And what Ive put down today above isnt complete. Ive got other ideas. Stuff that may help you and others. And then again I realize that not everything which works for me can help the next guy. Like some trumpet players must blow on dry lips or they have no control at all. Louis Armstrong was one of these cats. The reason he carried the hankerchief on stage constantly. So as to dry his chops. And Louis had one of the most effortless tone productions of any trumpet player I know of. His horn was a perfect extension of his singing voice.

More later! I realize that I still havent answered Mr K's question about "how to relax the upper lip" but I intend to. BRB

Oh and as Columbo always said,

"Just one more thing",

The reduction in arm pressure reduces the resistance of the air through the embouchure and mouthpiece. In turn this reduces the sometimes extreme air pressure necessary in the body to blow high G's and above. This is a welcome change. As excessively pressed lips are less accurate at blowing pitches. The more loose one cam keep his chops? The easier it is to accurately blow upper register phrases.
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"Check me if I'm wrong Sandy but if I kill all the golfers they're gonna lock me up & throw away the key"!

Carl Spackler (aka Bill Murray, 1980).