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My BE story...so far



 
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zentrumpet
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Joined: 06 Jul 2004
Posts: 206
Location: Spokane

PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 9:28 pm    Post subject: My BE story...so far Reply with quote

Since I got involved with BE about 8 or 10 years ago(!), I've come to believe more and more that embouchures are like snowflakes. No two are identical. In my case, I had decades of pressure-based playing to fight through. I clearly remember the day it started. I was a sophomore in a three-year high school. My band director, whom I continue to dearly love, heard me pinching to play a top-line F. He said I was not to try to play the F again until I did it with good tone and no pinching. My solution was to use pressure and blow harder. Worked great. Of course, I didn't realize how I would be limiting myself at the time. But voila, I turned into First-Chair Johnny, we won a national marching band championship and lots of other cool awards, and my range and endurance were more or less locked in. They didn't really improve from my junior year in high school onward.

Years later I developed the dreaded Trumpet Player's Lip. My chops said, "We are tired of you abusing us, so now we're going to turn to cardboard every time you play with pressure." Made it rather difficult to play both 1st and 2nd trumpet parts in the pit in Gypsy. So I knew I had to make a change or learn to play something else. Enter Balanced Embouchure.

What I have really come to appreciate about BE is just what Jeff has said: Doing the exercises...and they ARE only exercises and should be treated as such, a couple of days a week and no more...a given player's embouchure moves to more or less its correct position - for that player - over time. It's muscle-memory that is gradually developed. And it takes time.

It's sure taken me a long time, and the journey isn't finished yet. I'm one of those people that will try it the way I've been told not to, simply to find out why it's wrong to do it that way. I tried to make a direct change, despite having been told it wouldn't work, and surprise surprise...Jeff was right. Oh, and that saying about no pressure, no tone, no tone, no gig? It's true.

Since giving up on that idea and allowing myself to not over-analyze, my endurance is now better than it's ever been, usable register continues to improve, and I can tell my "default" embouchure - the one you fall back on when you absolutely, positively have to play the right notes - is more "balanced" than it ever was.

A couple of the things I discovered along the way: It's imperative to keep yourself playing and performing regularly. But it's wise to not put too much pressure on yourself by playing an exposed, very difficult part (such as principal solo cornet in a British brass band, or lead in a big band). When you have to produce, you fall back on what works, which in my case was pressure. I feel like it may have slowed my progress.

So anyway, that's my BE story. So far.
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Mike
Scodwell Trumpet #118
Yamaha Xeno Cornet
Yamaha YFH6310Z Flugelhorn
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Valerie
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Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 910
Location: Tacoma, WA

PostPosted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 8:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MIKE! Loved reading it. Great testimonial. I just posted about this being my 8th year as well. What I love about BE is it just keeps on giving more & more. It has not ceased to influence my embouchure. It's always progressing & evolving.

I also like what you said about avoiding high pressure situations. I over did it for a while & payed dearly for it. But, thankfully, BE & patience helped me overcome.

Thanks for posting, Mike.

Valerie
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Valerie Wells
www.BEforHorn.blogspot.com
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