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Airstream question



 
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Proteus
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Joined: 23 Sep 2010
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Location: Ottawa, Canada

PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 5:57 am    Post subject: Airstream question Reply with quote

I used to believe that the direction of the airstream relative to the mouthpiece throat really didn't matter all that much, since the air had to exit through that little hole anyway no matter the direction from which it entered.

Then I lowered the angle of my horn slightly, thereby changing the entry direction of the airstream entering the mouthpiece...and wow, what a difference in my playing!

So is this just me, or this something that is generally accepted as being Really Important? It was never ever mentioned in years of university lessons (a long time ago).

Thanks.
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TKSop
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Joined: 23 Feb 2014
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 6:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi - just to preface my comments here: I'm not an expert in Reinhardt's pedagogy and understanding of brass playing mechanics... But I find that Reinhardt's beliefs tend to correlate with my own and taking his points on board has helped at times... So if Rich or any of the other experts disagree with me then no contest, they know this stuff better than me.


Anyway.

It's my understanding that airstream direction refers to the direction the air travels leaving the lips - upwards towards the nose is upstream, downwards towards the chin is downstream.
Neither is right or wrong as long as it's:
a) consistently the same (no switching between the two whilst playing, changing ranges etc).
b) correct for you - this is something to work through with a teacher with experience of this stuff.


Changing the angle could change a series of things - the balance of where mouthpiece pressure/weight sits on the lips for instance (ie: are the lips taking fair shares of the weight, or is one burdened with almost all of the weight while the other floats free?)... Or perhaps the horn angle relative to chops has barely changed but you were trying to force it horizontal with the angle you held your head, which could create tension in the neck/throat - small changes might make relatively little difference but too much could be problematic IME.
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BeboppinFool
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Joined: 28 Dec 2001
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 9:02 pm    Post subject: Re: Airstream question Reply with quote

Proteus wrote:
I used to believe that the direction of the airstream relative to the mouthpiece throat really didn't matter all that much, since the air had to exit through that little hole anyway no matter the direction from which it entered.

Then I lowered the angle of my horn slightly, thereby changing the entry direction of the airstream entering the mouthpiece...and wow, what a difference in my playing!

So is this just me, or this something that is generally accepted as being Really Important? It was never ever mentioned in years of university lessons (a long time ago).

Thanks.

It is the amount of upper lip (or lower lip) that predominates into the mouthpiece cup that determines the direction of the airstream.

It would be hard to imagine that merely changing the angle of the instrument slightly downward could change the direction of the airstream, as that is determined by how the lips function, not by the angle of the horn.

Playing through a transparent mouthpiece is the surest way to check which way your airstream is entering the cup of the mouthpiece.

What seems more likely in this case is similar to what happened to Doc himself . . . when he got his horn back without the weight on the slide (making his trombone front-heavy), his bottom lip was rolled in a little more than usual and it allowed his straight Type III embouchure to be set free to do what it had always wanted to do. He had been taught to hold his horn angle up higher, and for a straight III that may not always be the best thing for your embouchure.

It is possible that you have discovered that you are really a straight Type III and you have finally found your legs and your bottom lip has finally begun to roll in the correct amount for your particular embouchure type.

Or, you could be a IIIB who was taught (via marching band or something) to hold your angle too high for your chops to function correctly, and now you are re-learning a way to play that allows your embouchure to perform the way it ought to.

The possibilities are many, and you would do well to find a Reinhardt-oriented teacher who can help you determine the best course of action to continue to make progress.
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