Opening Throat and Building Muscle

[rbel]

First post on this forum after lurking for a bit. Glad to finally post!
Anyways, I have two main questions.

What are these players doing with their throat and how does it help? (Links for videos below)
What is a good way to build embouchure muscles?

For the first question, these are some high note players that are all notorious for range and endurance, and they all seem to be doing the same thing with their neck, where it looks like they are opening up the throat. Is this right, and if so how could you train yourself to do it?

Bill Chase

Link


Maynard Ferguson

Link

(1:46 in the video)

For the second question, I believe that building range is a hard thing to do, as it involved strengthening the muscles of the embouchure. What is an effective way to do this? As for my range, I can hit a concert Bb above the staff pretty comfortably.

[JayKosta]

I don't have any answers about extending your high range, but the typical advice from those players who can play 'high' seems to boil down to TWO main strategies (and I'd certainly like to hear about other methods).

1) Pay attention to what you are doing NOW as you go up the range, and teach/train yourself to do more and better of the same.

2) There are physical & mechanical adaptations that are needed - and there is no 'one clear way' - it all depends on the player finding what works. And of course doing the necessary practice and training.

Jay
_________________
Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.

[LSOfanboy]

[rbel]

[Trumpetingbynurture]

It's just the air way expanding in response to the air. On some people it's just more obvious. Some players also have neck hernias and there is bulging that happens from that. Wayne Bergeron developed one as a teenager.

Not something to emulate...

[rbel]

[rbel]

[HERMOKIWI]