adjusting

Asian Man · Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 3:31 pm Post subject:

how long does it take me to adjust to the BE embouchure from my normal, "natural" one? How long until it takes affect in my playing ability?

mcamilleri · Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 4:38 pm Post subject:

Hard to say, as it is different for everyone. If you have an embouchure problem that BE happens to solve quickly, then progress can be very rapid. If your embouchure was generally messed up in a whole lotta ways, like mine was, progress will likely be slower, as there are more bad habits and pyschological hangups to get rid of.

I would say the average player would start to notice minor improvements in normal playing after a few weeks, notice a real change in feel in their normal playing after a few months, and make a 'transition' to a significantly more 'balanced embouchure' in from 6 months to 1 year, with little or no disruption or 'down-time' from normal playing. This is still only the beginning, and great improvements will still be made after this time.

I have made more progress in the last 2 years on BE than I made in the previous 10 years.

Michael
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barryj1 · Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 7:13 am Post subject:

Patience is essential when approaching the BE. I saw no appreciable improvements in my playing for several months. The changes to the embouchure are frequently so subtle and gradual that you may be totally unaware anything has changed until one day you reach for the horn and notice how much better your playing sound.

This is another way of stating that the process is gradual/cumulative. There may be no
sudden, miraculous breakthrough but, rather, a series of incremental adjustments (i.e. the tone is noticeably denser & richer, notes slot better, the extreme upper register emerges with minimal effort, etc.). It’s no big deal. You practice the roll in/roll out patterns, follow Jeff’s directions and the rest takes care of itself.

Good luck!

Barry