Advice for improvement over the summer. (emborchure).

[Kurick]

Hello all. I was hoping you guy's can help me. Am leaving for camp for 9 weeks in about 3 day's and was wondering how to go about practicing and scheduling my practicing session. Also are there any tips out there to help me improve in 2 areas that I have a great deal of trouble. To start I have a real good sound and range but over all I have no flexibility. When I do slurs it's like my entire tongue moves and makes me look like a frog. I also have an incredible bad happy of smiling when doing slurs and slurs only. I try the pucker but what that does is make my sound stuffy and make me even more in-flexible.

Personally I think it has to do with the fact that my tongue wants to act like my fourth vavle and instead of speeding up the air i just do it with my tongue. I could be wrong any insight would be welcomed.

Also when going higher and higher I find that my chin seem to point down more and more...is that normal and if not how can I start fixing it.

One other big area I really want to improve in is my response. Although I think my sound is good it could be more focused and rounded and I think it's due to my lips not vibrating engouh.

Over all I feel over tight especially getting that choked up feeling with the air. The fact is that I don't know how to use the muscle in my face correctly. I try but I think am forcing it. How can I get natural results to happen. I have nine weeks and I want to get real good by then.

You guy's can email me also if you don't get what am saying at Almaric123@aol.com

Thanks all

John

[Quadruple C]

[ This Message was edited by: Quadruple C on 2003-12-19 14:34 ]

[Emb_Enh]

Buy the Cichowicz flow studies from http://www.tulsaband.com and do the exercises at the beginning mp and keep the airflow 'up'.
Then proceed after a rest to the etudes and play them in 2,4& 8 bar measures tongued/slurred/legato tongued and don't accept anything with a poor unclear tone quality.

That should take care of your summer schedule...
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"E M B O U C H U R E___E N H A N C E M E N T"
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[Self Analysis and Diagnostic Trumpet Method]

[_Don Herman]

The smile while slur thing, plus chin pointing down when ascending, worry me that you're using pressure rather than air and chops. This would also thin out your sound, and I seem to notice a tendency for the tongue to arch higher for "smile" types than "pucker" types (very generally speaking). That is, those who smile tend to push the tongue up in their mouth (to speed the airflow, since they're usually not using enough) while the pucker players tend to flatten the tongue more. I believe (i.e., my guess is) that the muscle motions (cheeks, lips, etc.) for the pucker tend to make us want to flatten the tongue and blow harder; the smile does the opposite.

Even if I'm correct (no assurances there!), knowing a problem doesn't always lead to a solution. I'm leery of too much internet advice when a physical problem may be there -- too easy to go wrong on this one. I think you need a distraction to help rebuild your muscle memory to help you get over the hump. I'd really advise seeing a good teacher; that's likely the way to make by far the most progress this summer. Secondly, get Jeff Smiley's Balanced Embouchure book and Matt Grave's Fundamental Flexibilities. Read the text! Then focus on the exercises. I think these two books will provide a wealth of advice and solid exercises to help you get on track. Add some music to the practice mix (at least a little everyday, and focus on sound not chops for this part of your practice) and you should be set.

IMHO, usual disclaimers -- and then some! -- Don
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Don Herman/Monument, CO
"After silence, that which best expresses the inexpressible, is music." - Aldous Huxley

[ This Message was edited by: Don Herman on 2002-06-18 15:12 ]