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Changing notes



 
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PastoralTrumpet
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Joined: 24 Nov 2006
Posts: 14
Location: OH

PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 5:54 pm    Post subject: Changing notes Reply with quote

Sorry for the vague subject heading; I don't know how to address this. I have Roy Poper's book, and in it he makes a comment in passing that the lips are tighter for the upper notes and looser for the lower ones (pg. 12).
I guess my question is: do you guys think about consciously tightening/loosening the lips while doing the exercises, or are you just aware of it going on? It seems like Stamp wanted to train the body to react a certain efficient way when playing the trumpet, and I wondered how he would address this issue.
As a corallary question, I was also wondering if the proper movement is trained in the buzzing exercises (since we don't get to use the mouthpiece to mash our chops into the right place), and then on the instrument the focus became strictly on air movement/sound.
Janet, I would appreciate your input especially, as your answers have been very helpful on this forum.
Thanks!
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aceswildtru
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Joined: 07 Mar 2006
Posts: 655
Location: Bluffton, Ohio

PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 6:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hate the word "tight" being used anywhere as it applies to music. I personally favor "firm," but I don't really think about my embouchure changing other than the aperture getting bigger or smaller...that's just me. It will be interesting to read responses!

-Travis
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Nothing special: Bach 3C + Bach Strad
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swthiel
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Joined: 02 Apr 2005
Posts: 3967
Location: Cincinnati, OH

PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 6:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I honestly don't think about the condition of my musculature when I do these exercises unless my teacher points something out to me that I need to attend to. I mainly focus on how I sound, on how the changes in pitch sound, and on continuity of sound and feel. When I'm doing these the way I think I should, I tend to get lost in the sound ... almost a meditative state.

The full quote is
Roy Poper wrote:
This is the secret of how pedal tones are supposed to help the high register. The support should be the same from low to high -- only the tension in the center of the lip should change: tighter for higher, looser for lower.
I think this has more to do with the idea that the pitch is controlled by the state of the lips, not by the state of the rest of your face, so a high C and a pedal C are quite similar in how they're played ... except for your lips.

A while back I posted something in the Fundamentals forum about needing to relax in the lower register. Someone (mcgovnor?) suggested that my problem was that I actually too relaxed. In fact, my problem was that I was too tense in my lips, while I wasn't firm enough in other parts of my embouchure -- as I've been figuring out how to get my lips more relaxed, I needed to add firmness in other parts of my embouchure. I think this is kinda sorta what Poper had in mind.

I know ... that's a lot of analysis for a guy who says he doesn't think about his musculature a lot.

I'll look forward to reading comments from those who actually know what they're talking about!
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janet842
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Joined: 04 Aug 2005
Posts: 570
Location: Denver metro area

PostPosted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry, I don't know quite how I missed this one. (A PM will get my attention when you see I haven't responded to a post.)

I do think swthiel is correct when he wrote:

swthiel wrote:
A while back I posted something in the Fundamentals forum about needing to relax in the lower register. Someone (mcgovnor?) suggested that my problem was that I actually too relaxed. In fact, my problem was that I was too tense in my lips, while I wasn't firm enough in other parts of my embouchure -- as I've been figuring out how to get my lips more relaxed, I needed to add firmness in other parts of my embouchure. I think this is kinda sorta what Poper had in mind.


Sometimes the students that you are teaching determine the choice of words that you use to explain concepts. Four students can often mean that you have to come up with four different ways of describing the same thing. Tight - high tension, faster buzz, don't relax the chops? Loose - low tension, slower buzz, relaxed chops? It all comes down to semantics and which particular words strike a chord with the person hearing them. Sometimes all any of us can offer is a different set of word choices.

Maybe someone should develop a Thesaurus specifically for trumpet players!


Janet
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