Pencil Excercise

bachstrad · Veteran Member Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 194

I have only done the pencil exercise 2 or 3 times and am probably doing it wrong, but i have suffered only negative results from it. I usually help a full pencil for 1-2 minutes but the next day i would regularly feel a drop in tone quality and flexibility. Has anyone else had this happen? Or am i just really crappy at doing this exercise?

fuzzyjon79 · Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 12:03 am Post subject:

Well, I have heard both good things and bad things about it.... 1-2 minutes sounds kinda long to me. I usually do it maybe 3-4 times a day, but only for 30 seconds at a time and it doesn't seem to bother me, but if your tone starts to suffer, I would stop doing it. Also I wouldn't do it everyday. Anybody else have any input? I would like to know how some of you guys feel about this. Thanks!

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J. Fowler
"It takes a big ole' sack of flour, to make a big ole' pan of biscuits!"

INTJ · Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 6:42 am Post subject:

Don't over do the exercise or you WILL become stiff. I have a weak embochure, and Pops has me doing the pencil exercise twice a day for as long as I can. Right now that's about 1:20. This exercise has made huge diffeence in my endurance.

Blaine

musiclifeline · Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 12:56 pm Post subject:

I'm at about the 1:20 mark too... never really thought I had a weak embouchure either, but apparently that's the case. One thing I do to keep loose is lip bends...

INTJ · Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 3:37 pm Post subject:

My embochure was weak before I started the pencil exercise--I could barely do 1/2 a pencil for 30 sec. I don't know at what point an embochure is no longer considered weak, but I still consider mine weak. Not so much for the time on the pencil, but with how quickly I tire when playing in the upper range, even when i am usuing good air flow.

Blaine

trumpetjunkie · Heavyweight Member Joined: 07 Jan 2003 Posts: 622

Are your lips like a fishmouth over the pencil? That's how I've learned how to do it and with the help of some suction I can do it for as long as I want...Am I doing it correctly?

trpt-master · Veteran Member Joined: 02 Apr 2003 Posts: 352

Sounds like Par for the Course to me. Think about it people.

In Peace,

TM

Williams · Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 7:35 pm Post subject:

With any isometric exercise it's important to remember that you are dealing with muscles...the same as the ones in the rest of your body. If you start lifting weights at the gym, you don't immediately try to lift 300 lbs...you take it slow and over time you begin to develope.

I would say that 30 sec. once or twice a day is plenty if you havn't done the exercise before, or have taken a break from it for a while. If you havn't really done anything like this before, you might even want to do it every other day. Just pay attention to your body and if it hurts a lot...stop before you do any damage. There is no award for holding the pencil the longest. This is only a means to an end...be a great musician.

Also, while many people think that the "Chop-sticks" are just a waste of money...i'm one person who will support their use and have had great improvment by using them. The pencil is still great though...it's all up to the individual.
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INTJ · Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 7:42 pm Post subject:

trumpetjunkie,

No, not a fish mouth. I wind up setting the eraser against my top teeth then "pursing" my lips against it. My corners tighten and my lower lip muscles push up. I get a definite "burn" when I am nearing the end of my time. Time for this exercise ends when the pencil falls from horizontal to slightly above horizontal. You just can't hold it up anymore and cannot stop it's descent.

Blaine

musiclifeline · Posted: Fri May 09, 2003 6:46 am Post subject:

I think I read in one of Pops' posts that you're not supposed to set it against your teeth... not totally sure. And I think you mean "...from horizontal to slightly *below* horizontal..." (unless you're doing the exercise upside down! LOL)

Can anyone set the teeth issue straight? Orthodontists?

trumpetjunkie · Heavyweight Member Joined: 07 Jan 2003 Posts: 622

Ok wow, I did it that way and didn't last a 30 seconds. Sweet!

INTJ · Posted: Fri May 09, 2003 3:24 pm Post subject:

Pops said not to hold it between your teeth. I simply have the erarse against my teeth so I have a consistent "grip" point. Actually, you should be able to hold it up at about a 30 degree angle at first. This was hard for me to visualize. I didn't really get it right till my first lesson with Pops.

Blaine

LeeC · Heavyweight Member Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Posts: 5730

These pencil drills are very strenous, but they really work. Now don't try and do these exercises just before a major concert or even a rehearsal! You'll be finished...

If I'm really doing them on a progressive basis ie, a little more each day, these drills will sometimes affect my playing a bit. This is because the exercises really "work" the chops. After an exceptionally heavy session on the pencil drill I'm not surprised to I find that I've lost a liitle volume in the upper register. The condition is only temporary. It takes time for the chops to recover. When the chops do snap back they are stronger than ever. And how!

On one of my two embouchures the results of continued, progressive pencil drills is nearly amazing. I can now play the high G with the horn sitting on the palm of my hand. I''ve always been able to hit that note, but not without jamming it. Until now that is.

Lee

Gillestar1 · Veteran Member Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Posts: 344

I only do the pencil exercise maybe twice a week....overdoing it will reduce your lip flexibility....at least that is what I have been told....any thoughts?
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SMILE!! It takes only 17 muscles to smile...43 muscles to frown. Conserve energy.

)

Kurt

INTJ · Posted: Sat May 10, 2003 11:09 am Post subject:

Pops has me doing it twice a day. After I get to about 2 minutes, I think he;s going to have me cut back to once a day. This info is somewhere in his books.

Blaine

kehaulani · Posted: Mon May 12, 2003 12:40 pm Post subject:

Here's a description I saved some time back:

file:///C:/Eigene%20Dateien/music%20general/trumpet/stevens%20embouchure/the%20pencil%20exercise.htm

Anybody want to comment?

Gillestar1 · Veteran Member Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Posts: 344

Well....when I say I do it twice a week....I do it as many times as I can for about 15 mins each time....then I am shot! That may be 8-9 times.....and it definitely hurts (burns) near the end. I have no idea if this is the best way to do them.....

)
_________________
SMILE!! It takes only 17 muscles to smile...43 muscles to frown. Conserve energy.

)

Kurt

INTJ · Posted: Mon May 12, 2003 7:25 pm Post subject:

I only know what Pops told me, and that is 2X a day until I can do it two minutes at a time, then once a day after that.

Blaine

Mattk0 · Posted: Wed May 21, 2003 11:52 am Post subject:

I'll comment on the description.....I can't get it...

rlspitzer · Posted: Wed May 21, 2003 4:04 pm Post subject:

How you use the pencil excersice really depends on what you want to get out of it. I've been approaching it like weight training. If sheer range is the name of the game, do the pencil excersice for as long as you can a couple of times a day. If you want to encrease you endurance, do it for shorter periods but more reps. I've been doing the excercise between 3-4 times a day at 1 minute intervals. My useable range has gone from A below High C to D above High C and I can get up to G about High C in practice. I've been coupling this with carying around a mouthpiece in the car for buzzing on to keep my flexibility up.