Question for the experienced and successful pedal tone user.

[Lionel]

Have you or anyone you know, including peers and students displayed this condition:

The need to play pedals in a warm up or between phrases in order just to achieve acceptable results?

If so to what length was this necessary? In other words did you or your friend need to blow pedals before playing:

1. In the upper register?
2. To obtain a clear tone in any register?
3. To obtain accuracy in any register?
4. All or some of the above and any I may not have mentioned?

Am posting this on the B/E forum because pedals seem to be an integral part of the process. I'd especially appreciate Jeff's thoughts in the subject.

I remember that during my mid to late teens I would often require pedals to get a more open and full tone. Being young and full of vinegar I was clearly playing more high notes than was good for my overall playing at the time. I had a very good teacher back then who diagnosed my condition properly. He and later my college prof set me on the straight and narrow by directing me to spend more time in my middle and lower registers. While these fine men didn't use the term I was definitely putting my chops into an "overtrained" condition.

The interesting thing was that by playing pedals I could quickly get my chops to produce a clear tone. Instead of the thin, strident sound due to stiff and swollen chops. Unfortunately I would often use this strategy of playing pedals to temporarily revive a swollen/stiff set of chops to play even more high notes. Abusing an already overworked embouchure. As the amount of live concerts grew in my schedule I eventually grew out of this phase in my life. It made no sense to overdo it. Especially when my weekly paycheck required a consistent level of decent playing.

Now we get to my current situation:

After losing an incisor back in 2018 I began playing on a more forward jaw setting. Instead of my former once reliable receded jaw chops which had gone to hell after the tooth broke. Later I started including pedals into my daily routine on this radically new embouchure. My new chop setting being quite different from my old? It took about a year before I could use the new setting in concerts. I'm mostly an amateur player these days but music is just as important as ever. By the middle of just this past summer I had reached the apex of my development. Since then I've been going straight downhill.

Dann! The more I play? The worse it seems to get. In fact I started going back to my old way even though it once heavily relied on the now missing tooth. Undaunted I've continued working out the kinks in my new forward jaw setting too. However it often takes a full half hour of pedal tone warm ups to be able to ascend close to a High C. Previously I was able to pop some outstanding notes well above Double C (DHC for short). Granted I still had some endurance issues, but it surely seemed like great things were headed my way.

It can't simply be overtrained chops like when I was a kid. Instead I'm thinking that as my muscles developed control and strength on my new embouchure they started to get on the way of the fleshy muscles which vibrate. In turn these now stronger muscles need to relax more. Thus the progress made by playing pedals.

I admit to being a little frustrated. Things had been going so nicely. Then they turned to crap. First I couldn't hit DHC even after a long warm up. Next? Couldn't play a high F. Shortly followed by inability to play High C. Still later no G top of the staff. Lastly? No tuning note.

At first I considered my problem was just caused by overtrained chops and took several days off. This didn't fully help. I was still missing a considerable amount of register. That's when I started going back to longer pedal tone warm ups. This helps but I'm still missing over a third of the register I had just last spring. Undaunted I press on. My conclusion is that this apparent stymie simply requires more embouchure knowledge. In fact by lowering my recently raised horn angle a few degrees it has helped. Although this does tend to make my tone a little coarser I just consider this something that'll get fixed in time like everything else.

I admit to feeling non-plussed about this whole condition. After all I had been able to literally "sit" on DHC and above. Is it possible that the muscles which govern the vibration actually develop through progress? .We know that they get stronger. It is my belief that my chops need to grow in vibrancy.

Reasoned replies sought. Thank you.
_________________
"Check me if I'm wrong Sandy but if I kill all the golfers they're gonna lock me up & throw away the key"!

Carl Spackler (aka Bill Murray, 1980).

[Lionel]

As often happens, just by stating the question I ended up answering myself.

Conclusion: My chop problems are just part of the process. Only just a few minutes ago most of my former register returned. I got a high F anyway. At this point? Heck I'd have taken just a high C. Played both F's twice and each time at the end of a two octave run. This was a very good practice session. I learned much. It's gonna take some time. To get things both coordinated and RELAXED too.

Too bad we haven't gotten any responses but maybe they'll happen later. And my O/P was kinda long. I have trouble keeping things succinct. Best to all!
_________________
"Check me if I'm wrong Sandy but if I kill all the golfers they're gonna lock me up & throw away the key"!

Carl Spackler (aka Bill Murray, 1980).