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Articulation, upper register



 
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Lionel
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Joined: 25 Jul 2016
Posts: 783

PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 2:23 am    Post subject: Articulation, upper register Reply with quote

I've developed an upper register twice in my life. Initially and back in my mid teens I learned to play a credible if somewhat limited upper register. "Good to High G" albeit lots of arm pressure. Back then I started by slurring almost all of my upper tones. This makes sense because in the beginning of register development the embouchure is both too weak and confused to take on the added challenge of starting a high tone with perfect accuracy. I think that this is why Carmine Caruso emphasized lots of "air attacks".

Well I finally got rid of that limited embouchure a while back. Then started the Stevens method almost exactly eight months ago. OMG! The progress has been stunning! And like in my younger days on that first attempt to learn high tones I initially found accuracy to be elusive. Gradually however it's getting more comfortable to start a higher tone accurately. While only one month ago I struggled to tongue a mere G top of the staff? This week I'm actually tonguing notes much higher.

A lot of this relates not only to finding the best place to position my tongue in my mouth in order to begin a tone. That's certainly part of it. The other part however is helped by my chops switching to a more sub-conscious form of control. Due to patience and practice they're more relaxed too. That and the mouth corners stronger. With more strength in the chops the sharp blast of a tongued attempt to pop a high tone is less likely to distort the sound. And a "distorted tone" or "distorted embouchure" is just another term for "cracked notes".

And this form of practice does require some perseverance. The concept is easy but actually doing the work is not so easy. This kinda "separates the men from the boys". It really is "work" in the purest form of the word. Perhaps only the dedicated will likely proceed past this point. As mentioned, I've been here before. Back when as a skinny teenager I learned my first musical high notes. Albeit on a limited embouchure.

Today thanks to the Stevens system I don't have an annoying cut-off point. On most days I'm able to ascend well above double C. That's why Roy Stevens titled it the "Stevens-Costello Triple C Embouchure Technique". Because it really works! Please believe me. I wouldn't lie to ya.
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