“Resting” face

[trpt2honk]

I’m a fan of Tine Thing Helseth for many reasons. Number one….she’s VERY attractive. Number two….she is a cancer overcomer like me.

The main reason I’m writing is because she makes it look so effortless. Is there another player out there who has a more still, non moving “static” embouchure than she does?

Is is a waste of time to try to emulate her “non movement” or should I just give up and flop around as I usually do.

Mike
_________________
Mike Berry
Columbia, SC
trpt2honk@gmail.com

[Halflip]

Keep studying her embouchure and technique and you'll stop flopping around in no time.
_________________
"He that plays the King shall be welcome . . . " (Hamlet Act II, Scene 2, Line 1416)

"He had no concept of the instrument. He was blowing into it." -- Virgil Starkwell's cello teacher in "Take the Money and Run"

[deanoaks]

It comes down to your instrument/mouthpiece combo and your physiology. Generally I think that people with overbites need to either anchor a bit with their lower jaw to create a flat surface or submit to a small amount of movement, whichever creates the least amount of tension.

Personally, I have brute forced myself and my overbite into not pivoting or moving really at all (with the exception of low F#-C where I every so slightly angle the horn up). Generally, the less movement you can incorporate the better. I think Alison Balsom is a great example of somebody who uses pivot to their benefit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b24w_ykmwD4&t=414s (skip to about 2:35)
Phil Smith as well also had a very pronounced but atypical pivot (he went diagonally rather than up to down which was interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEFjjGUXKxM about 1:10 here)

But even with these players that pivot and are playing at the highest level, the movement is not exceptionally pronounced, aiming for stillingness but allowing the air to lead the chops. Compared to somebody like Wynton, who I believe to have one of 'the' textbook embouchure, especially in his younger days (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpFaWJQHwbA skip to 11 minutes in).

TL;DR - Movement isn't bad so long as it's a result of leading with the air. Which will typically result in either no movement or just enough to get notes where they need to be.

[oxleyk]

There are videos of Allison Balsom and it looks like she is simply holding the mouthpiece to her lips. She makes it look so easy.

Kent

[Robert P]

[Gottfried Reiche]

[Steve A]

I agree that Tine Thing Helseth is a great example of efficient playing. I also agree that I wish we would collectively talk about female artists as artists rather than eye-candy.

[Just_Another_Hack]

[GizB]

I saw Tower of Power last week in Charlottesville VA. Absolutely killing. Adolfo Acosta and Mike Bogart are paragons of stasis. I was struck by this seeing them earlier this year, so I took binox this time. Only when Iron Mike took a solo into the doubles did I see any sign of effort, and it was still minimal compared to the output. Otherwise I couldn't detect any facial tension in either player. I would guess that Mike's rock-solid stance is due, at least in part, to his military training. That stance is a good mental image for me to emulate to help reduce unnecessary movement and tension.

Both these guys are models of efficiency, and they just play great!

[Bill_Bumps]