Balance Versus Coordination Versus Muscularity?

[fuzzyjon79]

I wanted to start a thread that deals with Balance, Coordination, and Muscularity in regards to embouchure development, so here goes. I am curious to see other people’s input on the above three topics. Do they all three work together for a proper embouchure, or do you take a couple and leave one or the other out? I have recently started doing Caruso (for the past 5 weeks) and I feel as though my embouchure has really come into focus, but in the beginning it felt muscular at times. What is your take on a muscular embouchure? Balance? Coordination? I know that some people say that the embouchure should NOT be muscular, but should be balanced and coordinated to play with maximum efficiency, but from reading several posts I see that some people are concentrating on a muscular embouchure by doing the pencil exercise or walking around with their corners clamped shut in order to build the corners to be able to play high or play with maximum efficiency. Is there another benefit to the pencil exercise other than building the corners (muscularity)? Is building your corners considered a muscular callisthenic exercise or is there another purpose? Should there be a degree of muscularity? Do lip slurs such as the Iron’s book help balance and coordinate the muscles to move on time like the Caruso exercises? I have been practicing lip slurs with a metronome recently and have noticed that it helps to train my chops to move at the proper time. I used to do them just to try and build “chops”, but have just recently started this metronome practice with the lip slurs and have gotten better results. I have also noticed that Patrick Hession uses something called the Facial Flex Ultra, which is a Facial Exerciser. Is there a benefit to this? I intend no flames; I just want to hear other people’s input as to their view on embouchure development and maintenance. I realize that there are different strokes for different folks, but I am just looking for input from other players especially professionals who play everyday. I guess what I am really asking is your definition of Balance, Coordination, and Muscularity in regards to embouchure development and trumpet playing. Do all three work together to some degree?
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J. Fowler
"It takes a big ole' sack of flour, to make a big ole' pan of biscuits!"

[tpetplyr]

I can't play high. At least not very well. But in the past few months I'veimproved by many half steps. Some (most) of this I attribute to a 'different way of thinking' that I learned while at a masterclass at Northwestern last summer. Before I attended this class the only way I knew for more range was more air. My teachers kept telling me "MORE AIR!" or "BLOW STUART!" etc. And to some extent they still do. But Butler/Geyer told me (at seperate times even!) that the key to high notes was to be able to tighten the embrochure, via the corners, with sufficent strength that the note comes out. Thus I have switched the focus of my high range work to feeling that I'm tightening my lips from the corners and the notes come out easier. I've also noticed that the higher and more comfortably I am able to play, the more I can feel the workout in the muscle just behind the corners of my lips. Air is still extremely important, espically for sound, but for range, now, I believe it is the strength of the lips and their ability to hold a constant embrochure as the massed volume of air rushes past. It makes sense, because as I miss most high notes, it is because my lips are just simply blown apart, and the stronger my lips are, the easier it is to keep them compressed and set for the higher note and the easier the higher notes come out.
Before summer, my range dead ended around an Ab, with breif trips above. Now I have a pretty stable B natrual above the staff, and am scratching a C fairly often. thats 3 half steps in 6 months? My range went up 2 half steps between 7th and 11th grade. So for me, this new 'philosophy' has worked wonders.

Stuart
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"So long, and thanks for all the fish!" -- Dolphins

[Dave Converse]

<< Do they all three work together for a proper embouchure>>

I'd send you a hammer, but you've already "NAILED IT." Gotta have all three. The trick is in how to get them. It seems that many chop-oriented method books focus on one or the other, maybe because the author is convinced that if we achieve one, the others will follow in proper porportion. I hope it's true. I believe that once we achieve an efficient set-up, "end-result" mentality (Adams, Chicago, etc.) can then help us dial-in proper amounts of each ingredient. Others will argue that starting with focus on "end-result" will make everything else happen naturally. I dunno. The more I learn....................the less I know (LOL).

[Annie]

And air speed is important as well - the high notes won't come out without air speed. I've found there are a few different ways to get them to come out - raising the back of the tongue & brute strength.
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~Annie

*I may not be great yet, but I'm working hard on it and one day I'm gonna be there.*

[ljazztrm]

As far as the pencil exercise goes, I think it builds a lot of muscles in the face...especially the chin...I'm not sure if I would consider it as a 'corner builder' as much as building the chin muscles and the muscles that aid in the center lip-to-lip compression.

Something I have learned about balance and coordination from weighlifting, which I believe carries over into trumpet playing, is that if you can, for example, deadlift 400lbs then it is pretty easy to lift 100lbs. quite a number of times with much better balance and coordination. I don't think strength, balance, and coordination are mutually exclusive. My current idea is that, in many cases, more strength can lead to more balance and coordination.