Balanced Embouchure

[_Don Herman]

On 2002-08-03 23:41, trumpetteacher1 wrote partly:

> Are you this nice in real life?

No. Ask my wife and kids. Really. Or any person on the same road with me doing infinitesimally slower in the fast lane. I'd imagine you could find several here on the TH who know better -- but see my response to the next question, below...

> You have the amazing ability to get along with everybody.

I hide the bodies of the naysayers.

> Is there light emanating from the top of your head, or what?

Only when I'm trying to fix the lamp switch, and forget I left the durned thang plugged in. So, I reckon my answer would be "or what".

> I'm just struck by your ability, that's all.

I hope you weren't struck too hard -- ouch! What ability?

Sooooo, what about the previously mentioned Teacher's Guide to BE? Is it in the works? Or, is one even really needed?

Yeah, of course we could all email you, but it's more fun to discuss it with others and see how they and you interact and interpret BE.

LOL, and take care, Jeff! - Don
_________________
Don Herman/Monument, CO
"After silence, that which best expresses the inexpressible, is music." - Aldous Huxley

[tom turner]

Hi Jeff,

I wanted to take the extravagant liberty to comment on the stuff you just wrote:

1. "Again, thanks. Some of you seem to be under the impression that I don't want to moderate a forum. Are you kidding? I'm simply trotting out the practical realities why it probably won't happen."

I'M PERSONALLY GLAD YOU AREN'T GOING TO DO IT. THERE'S NO NEED. MORE ON THAT NEXT . . .

"Isn't it obvious that my deal would be considerably different that everybody else's deal? For example, if you have a BE question, you can email me. Ever try emailing Mr. Caruso lately? A Caruso forum serves a more necessary function. See what I mean?"

THIS IS PRECISELY WHY I THOUGHT . . . AND HOPED YOU WOULDN'T DO IT, AND FOR TWO REASONS:

1. FIRST, EXCEPT FOR CALLET, THE OTHER "MASTERS" ARE DEAD . . . AND CALLET MIGHT AS WELL BE WHEN IT COMES TO SUPPORTING THIS FORUM.

2. SECOND, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT . . . SOMEONE TRULY INTERESTED CAN E-MAIL YOU PRIVATELY AND GET THE HELP THEY NEED WITHOUT YOU HAVING TO WASTE YOUR TIME DEALING WITH THE TRIVIAL STUFF THAT COMES ALONG WITH THE OTHER STUFF ON THE FORUM.

YOUR TIME IS BEST SPENT FURTHERING YOUR IDEAS AND TEACHING . . . ALTHOUGH YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS FORUM ARE TRULY PRICELESS TO MANY OF US. THANKS FOR CONTRIBUTING AS MUCH AS YOU DO!

2. Don, I have to ask you a serious question. Are you this nice in real life? You have the amazing ability to get along with everybody. Is there light emanating from the top of your head, or what?

My question doesn't have anything to do with what you said. I'm just struck by your ability, that's all.

YES, DON IS BOTH A BLESSING AND AN INSPIRATION OF HOW WE SHOULD ALL BE TO FURTHER TRUMPETING AND IDEAS! DON IS AN EDIFIER AND ONE WHO PULLS PEOPLE AND IDEAS TOGETHER . . . ONE WELCOME IN ALL DEBATES.

3. Ken, Ryan, Tom - Who says I am modest? Holy Cow, I wrote a book about embouchure which flys in the face of most of the "converntional wisdom" I see out there in the teaching trenches. If that's not arrogant, than nothing is!

I DON'T THINK ANY SERIOUS TRUMPETERS ARE TRULY MODEST BY NATURE . . . YET LEARNING NOT TO BE EGOTISTICAL BY CONTROLLING EGO ALLOWS US TO RECEIVE FAVOR FROM THOSE WHO NEED BENEFIT!

If you want to see how "humble" I really am, then come to Dallas and watch me engage in a conversation with a Middle School band director who actually clicks onto my web site - AFTER hiring me!!!!

EVEN CHRIST WAS NOT APPRECIATED IN HIS HOME TOWN. PEOPLE GET PROMOTED IN THE FREE WORLD UNTIL THEY FINALLY EXCEED THEIR ABILITIES . . . THEN THEY REMAIN IN THAT POSITION . . . JEALOUS THAT THEIR ROLE AS A "PRETENDER" MAY BE REVEALED.

"I tell them about the book, but almost none of them ever bother to read it."

YEAH, SO MANY FOLKS "TALK THE TALK," BUT DON'T "WALK THE WALK."

THIS FRUSTRATES ME ALSO, AS A TEACHER AND MOTIVATOR OF MEN AND WOMEN TOO. I SPENT MANY YEARS WRITING A GREAT SALES TRAINING MANUAL FOR MY COMPANY . . . ORIGINAL, BREEZY, FUNNY YET DEEEEEP IN AN EASY TO READ WAY . . . SO WELL LIKED THAT THE EXECUTIVES TRASHED EVERYTHING ELSE WE USED. PEOPLE TELL ME IT'S WONDERFUL . . . BUT WHEN I ASK THEM ABOUT THE SPECIFICS . . . IF THEY REALLY READ IT I USUALLY CAN'T TELL. FRUSTRATING, FOR THE PRICIPLES IN THE BOOK COULD CHANGE THEIR LIVES AND EARNINGS POTENTIAL. GRRRRRR . . .

"Lots of work to do out there, folks! Thanks for the support, and good luck to us all."

IS TEACHING WORTH IT? ONLY WHEN YOU REACH SOMEONE WHO APPRECIATES IT . . . THEN ITS PRICELESS!!! IT KEEPS ME GOING . . . AND YOU TOO!

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK JEFF!

WARMEST REGARDS,

TOM

[Lex Grantham]

Listen up, all you folks:

I was fortunate to have a BE lesson with Jeff Smiley on February 9 of this year. My home in East Texas is about a 2-hour drive to where Jeff's home is (in Garland, on the northeast corner of Dallas).

I want to attest to the fact that Jeff IS a very kind and cordial man and generally interested in players...regardless of whatever method is being used in their playing. And his faith in the BE book is such that he feels one can merely take its contents and learn pretty much on his/her own.

When I first called about a private lessson, he said, "Why? You have the book." My response was that I desired to take advantage of being able to see him in person.

-AND_

I am very happy I did!

-BUT-

There are several people in this thing called the Trumpet Herald that TRULY show love for the instrument and in assisting others by their freely-given and sincere advice and encouragement...Tom Turner, Lee Adams, Bruce Lee, Don Herman, Kyle Schmeer, Bill Mirrielees, Jeff Lambardino...just to name a few...and they are all still very much alive and playing their horns on a daily basis.

My gratitude to all of you.

Sincerely,

Lex Grantham

[Charlie Cheeseburger]

Why has this thread gone quiet? OK, so maybe we're not going to get a dedicated BE forum (although I still don't see why we shouldn't), but surely we should still be discussing BE, and spreading the word about this astonishing method, which without exaggeration has the potential to transform the next generation of trumpet players. We should be shouting it from the rooftops!

Apart from the method itself, it's Mr Smiley's acute analysis of the trumpet education process itself that makes such compelling (and disturbing) reading. Consider the following:

(1) 90% of trumpet players do not have an efficient lip position, and consequently playing the trumpet for them remains pretty much a struggle, having to cope with problems of range, sound, endurance, and consistency.

(2) The other 10% is comprised of those either lucky enough to have fallen into an efficient set-up to begin with, or else those who against the odds are able to make their flat-chinned Farkas-style embouchure work.

(3) This state of affairs is perpetuated because the players and teachers in positions of power and influence, for want of any knowledge of trumpet playing mechanics, are unable (and in some cases are unwilling) to transmit the secrets of their success to their students. All the so-called 'professors' of trumpet can do is to try to 'reverse engineer' their embouchures, thereby adding layer upon layer of mystery and confusion with virtually meanlingless concepts such as 'breathing from the diaphram', 'no-pressure method', and so on. This filters right down through the whole education system, where most teachers just regurgitate the same tired methods which caused the problems in the first place. The whole system seems predicated on failure.

(4) Put simply, the problem for the overwhelming majority of players is lip position, and Mr Smiley's method shows you how to improve it. Everything else then begins to fall into place. That's it. Period.

I don't want to sound too evangelical about this, but here we have a huge opportunity to start turning things around. I'm doing my bit in my little corner of the world, are others willing to do the same?

Andrew Lynn

[trumpetteacher1]

Andrew,

Welcome to the minority! For players to want to do something about poor trumpet education, they first have to recognize it as a problem.

Few do. The status quo is just fine, thank you.

Most players don't think about the huge number of beginners vs. the microscopic number of successful college graduates. It's like a machine where you put in a dollar, and get back one cent.

Obviously, not everybody is cut out to be a pro, for a variety of reasons. But based on feedback that I receive DAILY as a teacher and author, I see a massive - and poorly hidden - waste of human potential.

The tide may not turn in your lifetime, but do what you can. One player at a time!

Jeff
http://www.trumpetteacher.net

[Charlie Cheeseburger]

Hi Jeff,

It's certainly a depressing picture. You must feel like Copernicus did when he made the observation that the Earth goes round the Sun, and not the other way round! There were too many vested interests then, and there seem to be too many now for your very own Copernican revolution to gain widespread acceptance in the short term. I don't know how you remain so calm and philosophical about all this.

It's true that not everyone's cut out to be a pro, but sadly in my experience even the pros can't escape the numbers game that you describe. I would say that 90% of pro players also have problems with lip position, and while they may be very successful up to a point, their embouchures are definitely 'high maintenance', requiring hours of daily practice just to keep their standard at the same level. The beauty of your system is that if you play the excercises as directed, you develop a 'low maintanence' embouchure, so instead of treading water, you cannot fail to improve in direct proportion to the amount of work you put in. This in itself is enough to give most players the confidence to conquer their fears and phobias, and for even the most hardened and cynical pro to start enjoying music again, which is surely what it's all about.

Regards,

Andrew