Which embouchure?

ChrisCollins · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:35 am Post subject: Which embouchure?

I'm not entirely sure this is the right place in the forum for this post but here goes anyway.

I am a comeback player after a break of about 20yrs. I stopped playing because I did not have a good embouchure, relied on a "smile" and used excessive mouthpiece pressure which caused all sorts of problems with my gums etc. ( injury, ulcers etc.). I am keen to aviod falling into this trap again and want to make sure that I get it right this time.

My question is this:- Is there any reaserch into which embouchure method is considered better for any particular anatomical mouth/jaw/teeth shape? or has anyone any advice to offer with this as there are a number of options available and I wish to make sure I go down the right route.

Thanks

Chris

Bob Cross · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:16 am Post subject:

If you are interested in getting away from the smile type embouchure you should check out the Balanced Embouchure forum here.

Bob

janet842 · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:58 pm Post subject:

The complete opposite of the embouchure that gave you trouble is the James Stamp method/
embouchure. This embouchure has a very relaxed center, very, very little pressure, and the only
real tension is the corners of the embouchure that pull towards the mouthpiece (not away as in
the smile embouchure). In fact, if you use his method and try to add pressure, you will cut off
your high range entirely! If you decide to try this, make sure you get the Roy Poper book that
fills in the blanks on the Stamp book.

plp · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 6:34 am Post subject:

The Balanced Embouchure book was written specifically for this problem. It does not advocate a specific 'one size fits all' embouchure, but rather a 'one set of exercises to help you find what works best for you' .

Spend some time reading the BE forum, and I reccommend getting the book and CD. When you get it, read through each section before trying any of the exercises, so you get the whole picture.

The beauty of BE is, it borrows from the best of just about every dedicated method out there, and allows you to segue into any disclipline without having to relearn your setup. If through BE, you discover you respond better to the Stamp method, or Reinhart method, or Claude Gordon, you head in that direction because your individual physical characteristics respond better to that approach, rather than just because that is the method your teacher advocates. I studied with 2 Claude Gordon teachers, and did horribly. These same instructors turned out several great students, and I never really grasped what they were trying to get accross, so the fault is entirely mine for the failure.