Being in shape definitely helps me. I never found that practicing the Farkas accuracy etude improved anything other than my ability to play the Farkas accuracy etude. My undergrad teacher was a big believer in this page of the Farkas book, and, eventually, I got so I wasn't so bad at playing it. I still missed notes right and left in everything else, though.
What has helped me is practicing breath attacks, making sure that each note speaks clearly, and right in the center of the slot. If it does not, take the mouthpiece down, re-position it, and do it again till the note starts cleanly, with no fluff, and is centered. This ensures that your lips are in the right position. If all is going as it should, there won't be much difference between a breath attack and a tongued attack. However, the tongue can cover up a multitude of sins, where a breath attack is real truth telling. When you start this regimen, give yourself permission to miss notes. You might as well give yourself permission, since you'll miss them anyway. However, things will improve pretty rapidly if you work on this every day. At least that's how it has worked for me--and it's definitely still a work in progress. YMMV, and all the other usual disclaimers. Howard Sanner [email protected] Quoting [email protected]: > > Maybe it's my age, but I seem to be missing notes more than I used > to be. I also know there's a 'study' in the Farkas book regarding > accuracy, but I was wondering what the best studies/exercises/tools > were to improve accuracy? > > I also seem to be having endurance problems as I get older and play > less, so perhaps that has something to do with it? _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
