On Saturday, March 26, 2005, at 01:34 PM, Shanna Hollich wrote:
The rest of your comments were pretty much what I
expected and were helpful - I appreciate it. (You
better believe that Kopprasch and I are becoming fast
friends, heh.)
Something else I find interesting - you suggested
working on the low range (particularly around pedal C)
in order to help my high range. I've heard this
suggestion many times before, and I've done it in the
past and lo and behold - it works! I've always
wondered why this should be the case?
Look at it this way. You must relax the embouchure, you learn to use a
lot of air, you move the air slowly and from deep down in your support
system, you learn to hold the breath flow VERY steady in order to
sustain a solid tone, etc. etc. All of that transfers very well to the
high range by reversing the tendency to pinch the breath, to lock up
the embouchure with tension, etc. Set up an imaginary set of baskets
in front of you in a line stretching far in front of you. The lowest
note you can play is the first basket in the line, and the higher notes
are lined out in front of you. Project your notes so that they fall
in the baskets an appropriate distance in front of you, and high f
above high c''' is the farthest note/basket in the line stretching away
from you. Then try playing some scales, and gradually work up to
higher and higher scales proportionately farther away from you. Never
blow AT the horn, blow through it and project the notes out in front of
you; and see what happens. While you do all this, feel your lower
teeth supporting the rim through the lower lip and try to keep the
upper lip reasonably softer than the lower lip. Keep that ratio and
proportion as your embouchure gets firmer going to the higher notes.
Then let me know how you get along.
CORdially, Paul Mansur
_______________________________________________
post: horn@music.memphis.edu
unsubscribe or set options at
http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
