Amy wrote: That was a big help, because my prof tells me a lot that I DO have a problem with tension, but he never mentioned anything about it affecting tuning. Since my change in embouchure, I've felt that it takes a lot more effort to play the high notes. That's where the tension came from, trying to get my range back. I've been trying to work on letting the air flow freely, and keep my shoulders and neck relaxed, but I find it difficult to even realize I'm doing it while practicing on my own. I do breathing exercises, try to keep as relaxed as possible, but I don't think it's really doing much since every week, I still get told about tension. I know pressure on my face isn't a big issue, because we experimented with a spring loaded pressure device, and I did pretty well on it. Any recommendations about how to work on this on my own? Do you think playing on the knee, rather than off, would be any help? ----------------------------------
Let me give you a for instance.... A dear friend of mine is a great player. He sounds good and has good command of the instrument and his pitch is good. His slides are pulled out way too far because of upper body tension. I've told him for years that if he had six months where he could work it out we could fix this tension in his neck and shoulders but he works too much and doesn't have the time. About six months ago he was on a multi state bq5 tour and he ended up needing to go to a massage therapist when he got back. After the masseuse got done with him, in order to play with anyone else he immediately had to push his slides in to a spot I would call normal for a player of his ability. I hated to say "I told you so!" but I did anyway ;-) It took him about two weeks to shake of the massage and have to pull his slides out again. This last bit serves also to illustrate that it takes time for good habits to replace bad ones (and two weeks wasn't enough for him)...and lots of willpower. Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes potentially perfect. Then there is the bit about becoming comfortable with the new good habits too. If you have recently changed your embouchure you may need to work out your range issues from a more remedial perspective rather than trying or expecting to keep playing merrily along as before. Playing on the knee will not fix this issue as your posture is more likely to be correct if it is the same for both standing and sitting. Make sure your posture sitting or standing is ergonomically correct so as not to add to the problem. Proper hand position is of course necessary too but I think this is more of a tension issue. What to do about it? Take a weekly spa day. Or push all your slides into a more normal setting and turn your tuner on (one of the rare times I recommend looking at a tuner). Practice long tones blowing the note "straight down the middle." Don't lip the note high or low in the pocket. Let the tension go in order to lower the pitch. Consciously try to relax your upper body and try to keep the embouchure as relaxed as possible. I'm not talking about pinky hook pressure. I'm talking about tension in the embouchure before the mouthpiece ever goes on the lips. Also, while you want to hold the horn with authority you don't want a death grip either. You might try some yoga or taiji or sitting meditation to help focus the mind and relax the body. This tension thing is going to piss you off royally until you figure out how to play with or without the tuner by relaxing instead of pulling the slides. Revel in the frustration because you won't fix this issue until you work at it and it becomes a zen exercise. I can't tell you more than that because I can't see/hear you play. Most importantly remember to work from your strengths through your weaknesses and back to your strengths. Never end a session on a bad note unless you are in Bad Schplittendorf with Prof IMG or it is one of the 12 days of Clamsaa. One good note becomes two becomes three becomes a strand of pearls. The Jack Attack! _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
