2008/6/23 Larry Jellison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > I know proper air support and control is critically important. I'm not a pro > nor a teacher, so I don't think I'm qualified to explain exactly what proper > air support and control is; I think the "control" part is very important, and > it would be helpful if someone would explain what good air support and > control is. Obviously, every beginning player who blows a sound through a > horn is applying air pressure, air flow, and some level of air control. > Telling such a person to use "air support and control" doesn't help them very > much. >
I'll have a bash at this. Many people with embouchure problems don't provide enough air, and compensate by having too much lip tension. This is awfully hard work on the embouchure and leads to a lack of endurance, and possibly other more serious problems over time if not corrected. How can you tell if you are providing enough air? "Huff" a note (perhaps a second-line G) without tonguing it, and see if it comes out fairly cleanly. If the initial sound is thin and weedy, or if the pitch or tuning is insecure, then you are very probably not providing enough air. Relax your embouchure a bit, take a deep breath filling up from the bottom of your lungs (your abdomen should expand before your chest does), and provide support for the air by tensing your abdominal muscles. If you are in the habit of not providing enough air, it may take you a quite a few goes before you get a fairly clean entry without tonguing. With a more relaxed embouchure, the net effect is that more air is being provided, passing through a slightly wider aperture between the lips. You may be very surprised at how much improvement this makes to your tone. Once you are cleanly huffing notes, you now know how much air should be provided. All that your tongue should do is periodically interrupt this supported flow of air. The full degree of support necessary to sustain the note should be available *before* you start to play it, being held back by the tongue, and the "t" action of tonguing should simply remove the barrier to the the flow of air. Take a breath, position the mouthpiece on the lips, provide the same level of abdominal tension you did when huffing the note, but hold the air back with the tongue. Then, with a gentle "tah" let the tongue drop out of the way and allow the note to sound. Moreover, the air support should be continuously available through a phrase even when you have several tongued notes, and even if you have a short rest. try playing an ascending major scale slurred, then do the same tongued but keeping the air support going as if you were still slurring. The tongue simply interrupts the airflow for an instant. The only time you let the support drop is in order to take a fresh breath. Once you are in the habit of providing enough air, an upward lip slur of a third or fourth is achieved by means of more air support (more push from the abdomen) and a *modest* tightening of the lips. As part of this exercise, try huffing all the notes of the G major scale. It is perfectly possible to huff a high G, and you should aim to be able to do that. Regards Jonathan West _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
