Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Accuracy problems


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Posted by not so perplexed on August 28, 2003 at 12:04:50:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Accuracy problems posted by Doug Elliott on August 28, 2003 at 10:41:53:

First of all, thanks for all the varied and interesting responses...here's some more observations:

1) The student's instrument is in fine working order...no air leaks, etc.

2) while not a great singer (and I'm in the same boat), the student has a good sense of pitch, and can sing and buzz most passages accurately, and buzzes with an even sound throughot the problem register.

3) There is no air collecting between the lips and teeth (but thinking about this has made me realize that I am letting this happen to some extent in my OWN playing in the low register...hmmm)

4) the student's embouchure is 2/3 upper and 1/3 lower, with a slight shift upwards to 3/4 upper, 1/4 lower in the high register (high Bb and above), and a typical (whether desirable or not) shift to much upper lip and sitting on the red of the lower in the loud, very low register

I'm not certain, but from listening to the evenness of the buzz from Eb in the staff up to Bb and back down, I don't think that there's a change in the direction of the airstream (there is certainly no visible pivot or shift in the embouchure) but that's hard to see. I am thinking, however, that there is a change in resistance between a very open middle F and the added tubing of F# and G right above it. The inaccuracies are more prevalent when ASCENDING to these notes, rather than descending. Maybe the student is not compensating with more air for the added resistance of the longer tube. I am, though, very interested in studying the idea of airstream directions. So, Doug...let me see if I understand correctly...you are saying that the airstream should blow in the same direction for the entire range?

Thanks again for all the brainstorming.


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