Posted by Joseph Felton on March 29, 1999 at 11:54:16:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Mouthpiece Question posted by Roger Lewis on March 29, 1999 at 08:38:50:
It is really encouraging to me to learn that what I've arrived upon for myself also works for someone that has made it in this business. Thanks! I have found that any growth in my range has been directly associated with me spending more time every day doing a consistent warm-up involving lots of flexibility exercises. Not only does this improve my range, however, but I think this is also the key to a better sound, sensitivity, and consistency within one's playing. At this point I can play up to the what would equal a Bb trumpet players double C although it isn't very large and not at all something I would play in a performance. Regarding different embouchures settings: I had never really given much thought to the topic but I think I may be doing what you describe. I think most players tend to have difficulty making a transition between registers(embouchure settings) in the places you describe but once again, flexibility exercises have helped me work my way through that. I try to keep everything on my horn in
basically the same place on my face thinking in terms of a very gradual *slight* change throughout the playing range of the horn. I think the wonderful thing about spending time doing lots of flexibility work is that it doesn't matter what you *think* you are doing with your face because as long as you focus on the product your body will work out how to do it for you. The embouchure is a very mysterious process that defies a pure clinical description. There is far too much variation and subtleties involved to *explain* how to form a perfect embouchure so it's nice to know that there is something I can do to help me work out the bugs in it.
Thanks for taking the time to share your insights and knowledge with us Roger.
cheers!
joseph