Re: Re: Re: Twitching, note accuracy


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Posted by Andy on May 16, 2003 at 12:35:15:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Twitching, note accuracy posted by Ian Easton on May 16, 2003 at 01:16:25:

I have to agree with Ian, and couldn't disagree more strongly with tubaguy. Arnold Jacobs always said that embrochure is not a study of meat, but a study of sound. You don't conciously control the vibration of the lips through trying to maintain a certain position for each note, any more than you try and conciously control your vocal chords while talking or singing. You learn to control the production of different pitches through a trial and error process of trying to imitate the sounds you want to create, just as you learn to sing various tunes. In this way, you case your lips to behave like a singers vocal chords, with the mouthpiece acting like the larnyx.

Buzzing on the mouthpiece alone is an excellent way to speed up this trial and error process because you get immediate feedback. By only using the instrument, the different harminic series produced by the various valve combinations will force you into a "slot" when you are close, but not quite right on. By using the mouthpiece alone, if you want to play an f, you have to buzz an f with your lips. If you are a little off, you get instantaneous feedback, and can subconciously adjust what you are doing until you get the desired result.

However, as with anything, the incorrect use of any practice tool or procedure can lead to bad habits and problems. Mr. Jacobs recommended no more than 30 minutes a day on the mouthpiece alone. He also suggested playing simple tunes, rather that drills, and staying primarily in the middle register. Once you develop excellence at a mid dynamic in the middle register, one can transfer that excellence to the extremes, in terms of both range an dynamics.


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