So, this past weekend was the Northeast Horn Workshop held at the University of Delaware in Newark. By all accounts and all meanings of the word, it was a blast! Of course, anyone who has gone to these events knows that there are generally 2 sides to the events - the performances/masterclasses and the exhibits. In the case of this workshop, I must admit I spent a lot of time in the exhibits. However, I did check out a few of the concerts and masterclasses.
Sadly, our little group didn't arrive until 11 PM on Friday night, so we missed a few of the classes from that day. However, one of the more memorable masterclasses of the weekend had to have been the Phillie horn section masterclass. It was really interesting to see how this group of world-reknowned pros works together and plays. One of the most fascinating things that I picked up from this class was how dramatically different the section sounds when they move people around to different parts. Jeff and Jen have such different sounds but both lead the section quite well. To me, Denise, the new 4th horn of the section really shone as a great addition to the section. What a wonderful sound and an amazing ability to blend with any player.
A few of the other lectures recitals that we attended were quite cool, but it's difficult to "blog" about them without saying "well, you just had to be there." However, one unique session stood out. I wouldn't call it a masterclass or lecture, but it's not quite an exhibit. The IVASI room was something alltogether different. I got a chance to play in the IVASI room at IHS in Macomb this past summer for about 2 hours with Jim Decker and had a blast. This time I made my student do it. He sat in with some students from a "major" Northeastern school for music. Since he's a senior in high school and these were all upper level or grad students, he was a little intimidated.
The pieces that got put up on the IVASI screen were Mahler 1 and Don Juan. I know...no good horn parts at all... ;-) So, he was playing and doing it well but you could tell he was nervous. The kids in that room were playing great. However, I had to tell my student afterwards that he did do well and not to worry, he'd do that well soon too. I also had to tell him, if he played like they did in a real orchestra, he wouldn't get called back! Instead of blending and listening as a section, they all seemed to be competing with eachother to see who could play louder and higher. Pitch got out of control at high volumes and there was no concept of section blend!
I know....it's only the IVASI room - no big deal. I just don't want him thinking that he can go sit in an orchestra and play like that and expect to get called back. It wasn't good. There's a lot of emphasis on teaching young people to play loud and high, yet there seems to be a lack of emphasis on HOW to play loud as a section.
The final concert was great. It was a very eclectic mix of music with Alphorns, ensembles, soloists and great duets by Denise Tryon and Karl Pittuch. The performance by Jeff Lang's Temple horn studio was just cool! The performances by the young horn players that won the various competitions was inspiring and the duets by Denise and Karl were as solid as you could ask for.
In all, a great show. My only complaint was on the organization side of this event. The website didn't have an actual address for the school or the music building and there were no signs posted outside the buildings telling people that the horn workshop was there. Then, I and many others missed some of the events because their locations were changed at the last minute. For someone who likes to plan as much as possible in advance, this made me very uncomfortable. However, the young student helpers were great. They almost made up for the organization issues.
Next year's show is at Kendall Betts' place in NH. I don't think I'll be able to make that. It's just too far out of the way. :-( Of course, Brisbane's too far out this year, so I may be suffering horn-show withdrawl this time next year!
The right notes...
This is going to be an intentionally short post. I had an epiphany the other day while working with my best student. For the first several years of his playing, we focused on getting the right notes. Now that he has the basic fuctionality of the horn down, I now have to get him out of the mindset of "the right notes." Sometimes, you can tell that he's focusing so intently on the right notes that musicality takes a back seat.
When I work with him, and also in my own practice sessions, I have definitely found that, if I work for musicality and for the ability to repeat something (articulations, dynamics, inflection, etc.) then the right notes generally take care of themselves. However, if we focus on only the right notes, the performance sounds miserable.
This may be one of those "no duh!" type posts, but I believe that all too often, we're so fixated on the right notes that we do leave other, more important things out. As long as the fundamentals are down, musicality should obviously be a priority.
Just a short thought.
When I work with him, and also in my own practice sessions, I have definitely found that, if I work for musicality and for the ability to repeat something (articulations, dynamics, inflection, etc.) then the right notes generally take care of themselves. However, if we focus on only the right notes, the performance sounds miserable.
This may be one of those "no duh!" type posts, but I believe that all too often, we're so fixated on the right notes that we do leave other, more important things out. As long as the fundamentals are down, musicality should obviously be a priority.
Just a short thought.
Playing with the Richmond Symphony
After 3 years of struggling and fighting every day to rebuild my face, I decided last fall (2009) to send my resume to a few area orchestras. Fortunately, I must have sent it at just the right time. Within 2 days of sending it out, the personnel manager at the Richmond Symphony called and asked if I could sub on a pops concert. I was ecstatic! I was also terrified beyond belief. I have played with pro orchestras in the past, so it wasn't a complete shock, but I haven't dared play in a group like this since my chops broke. Fortunately, given that it was a pops concert, there wasn't near as much pressure. Of course, I still had to go get a massage because I was so tied up in knots over it!
So, I went to the first rehearsal. My first impressions - MAN this orchestra is young! The vast majority of this orchestra was below 40. Many of the players were below 30. The conductor, Erin Freeman, is a pretty well known conductor and a great one at that. She was very efficient at running the rehearsals and managed to pull out every bit of musicality from the Harry Potter Suite and The Composer Is Dead. The pieces weren't difficult, but there was plenty of exposed horn stuff. The principal, Rachel, is a GREAT player. She's young and has seemingly invincible chops. The guy playing second, Kelly, is another great horn player who plays in one of the service bands in DC (he's also the guy who sold me the Kuhn pipe that I now use on my horn). The guy playing forth, Matt, another service band guy from the Norfolk area did a great job carrying 4th.
The job was not that challenging and ultimately, I played fine. Of course, the proof isn't in whether I can actually play the gig, but whether I can get a call-back. Well...fortunately, the call back came. (Thanks Rachel! You rock!) I got the call to come play 2nd on the Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet Ballet with the RSO and the Richmond Ballet. The show is 3 hours of solid playing with 9 total services. The first day was a single rehearsal. The second through 4th days had 2 services each.
The piece isn't terribly difficult, but it's highly romantic in harmony, melody and rhythm. The conductor is a very nice guy, but very difficult to follow. It's hard to tell where the downbeats are as well as what pattern is being conducted. However, he is very consistent, so I've gotten used to it after a few rehearsals. Sadly, I've made my fair share of mistakes in these shows, most of which have been counting (which I partly blame on the difficult-to-follow beats and partly accept for loss of concentration). However, I'm playing the parts fine. Tuning is working out well, blend is good and balance is great. Rachel is again playing principal and leading the section well. She's quite easy to follow.
On top of the wonderful experience, I must say that everyone that I've met and talked to while here both for this most recent concert and the previous concert have been wonderful! There doesn't seem to be an over-inflated ego in the bunch. They're great musicians and genuinely kind and funny people. I could see myself with a group like this!
The good news is that there's a vacancy and there's an audition coming up in just a couple months. I haven't decided if I'm going to audition or not. While the spot would be a dream come true, there's no way I could replace my existing job with the symphony job - not if I want to keep my house and my car. The pay is great, don't get me wrong. If I were a few years younger and hadn't gotten used to the wonderful pay of the government contracting world, I wouldn't hesitate. On top of that, there are some great players auditioning for that spot too. I simply wouldn't stack up to them. However, my yearly goal is to audition successfully - perhaps I need to try, despite my hesitations.
At least for the foreseeable future, I hope to get more call backs and continue to sub with this great orchestra.
So, I went to the first rehearsal. My first impressions - MAN this orchestra is young! The vast majority of this orchestra was below 40. Many of the players were below 30. The conductor, Erin Freeman, is a pretty well known conductor and a great one at that. She was very efficient at running the rehearsals and managed to pull out every bit of musicality from the Harry Potter Suite and The Composer Is Dead. The pieces weren't difficult, but there was plenty of exposed horn stuff. The principal, Rachel, is a GREAT player. She's young and has seemingly invincible chops. The guy playing second, Kelly, is another great horn player who plays in one of the service bands in DC (he's also the guy who sold me the Kuhn pipe that I now use on my horn). The guy playing forth, Matt, another service band guy from the Norfolk area did a great job carrying 4th.
The job was not that challenging and ultimately, I played fine. Of course, the proof isn't in whether I can actually play the gig, but whether I can get a call-back. Well...fortunately, the call back came. (Thanks Rachel! You rock!) I got the call to come play 2nd on the Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet Ballet with the RSO and the Richmond Ballet. The show is 3 hours of solid playing with 9 total services. The first day was a single rehearsal. The second through 4th days had 2 services each.
The piece isn't terribly difficult, but it's highly romantic in harmony, melody and rhythm. The conductor is a very nice guy, but very difficult to follow. It's hard to tell where the downbeats are as well as what pattern is being conducted. However, he is very consistent, so I've gotten used to it after a few rehearsals. Sadly, I've made my fair share of mistakes in these shows, most of which have been counting (which I partly blame on the difficult-to-follow beats and partly accept for loss of concentration). However, I'm playing the parts fine. Tuning is working out well, blend is good and balance is great. Rachel is again playing principal and leading the section well. She's quite easy to follow.
On top of the wonderful experience, I must say that everyone that I've met and talked to while here both for this most recent concert and the previous concert have been wonderful! There doesn't seem to be an over-inflated ego in the bunch. They're great musicians and genuinely kind and funny people. I could see myself with a group like this!
The good news is that there's a vacancy and there's an audition coming up in just a couple months. I haven't decided if I'm going to audition or not. While the spot would be a dream come true, there's no way I could replace my existing job with the symphony job - not if I want to keep my house and my car. The pay is great, don't get me wrong. If I were a few years younger and hadn't gotten used to the wonderful pay of the government contracting world, I wouldn't hesitate. On top of that, there are some great players auditioning for that spot too. I simply wouldn't stack up to them. However, my yearly goal is to audition successfully - perhaps I need to try, despite my hesitations.
At least for the foreseeable future, I hope to get more call backs and continue to sub with this great orchestra.
Goals and practicing
Like most musicians, I find there are few kinds of practice sessions. Meaningful sessions where I work hard an achieve something; Chop-exercise sessions where I don't really focus on anything in particular but at least register some face time; Chop-wasting sessions where I don't accomplish anything except angering my chops. Compounding that fact is the fact that I'm horribly ADD. In fact, within the first 3 sentences of this blog, my mind has wandered to at least 4 different, non-related subjects. ARGH
So, I need a way to not only ensure that more of my practice sessions are Meaningful Sessions but to also keep my attention focused throughout the practice session. To do this, I whip out my trusty white board. It's a nice looking board which encourages me to keep it out in the open. On the board, I highlight 4 goals.
I try to focus on a broad concept, not something as specific as "play high C." Instead, for example, this year's goal is "Audition Successfully." Of course, the word "successfully" has many meanings in this context. It doesn't necessarily mean WIN an audition; just accomplish something. If that means making it into a 2nd or 3rd round, or even getting over the fear of preparing for an audition and showing up, prepared then that's fine. However, If I focus well throughout the year, accomplishing this yearly goal should be no problem.
Monthly Goal -
Similar to the yearly goal, the monthly goal is a broad, less-specific goal that encourages me to work a great deal towards a collection of accomplishments. In general, it may be a tad more specific than the yearly goal, but is still not focused on a single accomplishment such as "practice fortissimos." My monthly goal this time around is to prepare the Franz Strauss Concerto and acquire the orchestral parts. My hopes are that I can tie this goal to my larger, yearly goal and audition with a local community type orchestra (of which there is NO shortage in this area) to play as a solo on a concert.
Weekly Goal -
This is where things start to get more specific. In general, I try to focus my weekly goals on accomplishments that are ultimately in support of my Monthly and Yearly goals. Also, I'll list a few goals in the weekly section. These are all goals that are achievable. It doesn't make any sense for me to put goals that I could never achieve in a week. Saying "work on your cold high Ds" is useless as a weekly goal. A few weekly goals that I've listed recently have been:
Obviously, these goals get far more specific. Daily goals are what I truly hope to accomplish in that practice session. They are goals that start with "Work on," "practice," "focus on," etc. For example:
So, I need a way to not only ensure that more of my practice sessions are Meaningful Sessions but to also keep my attention focused throughout the practice session. To do this, I whip out my trusty white board. It's a nice looking board which encourages me to keep it out in the open. On the board, I highlight 4 goals.
- Yearly goal
- Monthly goal
- Weekly goal
- Today's goal
I try to focus on a broad concept, not something as specific as "play high C." Instead, for example, this year's goal is "Audition Successfully." Of course, the word "successfully" has many meanings in this context. It doesn't necessarily mean WIN an audition; just accomplish something. If that means making it into a 2nd or 3rd round, or even getting over the fear of preparing for an audition and showing up, prepared then that's fine. However, If I focus well throughout the year, accomplishing this yearly goal should be no problem.
Monthly Goal -
Similar to the yearly goal, the monthly goal is a broad, less-specific goal that encourages me to work a great deal towards a collection of accomplishments. In general, it may be a tad more specific than the yearly goal, but is still not focused on a single accomplishment such as "practice fortissimos." My monthly goal this time around is to prepare the Franz Strauss Concerto and acquire the orchestral parts. My hopes are that I can tie this goal to my larger, yearly goal and audition with a local community type orchestra (of which there is NO shortage in this area) to play as a solo on a concert.
Weekly Goal -
This is where things start to get more specific. In general, I try to focus my weekly goals on accomplishments that are ultimately in support of my Monthly and Yearly goals. Also, I'll list a few goals in the weekly section. These are all goals that are achievable. It doesn't make any sense for me to put goals that I could never achieve in a week. Saying "work on your cold high Ds" is useless as a weekly goal. A few weekly goals that I've listed recently have been:
- 3 octave lip slurs
- Expand FF and PP
- Improve staccatos
- Brahms 3 excerpt
Obviously, these goals get far more specific. Daily goals are what I truly hope to accomplish in that practice session. They are goals that start with "Work on," "practice," "focus on," etc. For example:
- Work on Bb to F slur in Brahms 3
- Focus on rhythm in Tchaik 5
- Work on 3 and 4 octave arpeggios
- Practice Fearn exercise #2
Equipment (Horns, Mouthpieces, etc.)
Hi.
My name is Jeremy.
I am a gear junkie.
Now that I've got that off of my chest, I feel better!
When I was younger, I had a Lawson poster hanging in my bedroom alongside a Holton and Alexander poster. (And by 'younger' I do mean school-aged.)
As long as I can remember, I had been searching for the coolest horn and the most unique mouthpiece, etc. I coveted a detachable bell horn once I first learned of it back in 7th grade. Then, the concept of gold-plated mouthpieces rocked my world only 2 years later! To me, this stuff was the ultimate horn "bling."
So, since being a lowly student, I've owned a lot of horns and an uncountable amount of mouthpieces. My first baby was a Holton 281. I had it for about 7 years and in that time, had it heavily modified. My old band director bought it from me for her daughter. I believe she still owns and uses it. From there, I moved to a Finke Americus, a Yamaha 891 Triple, a Lawson Fourier and now to my current baby, the Otto 180K in yellow brass. Also in the arsenal are a Yamaha single Bb that I mostly use for practicing repairs on and an early Paxman model 40M descant horn that I just got from Ken Pope.
My mouthpiece escapades would be WAY too long for the Internet and would likely cause it to crash upon me uploading it. So, I'll summarize and state that I probably owned every mouthpiece ever created (okay, maybe a little bit of an exaggeration). Anyway, I've recently quite happily settled on Osmun's line of mouthpieces and have chosen a wide London Deep Cup and a V2 rim (thin, just the way I like it.)
What's the point of all of this? I guess, if I had to ask myself 10, 15 or 20 years ago what I'd be playing, the last thing I would have said would have been a medium sized Geyer horn and thin-rimmed mouthpiece. However, thanks to my facial melt-down, I have gotten good at throwing out preconceived notions. After my chops melted down and began to heal again, I went shopping for a new horn. Partially, I needed to get something new to help break old habits. Partially, no matter how much I loved the idea of my Lawson Fourier, it wasn't the right horn for me.
I spent months searching for a horn and tried just about every kind under the sun. In the process I learned a LOT. Also, I happily discovered that there are a handful of small-shop American makers who are putting out great instruments including Stu DeHaro, Jacob Medlin, Felix Cantesanu, Darin Sorley, and Wes Hatch, not to mention folks like Jim Patterson, and bigger manufacturers. Ultimately, it came down to 2 horns. One was a Rico Kuhn 293 (actually, I also got to try and consider buying Jerome Ashby's old RK 393 triple - what a great horn and what a great player and person. What a tragic loss!) and the other was the Dieter Otto 180K that I tried at Scott Bacon's place - Siegfried's Call. Ultimately, I quite happily chose the Otto. I have never found an instrument that better suited me as a player. It truly feels like an extension of me rather than a hunk of plumbing stuck to my face.
On a side note - I still love my Otto and have not ever regretted choosing it. It wasn't until AFTER I bought the Otto that I got to try Stu DeHaro's horn as well as Jacob Medlin's. Had I tried either of these before my purchase, my decision would have been harder. I do feel that the Otto is still agood perfect choice for me.
If you do get a chance to try the Otto - don't pass it up. Here's one bit of information though.
The mouthpipe on the Otto uses a European taper. If you use an American (Morse) taper mouthpiece, it may play a little weird. See if you can get a mouthpiece with a European taper and use your rim if you can. In my case, rather than change mouthpieces, I went and got a Rico Kuhn leadpipe since the 180k and the RK 293 are so similar in size and tapers and the RK pipe uses Morse tapers. It works like a champ. FWIW, Osmuns mouthpieces are available with a European shank and his London cup is a GREAT match for this type of horn!
Since I've gotten my horn, I've become one of Scott's best salesmen! I've converted a lot of folks to the Otto including a good friend/colleague of mine who has been an 8D guy for a LONG time. His gold brass 180K with hand-hammered bell is on order now and should be in his hands in March.
My name is Jeremy.
I am a gear junkie.
Now that I've got that off of my chest, I feel better!
When I was younger, I had a Lawson poster hanging in my bedroom alongside a Holton and Alexander poster. (And by 'younger' I do mean school-aged.)
As long as I can remember, I had been searching for the coolest horn and the most unique mouthpiece, etc. I coveted a detachable bell horn once I first learned of it back in 7th grade. Then, the concept of gold-plated mouthpieces rocked my world only 2 years later! To me, this stuff was the ultimate horn "bling."
So, since being a lowly student, I've owned a lot of horns and an uncountable amount of mouthpieces. My first baby was a Holton 281. I had it for about 7 years and in that time, had it heavily modified. My old band director bought it from me for her daughter. I believe she still owns and uses it. From there, I moved to a Finke Americus, a Yamaha 891 Triple, a Lawson Fourier and now to my current baby, the Otto 180K in yellow brass. Also in the arsenal are a Yamaha single Bb that I mostly use for practicing repairs on and an early Paxman model 40M descant horn that I just got from Ken Pope.
My mouthpiece escapades would be WAY too long for the Internet and would likely cause it to crash upon me uploading it. So, I'll summarize and state that I probably owned every mouthpiece ever created (okay, maybe a little bit of an exaggeration). Anyway, I've recently quite happily settled on Osmun's line of mouthpieces and have chosen a wide London Deep Cup and a V2 rim (thin, just the way I like it.)
What's the point of all of this? I guess, if I had to ask myself 10, 15 or 20 years ago what I'd be playing, the last thing I would have said would have been a medium sized Geyer horn and thin-rimmed mouthpiece. However, thanks to my facial melt-down, I have gotten good at throwing out preconceived notions. After my chops melted down and began to heal again, I went shopping for a new horn. Partially, I needed to get something new to help break old habits. Partially, no matter how much I loved the idea of my Lawson Fourier, it wasn't the right horn for me.
I spent months searching for a horn and tried just about every kind under the sun. In the process I learned a LOT. Also, I happily discovered that there are a handful of small-shop American makers who are putting out great instruments including Stu DeHaro, Jacob Medlin, Felix Cantesanu, Darin Sorley, and Wes Hatch, not to mention folks like Jim Patterson, and bigger manufacturers. Ultimately, it came down to 2 horns. One was a Rico Kuhn 293 (actually, I also got to try and consider buying Jerome Ashby's old RK 393 triple - what a great horn and what a great player and person. What a tragic loss!) and the other was the Dieter Otto 180K that I tried at Scott Bacon's place - Siegfried's Call. Ultimately, I quite happily chose the Otto. I have never found an instrument that better suited me as a player. It truly feels like an extension of me rather than a hunk of plumbing stuck to my face.
On a side note - I still love my Otto and have not ever regretted choosing it. It wasn't until AFTER I bought the Otto that I got to try Stu DeHaro's horn as well as Jacob Medlin's. Had I tried either of these before my purchase, my decision would have been harder. I do feel that the Otto is still a
If you do get a chance to try the Otto - don't pass it up. Here's one bit of information though.
The mouthpipe on the Otto uses a European taper. If you use an American (Morse) taper mouthpiece, it may play a little weird. See if you can get a mouthpiece with a European taper and use your rim if you can. In my case, rather than change mouthpieces, I went and got a Rico Kuhn leadpipe since the 180k and the RK 293 are so similar in size and tapers and the RK pipe uses Morse tapers. It works like a champ. FWIW, Osmuns mouthpieces are available with a European shank and his London cup is a GREAT match for this type of horn!
Since I've gotten my horn, I've become one of Scott's best salesmen! I've converted a lot of folks to the Otto including a good friend/colleague of mine who has been an 8D guy for a LONG time. His gold brass 180K with hand-hammered bell is on order now and should be in his hands in March.
Musings on the embouchure
For as many horn players as there are, there are at least that many unique and disparate embouchures. What always amazes me is that, while the vast majority of horn players use a fairly "standard" embouchure (1/3 upper, 2/3 lower, centered left-to-right, angled down, etc.), there are still those who use odd-ball embouchures and get great results. My fear is that at the very least, those people have probably had to work very hard (or still do) to overcome some deficiency; at the most, I fear that they may have some kind of meltdown in the future as well.
Having studied with probably a good dozen professionals in the past few years, I've gotten quite a bit of information on "correct" embouchures. Largely, these professionals agree. However, what's startling and perhaps even disconcerting is how much they differ on some of the more valuable points.
Most every person that I have encountered encourages the "standard embouchure" that I describe above. However, that's about where it stops. Here are some categories where I found some of the biggest points of dissection.
Corners -
- Some tell you that your corners must always remain still regardless of the range of the instrument. Others tell you that there will be some movement. Still others make no comment and the amount of movement that they display ranges from very little to quite a bit.
- Some tell you that the corners should be pulled back and firm. Others tell you to bring them in towards the center. Some say to "relax" the corners as much as possible while playing; others tell you to always keep them firm.
- Some tell you to pull your corners back as you go higher (yikes...just seek out the "Expert Village" clip on YouTube) and others say to bring them inwards.
From my own experience and from what I've pieced together from my collective experience, the corners should:
Obviously, everyone pretty much agrees that the 2/3 upper, 1/3 lower paradigm holds true. However, how to place the mouthpiece and the tiny, minute differences of a fraction of a millimeter that can make an embouchure work or not work aren't really addressed in this rule. Some will tell you to place the mouthpiece on the red of the bottom lip and to bring it as high on the upper lip as possible. Others will tell you to place the mouthpiece below the red on the bottom lip and then raise it. While I think this more of a matter of personal preference than other issues, it's still worth discussion.
From my observations, the lip needs to be below the red in the bottom lip. From there, the mouthpiece needs to be brought up to the top lip with a goal of getting as much top lip and bottom lip in the mouthpiece as possible. The ratio will work out to a nearly perfect 2/3-1/3 setup. This feels a little weird at first to those who have been setting into the red, but it affords a LOT more control from the powerful bottom lip that is so essential to flexibility.
Another way to determine the best placement (as well as mouth opening) is to place the mouthpiece directly on the teeth behind the lips. The outer edges of the mouthpiece should rest where the teeth and gums meet. What many will find is that this means their jaw is less open than they thought it needed to be.
Another consideration about the lips is the way in which each lip works. There is a great deal of difference in how people treat their top and bottom lips. Some will tell you that both lips vibrate equally, others will emphasize one over the other. Additionally, some will tell you that both lips equally control the opening/aperture while others will again emphasize one over the other.
Again, from many successful and unsuccessful trials, I have found the following to be inevitable truths about how each lip works.
The top lip:
Having studied with probably a good dozen professionals in the past few years, I've gotten quite a bit of information on "correct" embouchures. Largely, these professionals agree. However, what's startling and perhaps even disconcerting is how much they differ on some of the more valuable points.
Most every person that I have encountered encourages the "standard embouchure" that I describe above. However, that's about where it stops. Here are some categories where I found some of the biggest points of dissection.
Corners -
- Some tell you that your corners must always remain still regardless of the range of the instrument. Others tell you that there will be some movement. Still others make no comment and the amount of movement that they display ranges from very little to quite a bit.
- Some tell you that the corners should be pulled back and firm. Others tell you to bring them in towards the center. Some say to "relax" the corners as much as possible while playing; others tell you to always keep them firm.
- Some tell you to pull your corners back as you go higher (yikes...just seek out the "Expert Village" clip on YouTube) and others say to bring them inwards.
From my own experience and from what I've pieced together from my collective experience, the corners should:
- Remain mostly still but not be the focus of too much energy in keeping them still. They will move across different registers. As long as you can make these shifts without resetting the embouchure or you can easily change registers fluidly, a little movement isn't a big issue.
- Ideally be the source of power for the embouchure. However, this should always be controlled while relaxing as much as possible. If the corners are tight (pulled or pushed), it's energy spent in the wrong direction.
- Resemble the puckered smile that Phil Farkas refers to. They shouldn't be pulled or pushed hard in either direction. Essentially, the goal is to provide enough padding and vibrating surface inside the mouthpiece as possible. If the corners are pulled back too far, there's too little padding (pain) and a thin vibrating surface (ugly sound). If they are puckered in too much, you'll last all night, but you'll have little control or accuracy.
Obviously, everyone pretty much agrees that the 2/3 upper, 1/3 lower paradigm holds true. However, how to place the mouthpiece and the tiny, minute differences of a fraction of a millimeter that can make an embouchure work or not work aren't really addressed in this rule. Some will tell you to place the mouthpiece on the red of the bottom lip and to bring it as high on the upper lip as possible. Others will tell you to place the mouthpiece below the red on the bottom lip and then raise it. While I think this more of a matter of personal preference than other issues, it's still worth discussion.
From my observations, the lip needs to be below the red in the bottom lip. From there, the mouthpiece needs to be brought up to the top lip with a goal of getting as much top lip and bottom lip in the mouthpiece as possible. The ratio will work out to a nearly perfect 2/3-1/3 setup. This feels a little weird at first to those who have been setting into the red, but it affords a LOT more control from the powerful bottom lip that is so essential to flexibility.
Another way to determine the best placement (as well as mouth opening) is to place the mouthpiece directly on the teeth behind the lips. The outer edges of the mouthpiece should rest where the teeth and gums meet. What many will find is that this means their jaw is less open than they thought it needed to be.
Another consideration about the lips is the way in which each lip works. There is a great deal of difference in how people treat their top and bottom lips. Some will tell you that both lips vibrate equally, others will emphasize one over the other. Additionally, some will tell you that both lips equally control the opening/aperture while others will again emphasize one over the other.
Again, from many successful and unsuccessful trials, I have found the following to be inevitable truths about how each lip works.
The top lip:
- Is the vibrating lip. It accounts for the vast majority of the vibration. To prove this - do an open-air buzz. Place your finger firmly on your bottom lip. The pitch will change and the air may waiver a bit, but the buzz continues. Now, do the same buzz and place your finger firmly on your top lip. If the buzz doesn't promptly and entirely stop, then it is at least severely hindered.
- Is responsible for tone, timbre and power. If there is too little top lip, the sound will be brittle and edgy. If there is too much top lip, there won't be enough flexibility and the sound will be a bit like a pregnant euphonium. However, it is difficult to get too much top lip in. One other possible side effect of too much top lip is the dreaded double buzz. However, other conditions must be present for this to occur.
- Needs to be relaxed. If the top lip flexes or gets hard, the high range will disappear and the low range will not be flexible.
- Is the muscle lip. It allows you to control pitch by accurately altering the opening.
- Needs to be able to flex both up and down as well as in and out.
- Needs the whole lip muscle to be surrounded by the mouthpiece to operate correctly. This means, get the mouthpiece below the red if even just a little.
Broken Chops III - The New Beginning
Continued from "Broken Chops II"
Over the next few weeks, I knew what I had to do:
I either had to quit playing or fix my embouchure. I decided to start from ground zero. Sadly, I didn't realize what had happened, nor did I realize what kind of uphill battle I was in for. The embouchure I was using was completely and totally incorrect. My facial muscles did not work the way they were supposed to and probably never did. Essentially, I was a beginner. Only a beginner with the disadvantage of 20 years of bad habits built in.
At that time, I was desperate. I put out a "hail Mary" e-mail to the horn list asking for help and advice. Debbie Schmidt provided me with some great advice. On top of that, she was visiting the Fredericksburg area on vacation and agreed to swing by my house and give me some one on one help.
Shortly after my lesson with Debbie, I went to my doctor. He told me that what I was experiencing was a neurological condition that affects athletes, musicians and other people who use muscles repeatedly. He uttered words that scared me to death - Focal Dystonia.
After I came to terms with this, I refused to give up. Afterall, I'd been playing and practicing for 20 years. Should I just throw all of that away? NO! Hell NO!
After struggling for the next 2 years to break bad habits, learn the fundamentals and even study from a half-a-dozen teachers, I had an odd opportunity. I couldn't play very well at all, but I got a call from a local community orchestra. One of their horn players had to bow out of the concert because she was recovering from some embouchure difficulties. I got called to sub for her. The concert was not too difficult and I could at least fake my way through it enough to cover the parts without killing the section. So, I took the job.
While backstage, I met the horn player for whom I was subbing. She told me of her embouchure problems and told me that she was working with Marty Hackleman to fix it. I got Marty's new contact info from her at that point and called Marty the next day.
In about 2 weeks, I met with Marty for the first time. I couldn't play very well and felt very unprepared for a lesson of this magnitude. Marty gave me a solid hour's worth of great advice and encouragement. It is absolutely no exaggeration when I say that, the very next day, I had improved so dramatically based on his advice that I could hardly recognize my own playing! (Don't worry, I'll share some of that advice through some of my other posts).
I've been studying again with Marty for about the past 16 months and the results have been amazing. There are aspects of my playing that are better than they ever had been. In fact, I can't think of any facet of my playing that has not improved dramatically! My high range has lost a little bit, but I can consistently play C#s whereas before, I could occasionally play much higher, but depending upon the day, I could occassionally not even get up to A's comfortably.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can gladly put my horn to my face every day and know what to expect each and every time. It has been the toughest 3 years of my life but I've only just started.
Over the next few weeks, I knew what I had to do:
I either had to quit playing or fix my embouchure. I decided to start from ground zero. Sadly, I didn't realize what had happened, nor did I realize what kind of uphill battle I was in for. The embouchure I was using was completely and totally incorrect. My facial muscles did not work the way they were supposed to and probably never did. Essentially, I was a beginner. Only a beginner with the disadvantage of 20 years of bad habits built in.
At that time, I was desperate. I put out a "hail Mary" e-mail to the horn list asking for help and advice. Debbie Schmidt provided me with some great advice. On top of that, she was visiting the Fredericksburg area on vacation and agreed to swing by my house and give me some one on one help.
Shortly after my lesson with Debbie, I went to my doctor. He told me that what I was experiencing was a neurological condition that affects athletes, musicians and other people who use muscles repeatedly. He uttered words that scared me to death - Focal Dystonia.
After I came to terms with this, I refused to give up. Afterall, I'd been playing and practicing for 20 years. Should I just throw all of that away? NO! Hell NO!
After struggling for the next 2 years to break bad habits, learn the fundamentals and even study from a half-a-dozen teachers, I had an odd opportunity. I couldn't play very well at all, but I got a call from a local community orchestra. One of their horn players had to bow out of the concert because she was recovering from some embouchure difficulties. I got called to sub for her. The concert was not too difficult and I could at least fake my way through it enough to cover the parts without killing the section. So, I took the job.
While backstage, I met the horn player for whom I was subbing. She told me of her embouchure problems and told me that she was working with Marty Hackleman to fix it. I got Marty's new contact info from her at that point and called Marty the next day.
In about 2 weeks, I met with Marty for the first time. I couldn't play very well and felt very unprepared for a lesson of this magnitude. Marty gave me a solid hour's worth of great advice and encouragement. It is absolutely no exaggeration when I say that, the very next day, I had improved so dramatically based on his advice that I could hardly recognize my own playing! (Don't worry, I'll share some of that advice through some of my other posts).
I've been studying again with Marty for about the past 16 months and the results have been amazing. There are aspects of my playing that are better than they ever had been. In fact, I can't think of any facet of my playing that has not improved dramatically! My high range has lost a little bit, but I can consistently play C#s whereas before, I could occasionally play much higher, but depending upon the day, I could occassionally not even get up to A's comfortably.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can gladly put my horn to my face every day and know what to expect each and every time. It has been the toughest 3 years of my life but I've only just started.
Broken Chops II - The Middle
Continued from "Broken Chops I - The Beginning"
Sadly, over the next decade, my embouchure got worse and worse looking. I had to shift it lower and lower due to the bad tooth. My bottom lip began curling outward and I had almost NO top lip in the mouthpiece. Despite how odd it looked, I still played fine. I even took several auditions - won some and lost some. Overall, I could still play just fine.
After I left college early (somewhat of a burn out somewhat of a fact that I couldn't get along with my instructor), I put the horn away for a year. After coming back, I seemed to take fine to it again, but the embouchure looked simply odd! This was around 1998. For the next 3 years, I made do with the odd-ball embouchure and kept on moving. I played with some great groups in the Washington DC area and would find myself practicing 30 minutes here and there. Not enough to be a strong player.
In early 2001, I heard that Marty Hackleman would be coming to DC to be the new principal horn of the National Symphony. I immediately set up monthly lessons with him. During our lessons, he started working with me to straighten out my embouchure. Sadly, September 11 2001 occurred. Iworked in the Pentagon and life got simply too busy for the horn at that point. I stopped taking lessons and floundered with an embouchure that wasn't familiar to me at all.
A year later, I went to Peter Landgren to study at the advice of Walter Lawson. Peter is a great player and one of the kindest and most humble people I've ever met and worked with. His approach to strengthening my existing embouchure was great and was rooted in his own experiences in rebuilding his embouchure after having major oral surgery not too long before our sessions.
For the next 3 years, I struggled like mad with my mixed up embouchure. I couldn't understand why some days were great and other days were absolutely horrible. Some days I could play up to high G an octave above the staff and other days I couldn't squeek out a regular high G. Apparently, this was the beginning of my downward spiral - I just didn't realize it.
At a chamber concert with a good friend, colleague, and great horn player (Damien), I went to play and literally NOTHING would come out. My corners slammed back into a hard smile the moment my horn came to my mouth and I couldn't even squeek out a note. The next day, I was fine. However, over the next year, more and more of these "no play" days crept into my playing.
Damien and I were down in Florida at the American Horn Quartet's summer camp doing some recording for the group. He and I were playing some duets and my chops just wouldn't work. It was at that point, they literally broke. I could feel my face breaking down. Kerry Thompson and Geoff Winter both stopped in and checked on me while I was practicing and they gave me some great encouragement and advice.
Sadly, over the next decade, my embouchure got worse and worse looking. I had to shift it lower and lower due to the bad tooth. My bottom lip began curling outward and I had almost NO top lip in the mouthpiece. Despite how odd it looked, I still played fine. I even took several auditions - won some and lost some. Overall, I could still play just fine.
After I left college early (somewhat of a burn out somewhat of a fact that I couldn't get along with my instructor), I put the horn away for a year. After coming back, I seemed to take fine to it again, but the embouchure looked simply odd! This was around 1998. For the next 3 years, I made do with the odd-ball embouchure and kept on moving. I played with some great groups in the Washington DC area and would find myself practicing 30 minutes here and there. Not enough to be a strong player.
In early 2001, I heard that Marty Hackleman would be coming to DC to be the new principal horn of the National Symphony. I immediately set up monthly lessons with him. During our lessons, he started working with me to straighten out my embouchure. Sadly, September 11 2001 occurred. Iworked in the Pentagon and life got simply too busy for the horn at that point. I stopped taking lessons and floundered with an embouchure that wasn't familiar to me at all.
A year later, I went to Peter Landgren to study at the advice of Walter Lawson. Peter is a great player and one of the kindest and most humble people I've ever met and worked with. His approach to strengthening my existing embouchure was great and was rooted in his own experiences in rebuilding his embouchure after having major oral surgery not too long before our sessions.
For the next 3 years, I struggled like mad with my mixed up embouchure. I couldn't understand why some days were great and other days were absolutely horrible. Some days I could play up to high G an octave above the staff and other days I couldn't squeek out a regular high G. Apparently, this was the beginning of my downward spiral - I just didn't realize it.
At a chamber concert with a good friend, colleague, and great horn player (Damien), I went to play and literally NOTHING would come out. My corners slammed back into a hard smile the moment my horn came to my mouth and I couldn't even squeek out a note. The next day, I was fine. However, over the next year, more and more of these "no play" days crept into my playing.
Damien and I were down in Florida at the American Horn Quartet's summer camp doing some recording for the group. He and I were playing some duets and my chops just wouldn't work. It was at that point, they literally broke. I could feel my face breaking down. Kerry Thompson and Geoff Winter both stopped in and checked on me while I was practicing and they gave me some great encouragement and advice.
Broken chops - the beginning
So, this is going to be a highly shortened version of my whole back story and why I've decided to start this blog. The short and sweet of it is, about 3 years ago, my chops broke. They literally completely stopped working with seeming no notice and I've spent the past 3 years building them back up slowly and painfully. The purpose of this blog site is to chronicle some of what has occurred as well as to keep a record of what I've done in hopes that it may help someone else.
Going back to the very beginning - right after I had started playing the horn, I had an incident where my face met a hard wood floor. The floor won. My top, front, left tooth was broken in half. At that point, I had a temporary crown put on and had it replaced a few times over the following 15 years. As a beginning horn player, I seemed to excel despite the injury. However, my embouchure started out crooked to help avoid the bad (and oversized due to the temporary crown) tooth.
2 Years passed by. I was 14, in the 9th grade and full of ego. I had an ear infection that was bad enough to pinch the nerve that controlled the muscles in the right side of my face. It simply stopped working. To play, I had to move my embouchure all the way to the left and cover the right side of my mouth with medical tape. Instead of waiting until I healed, I continued to play. Immediately after checking out of the hospital, I even got 2nd chair at the All Region competition using my funky, misplaced embouchure. (I still haven't forgotten that you beat me Jackie!)
Going back to the very beginning - right after I had started playing the horn, I had an incident where my face met a hard wood floor. The floor won. My top, front, left tooth was broken in half. At that point, I had a temporary crown put on and had it replaced a few times over the following 15 years. As a beginning horn player, I seemed to excel despite the injury. However, my embouchure started out crooked to help avoid the bad (and oversized due to the temporary crown) tooth.
2 Years passed by. I was 14, in the 9th grade and full of ego. I had an ear infection that was bad enough to pinch the nerve that controlled the muscles in the right side of my face. It simply stopped working. To play, I had to move my embouchure all the way to the left and cover the right side of my mouth with medical tape. Instead of waiting until I healed, I continued to play. Immediately after checking out of the hospital, I even got 2nd chair at the All Region competition using my funky, misplaced embouchure. (I still haven't forgotten that you beat me Jackie!)
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