[TPIN] Air pressure injury? TMJ?

[MikeSpengl at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/29/2006 12:57:47 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
chappells at everestkc.net writes:

Ellis  and Jeanne, thanks for your posts.  I'd have responded sooner but I've 
 
been out of town.  I don't think TMJ is the problem, but it's  something I'll 
keep in mind if the problem persists.  Now that I  think about it, I do 
thrust my lower jaw forward slightly when I play,  especially as I play 
higher above the staff.  Is this not a common  thing?  I think I've always 
done that.

I think the problem is  I've just been trying to narrow my air stream to the 
extreme, pinching  things down to the point I'm about to blow my brains out. 
It's not helping  my range either, which is actually going the wrong way. 
Thanks again for  the info.






It's such a subjective thing. I know brilliant  lead players who play with 
the horn at an almost startling "up" angle, and  others who play at a "down" 
angle. 
 
    I've been lucky. Through the years I played with a  ("legit style") 
slightly "down" angle. After the "road rat" years of the '80's,  in the early '90's 
my regular gigs were the type where (due to regularity of the  repertoire) I 
was able to "practice" on the job in lifting the bell slightly. (I  was 
gigging regularly with a brilliant trombone player who swore by an "up"  angle). Not 
much at all, ever so slightly, but enough. It not so much  "increased" my 
range, but may have "secured" it a little more. 
 
   Without seeing your physical build, I'm taking shots in the  dark here. 
But I do believe that in just about every case, air/breath combined  with 
posture of the body and neck is most of the solution. Combined with  careful, 
attentive practice. Even if its only 15 minutes at a time. 
 
   If you have a long, thinnish neck and your extending it out  and upwards, 
it doesn't matter one whit whether you have an "up" or a "down"  angle. The 
air isn't getting through sufficiently or efficiently. 
 
  Likewise, if you're not getting enough air into the body and using  your 
entire musculature to blow it out, stress and strain will result. That's  why I 
posted those two exercises from Ed Treutel earlier. 
 
  You're already on the right track. We both chuckled at the post that  
contained the real deal basic advice (paraphrasing here) : A). "If it hurts,  
you're doing something wrong, and B). Don't do that." As well as recognizing  that 
concepts like "narrow" and "pinching" need to be gotten away from. 
 
  Time to get off the soapbox & get downstairs to the "woodshed."  In the 
hotseat (Lead) tonight- I'd better put some time in practicing what I  preach. 
And my apologies if I come off too "preachy." I'm just another guy  trying to 
figure out as much as I can and get better at it... :-)
 
    All the  best...                Mike Spengler