[TPIN] Re: Loosening corners to help with fatigue

[Donovan Bankhead]

> I believe that tightening my corners as much as I do
> is what leads to my relatively quick fatigue.

I've got an idea for you to consider.  I'll describe what happened for
me.  You'll need to figure out if the same idea will work for you.

First of all, I think it's important that we be willing to experiment
and explore different ways to make this machine work.  I know at least
for me that I've wasted too much time thinking that repetition was all
I needed to become a better player.  All I was doing was making a bad
embouchure setup more ingrained.  Try new ideas, look at other
successful players, take lessons, keep your mind open to new
approaches, these are the keys to success.

I had a lesson with Roger Ingram in March that completely turned my
playing around.  I too was having the same problem you're having
(might not be for the same reasons, but the symptoms of too tight
corners are the same).  I found that the way I was forming my
embouchure was making it necessary to tighten the corners in order to
get the necessary firmness and compression to make a sound.  My
corners were responding to the inefficiency of my embouchure setup.

What Roger had me do was to change my setup so that instead of trying
to get the outer portion of the lips to vibrate (the part that is
usually dry, that is visible) to moving the buzz back to the inner
portion of the lips that is not visible.  This is the stuff that is
generally wet.    For ME, that meant I had to roll out my bottom lip
especially.  I actually setup by setting the mouthpiece rim onto the
wet area of my bottom lip, and then kind of roll-in from there.  This
allows the wet portion to buzz.  What I find now is that I use a
fraction of the embouchure strength I used before.  Also, my tone is
_much_ better, and playing is fun again.  Plus, my range has increased
by a fourth since March, and continues to increase every couple of
weeks by a half-step.

I may not have done a great job describing this.  I'd be happy to
answer any questions anyone might have.  Ultimately, if at all
possible, I'd suggest getting a lesson with Roger Ingram.  He's
constantly touring around the country, and he'd be worth the drive to
get a lesson.  I drove four hours one way for my lesson with him.  I'm
considering flying to NYC to take a lesson with him in the fall.  It
was that helpful to me.

Best of luck!


-- 
Donovan Bankhead
donovan at springfield-music.com
dkbmusic at gmail.com