[TPIN] embouchure

[Orion Development Corp - D. Arndt]

I've had real experience where this is concerned.   If I can help...

First, some questions:

1.  How long have you been playing? 

2.  What level of expertise have you achieved on your "old" embouchure?

3.  Why do you want to change?  (What's wrong with your old/existing setup?)

4.  WHAT are you changing, physically?   

5.  What are you expecting to be able to do more easily as a result?

If possible, try to affect the change through musical exericse, rather than just abrupt physical change.

If you do have to make a radical change, keep in mind:  If you've been playing for a while, and especially if you have achieved a some level of expertise - you will most likely always (ALWAYS) feel a mental "tug" to your old setup - especially when your chops are tired or abused - even after many many years of playing on your new setup.   Mental/Muscle memory is very, very strong - especially habits formed in early years and adolecense.   ALSO: Making a dramatic change really requires a LOT of knowledge of the physics of playing, and a very fine understanding of HOW YOU DO THINGS NOW, in addition to how they will work on the new setup.   So there's a bit of a catch-22 here:  To affect a dramatic change successfully, you kind of already have to know how to play.  If you already know how to play, then it begs the question.  (!)

Another thing to remember is this:  Fundamentally, the problems and challanges you face on one embouchure setup, will ALSO be faced on the new setup.   This doesn't mean that a new setup won't help you do some things more easily or more naturally - but the basic challanges of playing (sound, articulation, endurance, flexibility, range... MUSIC)... will still be there.

It's not trivial.  

- Dave Arndt

On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:49:11 -0500, dtf88 wrote
> I was just wondering what people do to rebuild their embouchure or build a 
> new one. I recently have been toying around with a new embouchure and the 
> results have not been favorable The new one feels awkward uncomfortable (not 
> painful, more foreign)  and weak. After toying around, I tried to go back to 
> my old one for rehearsal purposes until the summer when I have more time to 
> work on a new one, and find that now my old embouchure feels like the new 
> one. 
> 
> any suggestions on the best approach to this? 
> 
> -DF 
> 
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