Greetings,
About three weeks ago, I was practicing my buzzing while driving (Yes, I buzz in my car. It's great to be warmed up already when I get to the university or a rehearsal!) and I noticed that my upper lip and tongue were in a great relationship, rather like a ballroom dancing partners responding to slight pressure and gesture from the other.
Then I started thinking about the Chopstick Exercise, and it "hit me" to try the Chopstick Exercise, emphasizing the relationship between the upper lip and the tongue with the chopstick on TOP of the tongue!
I did not post about this immediately because I wanted to test out the effects of doing this over time before suggesting it to you.
My experience is that working this way a few minutes a day helps me to lift my upper lip--in fact, to lift my entire embouchure, activating the zygomatic major muscle, encouraging the tongue to stay wide, and allowing for much flexibility with the center of the lips.
When doing this exercise, please remember to keep the tongue in relationship with the upper lip. The benefit seems to stem from doing it with this focus. I suggest starting out by buzzing with the chopstick in this position.
Try it for yourself!
Please let me know how it works for you.
Catherine
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