Wider is better...

Greetings,

More today on articulation...

Quantz suggests restricted vowel sound use in flute playing. For tonguing, he suggests using an “LL” syllable alternating with “d.” Because of the width of the tongue in the mouth, “LL” feels like air in cheeks, but without any embouchure instability. A wider contact area results from using a wider tongue, also improving control of articulations.

The “LL” syllable passes air around the tongue rather than straight over it. In Linguistics, this sound is called an “velarized alveolar lateral approximant” (pictured).

This “Dark “L” sound --as said in the words "tell", "dull", "bold", "bell"--is great for flute playing. The tongue is shaped like the back side of a spoon, with the back of the tongue raised and curving downward in the front. This position helps keep air moving through (around) articulations and also makes it possible to maintain a stable tongue position.

According to Keith Underwood, “When using the double ‘L’, the tongue is less rigid and hinged in middle. It feels like the next tonguing is already in place.”

Also according to Jerome Callet (of Tongue Controlled Embouchure fame), it is best to not blow through a vowel sound because it creates too much tongue movement. Buzzing off the top of the tongue prevents this problem. Try buzzing wider in your mouth. Use a wider portion of the inside of your upper lip against a wider tongue. Some air will come sideways through the teeth, pressurizing the air. This results in more ringing in the sound without distorting the embouchure.

To sum up: the wider your tongue, the less it moves, the faster you can articulate, the less your airstream (tone) is affected by your articulations, and the more stable your embouchure will be. It’s a win, win, win, WIN!

Happy Fluting,
Catherine

"Uplifting" Thoughts

Hello,

Tonight when I was practicing (interspersing buzzing with playing my flute) I once again noticed that my tone and articulation were noticeably clearer when my embouchure felt more related to the upper part of my head (skull) rather than the lower part (jaw.)

In his Master Superchops DVD, Jerome Callet describes a good spit-buzzing embouchure as akin to licking an ice cream cone. This analogy well describes the feeling I wrote about in my May 3 post.

If the corners of the upper lip are lifted, then there is more room for the surface area of the tongue to come into contact with the inside of the upper lip, creating efficient compression of air.

Three useful warmup exercise videos for the upper lip are posted in the LeGrand Virtual Studio, Category B:

• "Rabbit Face" Exercise
• "Tongue Sandwich" Exercise
• "Miss America" Exercise

Happy practicing!

Catherine

Jerome Callet Master Superchops DVD

Greetings,

I have just finished watching (for the second time) the new 2-DVD set by Jerome Callet, advocate of the tongue-controlled embouchure and author of " Trumpet Secrets, Volume One."


The DVDs include

• 3 lessons with Jerome
• 6 testimonials, demonstrations, and round table discussion by professionals on trumpet, trombone, French horn and flute (Keith Underwood)
• printouts of images, exercises, and more

It is very interesting to see and hear how each professional has used the information learned from Jerome. Today, I kept hearing reminders about the importance of the lower lip in forming the embouchure-- what I am focusing on right now.

I will continue to share my insights on this resource in coming weeks.

For more information, or to purchase your own copy, visit Jerome's website.

Best,
Catherine

Flute Embouchure: A Rather “Square” Subject

For many years I have taught that a good flute embouchure has 4 corners: 2 corners by the upper cheekbones, one by each nostril, and, the 2 corners on the chin, below the lower lip. The location of these muscles forms a square on your face.

The exercise I call “Tongue Sandwich,” activates the Levator labii superioris (Rabbit Face muscle) and Depressor labii inferioris (Lizard face” muscle) at the same time, drawing the lips away from the tongue and encouraging an active embouchure without jaw tension.

Think of your upper and lower teeth as the pieces of bread for your sandwich and the tongue as the very generous serving of your favorite sandwich filling.

(See Dataface website, mentioned in a May post, for illustrations, descriptions and video of these muscles at work.)
http://face-and-emotion.com/dataface/expression/muscles.jsp

I have posted a video of the “Lizard Face” and “Tongue Sandwich” exercises in the LeGrand Virtual Studio for your information and amusement. “Rabbit Face” Exercise video can also be found there.

Here is a Blogger Beta trial of an embedded video. Let me know how this works.


Good Tongue-Controlled Embouchure spit-buzzing technique, as advocated by Jerome Callet and Keith Underwood, creates a rather “boxy” feel in the embouchure—a "box " INSIDE the “square,” creating an active, yet flexible, embouchure.

Spit-buzzing encourages the use of the orbicularis oris muscle (the ring of muscle around the lips) to engage by curling gently inward creating compression of air with the wide, forward tongue.

This is also a type of “sandwich.” Try thinking of it as 3 layers of Tootsie Rolls:

• Top layer: upper lip curling downward (feel with your tongue the thick tube-like band of muscles on the inside of your upper lip).
• The middle layer--the forward, thickened and widened tongue with downward trajectory.
• The lower layer—lower lip raised slightly by the mentalis muscle and curled slightly back over the tongue to support the tongue position.

I hope these ideas are useful.

Hmmm…all this talk of sandwiches...Time for lunch!

Catherine

"Spit-buzzing" with Jerome Callet and Csaba Kelemen (Trumpet)

It appears that tongue-controlled embouchure guru (and author of Trumpet secrets, Volume 1) Jerome Callet uploaded this short demo featuring Csaba Kelemen, Associate Principal Trumpet of Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, Germany, to Google Video on June 14.

Please visit Jerome's website for more information on his teaching and more previews from his soon to be released teaching DVD.

Great stuff!
Catherine

Keith Underwood and Jerome Callet Video

This video of Keith working on Bach Sonata in B Minor, BWV 1030, with tongue-controlled embouchure expert Jerome Callet. The focus of the session is articulating off the top of the tongue.

It appears that Jerome uploaded this to Google video.

Please visit Jerome's website for more information on his teaching and more previews from his soon to be released teaching DVD.

Great stuff!

Catherine

Upper Lip Images: "Trunk and Snout"

"Buzzing" the upper lip against the tongue seemed to be a frequent prescription for tone and articulation issues in lessons this week.

I often speak of how the upper lip can be strong and flexible, capable of lifting and extending itself well beyond the upper teeth and the tongue.

Did you know that a elephant trunk has over 50,000 muscles and no bones? Imagine how strong and flexible an elephant trunk is!

Try imitating an elephant trunk with your upper lip, surrounding muscles, and tongue.

Here is everything you ever wanted to know about elephant trunks and more:
http://elephant.elehost.com/About_Elephants/Anatomy/The_Trunk/the_trunk.html




Aardvarks have long tapered snouts and long tongues. Picture your "snout"--your lifted and extended upper lip --sucking in air when you inhale.




For more thoughts on upper lip and tongue position, visit Jerome Callet's website:
http://www.super-chops.com/

Happy "buzzing!"

Catherine