• Hi Johnelwood – I picked up on your “letting the air escape the aperture with the tension in the corners surrounding the aperture ” I pride myself with playing with less tension (ie not over blowing) but just now I took your advice.. plenty of air.. tension around the enbouchure.. but then just almost playing with my mouth open – no concept of…[Read more]

  • Hi Johnelwood

    Another great post from you – thanks for taking the time. I am 4and a half years in still progressing day by day or rather week by week (I think of you when I get into Gladiator mode..!)
    These last 4 weeks I am focusing on how to play c above the staff with real ease and reasonance. I am focusing on shape but in a departure to my…[Read more]

  • Steve replied to the topic teeth/jaw alignment in the forum WindWorks 3 years ago

    hi
    re jaw I have been moving forward a touch and it seems to help. My idea is that there has to be pressure somewhere so i am absorbing it in the “bite zone” so as my jaw is a touch forward so that teeth aligned I can also very slightly bring my back teeth together(more tense them than close them) so I feel tension in the muscle circlce around the…[Read more]

  • Steve posted a new activity comment 3 years, 1 month ago

    Hi kzem
    I faced some of the same issues you are facing. If you want to drop us a line at 1stevelangdon@gmail.com I might be able to help.. cheers steve

  • Well done Jonnel
    You got a great thread up here and running. I like your nice clear action points – minimum effort transitions/ slurs feeling the shape . I read somewhere today that rather than fighting the trumpet we should “make friends” with it. After reading your piece I see that it is easy to take that a step further – make friends with each…[Read more]

  • Hi Johnelwood.. really enjoyed your post and good it was long cos one idea helped me most at the end – the point that the trumpet really does need very little air. I’ve never had a teacher so the first reflex I ever had with a trumpet was to blow as hard as possible – after 4 years I’m still working on unlearning that reflex and your post helped…[Read more]

  • Hi Alistair..good questions you raise about the lips. Below is a quote from Michael (Prof of physics N Z if i remember right) from Trumpet Herald forum. He was a big fan of BE. He wrote this back in 2006. Unfortunately i think he has passed away..unlike the challenges of mastering the trumpet. At least the Roll out pedals element of BE focuses on…[Read more]

  • Hi all..
    My contribution for what its worth..
    I think Greg’s approach and Balanced Embouchure (BE) complement each other very well. Both are focusing on the shape and in both tensionless playing is going to be the end result. One point where I would take issue is when Alistair writes that BE “advocates for playing with a very small aperture.” BE…[Read more]

  • Hi John
    lower case steve here.. indeed I wrote a “dont give up mail to Steve a day ago.. came up with idea that there is a lot in common with swimming and trumpet playing – all about shape, efficiency and economy of effort and 95% of swimmers (me firmly in this poor swimmers bracket although I swim up to 3 times a day in Helsinki open air pool in…[Read more]

  • hi steve .. I m also steve.. not sure if you’re still around to read this.. but I checked out your videos.. you’re like me.. 100% application.. at times i have felt like thowing my trumpet across the room.. on the video you didn’t look much you were enjoying it. I saw one trumpet pro on you tube who said she had therapy cos for a while she hated…[Read more]

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