Didn’t get tickets to the final shows, which is a bit sad as I’ve seen them so many times in so many different venues and it’s always amazing. Will be enjoying the final show with the virtual tickets and a dance around my lounge room. Also, I saw your Facebook video post in the Windworks group and have responded there.

After a good inhale there are (to my mind) three ways to prevent the air from out.
1) By using the middle part of the tongue to create a seal (as taught in the course)
2) Use the very back of the tongue to create a seal (which is often mistaken for closing the throat)
3) By continuing to engage the inhale muscles.

Number 1 is what is taught and…[Read more]

One point where I would take issue is when Alistair writes that BE “advocates for playing with a very small aperture.” BE does not recommend any particular set up of the lips – rather it is a set of exercises where the goal is to duplicate the sound on the cd and then the lips work out for themselves what to do.

Yes that’s true. The whole point…[Read more]

I’m sorry to hear that Greg. Nothing is more important than family. Thinking of you and your family at this time.
From Alistair

Hi Francis,
I did quite a bit of study of the Balanced Embouchure many years ago when it first came out and found it to have a lot of benefit.
It terms of describing how the lips work when playing it is quite different from Wind-works as BE describes more of rolling in and out to achieve the shape change. More of a focus of top and bottom lip…[Read more]

Don’t panic.
Do you panic because you can’t yet play a screaming double C like Wayne Bergeron? Of course not! That would be silly. This is the same thing.
This leadpipe routine that Chase Sanborn is sharing is very advanced.

Rather than panic, ask yourself, what I can learn from it? What is my reaction to seeing someone do that? What is the…[Read more]

Also, I realise I probably didn’t answer the question about bore sizes and ease of playing but that is such a personal thing it almost can’t be answered. Smaller bore horns are more efficient if you can play them (correctly) and if the sound matches what you want but in the big picture, the grand scale of trumpet playing this is such a small…[Read more]

Personally I have always found the mouthpiece has more effect on the sound than the instrument. Of course the largest factor is yourself and your mental sound concept, but after that the mouthpiece has a bigger impact on the sound and the actually instrument itself less so. The instrument simply needs to feel comfortable to hold and play and have…[Read more]