Thanks E, glad if my ramblings are useful.

Really feeling like I’m on a roll with my renewed focus on air.

I was feeling like I was having an epiphany or coffee moment yesterday and today.

I feel like the genius of why harmonic slurs, Stamp and Clarke are so important and effective is that, when done right, we are effectively and efficiently coordinating Shape and Air, leading with the air through the aperture and responding only as much as necessary.

It occurred to me that I at times was oversimplifying things by giving more air or clamping to much when trying to play higher or softer (above the staff).

But, it must be possible to play soft and loud above the staff, obviously, and the air required soft and loud is obviously different. But the quality and resonance of the sound should be just as good loud or soft.

I was inconsistent playing above the staff. I was playing easily and resonantly above the staff right after warming up, then having an airy/raspy sound later.

But when ascending back up in a scale, the airiness /raspiness was gone. And I wasn’t tired.

I realized I wasn’t leading with air and was slightly over engaging, or just engaging before the air or not releasing enough air.

When re-focusing on the air or starting /leading with air, the raspiness /airy sound disappeared.

When keeping the air flowing through Stamp, Clarke and harmonic slurs, or a musical phrase, we can feel the balance between Air and Shape like wind through the sails on a sailboat and (when things are balanced) achieve optimal resonance / efficiency.