Feel lips vibrate - WindWorks Trumpet Academy by Mystery to Mastery | WindWorks Trumpet Academy by Mystery to Mastery

This topic has 2 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 5 months ago by luis.e.aguilar1.

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- 27 November 2018 at 8:42 am #12489
  
  luis.e.aguilar1
  Participant
  
  Dear Greg and fellow trumpet players:
  Not too long ago I read something about {feeling lips vibrate while playing}. I started to concentrate on this feeling and have noticed that when I concentrate on the feeling of how my lips vibrate when playing, especially when I ascend, the vibrating surface changes. I feel like every note has a different vibrating feel against my lips. Should I concentrate more on this? If I can feel my lips vibrate/ feel the airstream pass my lips does it mean that my lips are relaxed and therefore more responsive? I started focusing more on this feeling along with the body’s concert hall and have noticed an improvement. Please let me know what you think.
  Thanks!
- 27 November 2018 at 10:56 am #12491
  
  Greg Spence
  Keymaster
  
  Hey Luis, thanks for your input and for using WindWorks.
  
  This is different for everyone and you said you are experiencing improvement so who can argue with that?! 🙂
  
  My initial reaction was – observe but don’t try to control. We all play be feel but if you TRY to control the feeling, you may inadvertently begin to manipulate.
  
  If you can relate a particular feeling to each note based on its sound and store that feeling, then the body will automatically recall that SHAPE when commanded.
  
  The other thing to consider is how that feeling changes when you are fresh, tired, drunk… you know what I mean. As it says in Zen in the Art or Archery, you don’t want to be relying of “favorable conditions”, meaning playing well on a “good” day when it feel fine and you are fresh but suffering on a day when things are tough.
  
  By all means explore it and keep us in the loop.
  
  All the best,
  Greg
- 27 November 2018 at 9:43 pm #12529
  
  luis.e.aguilar1
  Participant
  
  Dear Greg thanks for your response and for Windworks! You’re an excellent teacher and trumpet player!
  
  I definitely try not to control but only observe the feeling of my lips vibrate as the wind passes. Do you feel the same sensation? I believe this feeling allows me to sense where the wind is going. At the beginning of the course I felt like to had little control over the aperture because I had no way of measuring it.
  
  Windworks is still really new to me and its quite hard for me to really say if I am improving (by simply observing my vibrating lips). I still however wonder if that vibrating feel is a clamp feeling. To make sure its not clamped I try to play a middle C or G in the staff and midway remove the embouchure to make sure that there is no buzz happening, simply air moving.
  
  thanks for your tips and hope to hear from you soon!
  
  kind Regards,
  Luis.
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