Hello Rob

The idea of the feeling and using of your top lip is the bedsheet.
The top lip reacts on the airflow.

You have to learn and practice the feeling of aaaaaaoooo to change the pitch first.

With the top lip ( bedsheet) and the bottom lip (Milk spout)
That will give you mor and more a good relaxed feeling to play a passive low c
Hope that makes it clearer for you.
Regards
Hajo🎺 Germany 🇩🇪

Hi,
I have the same problem and was wondering the same thing.
I have trouble “tightening” the corners while leaving the middle of the top lip completely free.
I must be missing something. 🙂
The concept of “No sound” is easy to understand, but that of “No top lip”, as you can hear Greg say in the videos, is less obvious.
It was actually a question I wanted to ask during a Sunday session.
When you only see Greg’s lips and he goes from low to high, the shape of the middle of the upper lip seems more to go against the teeth rather than forward and to be free like a bedsheet.
But it’s not easy to see exactly what’s going on.

Regards
Jérôme – France

Jerome
don’t think to much about the position or movement of the top and bottom lip.

I recommend to concentrate on the idea of aaaaaoooo and the feeling of milk spout.

With that movement ( horizontal) you can learn to play from nonote to low note and pitch change.

You have to learn the process and to practice the process first.

In my opinion it is not necessary to observe where someone’s lips are or how it looks like.
Important is to learn the techniques, and the feeling and repeat them.
And initialise them step by step.

That worked for me and I for my students as well.

Hajo🎺

Hajo,
I think it’s ok for me from low C to E (top staff), passively and very soft sound. But when I have to activate for a louder sound (not FFF) and/or to play higher, I don’t understand how to do with coners, aperture and top lip (bottom lip is ok with milk spout).
Is the first goal is to have soft sounds, for each note, “only” with corners, then second step : to play with a louder sound, comes with work ?

Regards
Jérôme

That sounds good Jerome
It seems you are on the right way.

You are right to increase volume you have to activate your body but not to much.

To play higher only corners in and experiment with your tongue.