TMI (Too Much Information): The Embouchure

You know what the best part about playing fourth horn in an orchestra is?

Getting to play fourth horn in the horn quartet.

I am very lucky to play in the section here. Not only do they kick butt at playing the horn, but we all get along. I mean really, how often does that happen? On top of that, they all contribute so much and are some of the best teachers I've encountered.

Last night we sightread a piece by my colleague, WJM and it is incredibly beautiful. I'm looking forward to working it up to performance level and hopefully getting an opportunity to perform it. I am astounded at his talent.

This evening JD is going to come over to help me sort out this embouchure thing. He went through the same thing a few years ago, and he's smart, so I think he will have a lot to offer. On Day 1 and 1/2 of this thing, I am thinking it is the right thing.

Horn player details: I'm finding an anchor on my bottom lip that I never had before because the lower lip was tucked so far under. I think I did this because I used to play with the mouthpiece 1/3 upper, 2/3 lower, the opposite, of what it should be, so when I moved it up I brought the lower lip up as well. Then, when I had to learn to play high it got me by. Unfortunately, doing this means I pin my upper lip and eventually, when I'm at all tired or sometimes when I'm not, the upper lip just quits vibrating and the notes don't come out. On top of that, the aperture is severely obstructed denying me a clear sound and making me work a lot harder than I should. Besides, I'm missing out on 1/3 of the possible vibrations since my lower lip is not in the picture at all.

I can definitely get through the next 3 weeks (playing 2nd on the Dances of the World program and 4th on a ballet) no problem with the new embouchure. And I think by then it should feel normal and I will be at least close to the level I was playing at before, with a lot more room to grow. Hopefully the brass quintet and the horn quartet and the roomies will understand in the transition period. It'll be over by the Ka'na Yaan concert on March 29th, I promise.

Was considering delaying this change for after our week off, but I might as well not wait. After all, there's no time like the present!

Next on C de C: Swooning and What's the Real Classical Music? per request of good friends.

Unfortunately they'll have to wait as there has been no swooning this week due to economics exams on one end and grant applications on the other and I lost the inspiration to think about what's happening to classical music in our society. AD, maybe you'd like to guest-blog about this one?