Page 3: Problematic lip types - The first 3 pictures in the picture gallery below show examples of people with short top lips. This type of lip structure can be a problem because it can seriously impede a player's ability to compress down the aperture. (See fig. 1 -2 below)
(fig. 1 -1) lips in relaxed position (fig. 1 -2) lips in compressed position
A short top lip can make it very difficult to bring the lips together enough to create a seal below the top teeth so that the air has a clear path to the lips without having to first hit the teeth.
The next category of pictures below demonstrate a type of lip that I will label as "upturned". Rather than having the obvious and much more common "V" shape down the middle. (see fig 1 -3)
(fig 1 -3)
These players have a long, upward sloping arc shaped lip structure. (see fig. 1 - 4 below)
(fig. 1 -4)
It has been my experience over the years that players with this type of lip structure are generally
unable to compress or "roll" the lip down to close the aperture. For every player that has been forced to try to adapt this traditional style of compression playing, but has the type of lip structure that I have described, let me introduce a ray of hope an sanity into your lives. This style of playing is not for you. There are other ways! Rather than trying to affect a type of playing technique that is unnatural and physically impossible for the majority of players with this type of lip structure, this type of player needs to learn to use a "controlled pressure" approach. This would be along the lines of using the weight of the mouthpiece to hold the aperture in a closed position (combined with relaxing the lips into a closed position) while learning to become a master of using one's internal mechanisms (tongue-height and syllables) to manipulate the speed of the air.
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