Tongue Position
and the
War on Excessive Volume
in
Equipment
Set Up
Perhaps the most confusing of all mouthpiece conundrums is the problem
of balancing the resistance between the
player and his equipment set up.
At least once a day I get a call from a player complaining about a
feeling of tightness in the mouthpiece. A feeling that one can’t get
enough air into the mouthpiece, especially when ascending into the
upper register, even to the point of feeling choked. The most natural
reaction to this feeling, and the common wisdom in solving the
problem, has been to open things up. Open the bore, deepen the cup,
open the back bore, do all three together! However, in 95% of these
cases, in spite of how counterintuitive it seems, the answer lies in
tightening something down.
The feeling of
tightness or resistance is often a sign that there is already too much internal
volume in the set up, or not enough resistance. What the player is
feeling, in reality, is that they are no longer able to move the air
to velocity. I often ask players to imagine trying use their breath to
move the air quickly in a tube 1 foot long and about 5 inches across.
Compare this with the thought of trying to create velocity in a tube 3
inches long and the width of something about the size of a cigar. If
you actually try this experiment, you will see that the speed of the
air coming out of the end of the large tube is practically nil, while
the smaller tube will show some impressive force. Same player...
significantly contrasting results.
Successful brass playing is all about the ability to create the
velocity of air needed to play loud and high with maximum
efficiency. When the equipment set up is balanced to a personal
best 'point of velocity' for a given player, they are in control of
how fast the air is moving and how fast and accurately notes will
slot.
Benefits of a
Balanced Set Up
A balanced set up is one in which the player is able to maintain a
relaxed and open position in terms of the oral cavity. (see fig. A )
 In
figure A the tongue is in a relaxed, natural position. The back
of the tongue is down, resting between the bottom teeth. In this position the amount
of air that can be fed directly to the front of the mouth is at it's
greatest. Maximizing the oral cavity is the underpinning of a
magnificently large sound. The oral cavity, just as any singer will
tell you, is the echo chamber for tone. I have worked with countless players who
have been using mouthpieces, coupled with equipment, that have a collective internal volume that is
far greater than what they are capable of handling. They think that
large equipment means a large sound. In practice, the excessive volume
is causing them to crush down their oral cavity. The body
instinctively tries to create the resistance that is not present in
the equipment. It literally tries to create a smaller tube to blow
through in an attempt to speed the air.
Tools for
Controlling the Speed of the Air
A brass player has three physical tools to control the flow of the
air: the vocal chords, the aperture of the lips and the position of
the tongue.
The
vocal chords
( see fig. B ) can be
relaxed or contracted which varies the air pressure through the
glottis. The pitch of our voice is adjusted in this way, tuning higher
or lower. In the same way, using the vocal chords helps to regulate the
flow of the air in brass playing. Flexing the chords closes down the
air passage, compressing and speeding the air. Relaxing the chords slows the air.
Players will often make use of syllables to facilitate the control of
the chords. Syllables such as “EE”, close the chords speeding the air.
The use of syllables like “ooh” or “ahh” are meant to encourage the
chords to relax opening the air passage and slowing the air.
Fig. B
Being strapped with excessive internal volume makes getting into the
upper register that much more difficult. The player will have already
"gone to the whip" in closing down the air in terms of the physical
tools available to him and still not have been able to reach the
needed velocity. It's simple physics. The important thing to keep in
mind is that the equation is different for every individual. Nuances
in the structure of the oral cavity (high palate, low palate) tongue
thickness, teeth size, overall head structure all contribute to how
much oral volume a given individual works with.
 This is
why successful players can and do legitimately claim to use varying
techniques to accomplish the same ends.
The aperture functions in the same manner.
Players who have apertures that are more open than they should be are
constantly in the position of trying to create velocity over too great
an area. These players are usually either playing on the wrong inner
diameter size, or have been taught that if they play with an open
aperture they will have a dark sound. This is too true. The sound
is dark because with the aperture set open, not enough velocity
can be created to brighten the sound.
Fig. B (the
aperture) Players in this situation are in the same
boat as those that are using equipment with an internal volume that is
too great for them. When there isn’t enough resistance present in the
set up, the body steps in to take control by trying to regulate the
flow of the air. This is done in two different ways. The
first of which most brass players have some experience with. That
would be closing the chords and/or throat.. How many of you have been
told that you need to learn to relax your throat? How successful have
you been? This is because your body reacts instinctively to do what it
knows it needs to be done...shut things
down. Trying to relax the throat while keeping the balance of
resistance in your set up exactly the same, is a hopeless endeavor.
The body instinctively does what it needs to do to try to control the
flow of the air. When the balance in resistance is right, the player
can maintain a relaxed position longer, ascending into the upper register long before the chords and throat
stop the flow of air.
Less often recognized as a factor,
the tongue also throws itself with gusto into the breach. Closing the
chords and tightening the throat draws quick attention to itself
because of the discomfort and pain it can cause. However, the tongue’s
seemingly endless flexibility to move in every possible direction,
assume a wide variety of shapes and go from a soft, relaxed mass to a
more rigid form allows it to often go completely unnoticed…and
unchecked. When things are out of balance the tongue can wield
maniacal power over the flow of air. Most players have no clue as to
what their tongue is doing or why it is doing it. Even players who
understand intellectually what the tongue should be doing, seldom
recognize that their tongue has seized the dominant role in
controlling the air flow by raising up in the back of their mouth and
drastically reducing the amount and velocity of air that reaches the
front of the mouth. (see fig. B)
 Figure
"B" shows what happens to the tongue when a player is using equipment
without enough resistance to match their needs, or a player who is
playing with their aperture set too far open. The tongue rises in the
back of the mouth and can often be heard to be butting up against the
soft palate. When this happens the sound will go from being vibrant
and clear to having a clouded or veiled quality. The pitch will also
flatten off as the amount of air being fed to the vibrating lips is
reduced. Without a constant and strong flow of air going to the
embouchure, the lips tire much more quickly. Teachers and students
alike are obsessively focused on the intake of air.
Fig. B
Tongue up in back. The air flow (yellow arrow) is constricted.
How many are as aware of the quantity and speed
of the air
that actually makes its way out? I have witnessed, countless
times, the disconnect that exists for the player who is struggling with
the upper register and hasn't grasped the fact that there is no air
getting to the front of his mouth because the body has locked it down
in the back of the throat. Nothing is coming out in terms of sound, because nothing is
coming out in terms of air!!!
Two Possible Scenarios
If the player was putting copious amounts of air
through the instrument, as they always believe they are, not being able
to play high notes would sound like a rush of air, but without a note
sounding. This has commonly become known as playing an "air ball". The
reason for this phenomenon is all too obvious. The lips are simply not close
enough together to vibrate. However, in most cases, the opposite
happens.
The air slows continually as the player ascends
in range, until things simply shut down. The attuned ear can hear this
happen quite clearly and long before it's ill effects take a stranglehold
(literally!) The sound can be heard to be directed away from
the front of the mouth and get stuck in the back of the throat. The
tone will go from having a fundamental "ooh" or "ahh" characteristic
to more of an "ehh" or 'ihh" quality. Players most often want to blame
this effect on there being too much resistance present, but my
experience with thousands of players shows the opposite to be true. As
I have said, in at least 95% of all cases when the player is offered a
mouthpiece that has a tighter overall volume than the one he is
currently using, he will immediately exclaim, "Wow, that opens right
up!"
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