Re: High register


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Posted by Art H on April 25, 2002 at 23:29:49:

In Reply to: High register posted by K.G. on April 25, 2002 at 00:49:21:

OK, here is the real answer:
When you play up high you firm up your lip muscles. Some of us do not have wide, flat faces; the middle portion of the embrochure protrudes forward to some extent. But to prevent air from escaping from the sides of the mouth that protrusion needs to be pushed back. That requires more effort when the muscles are firm, as in high-register playing, and leads to the tooth pain that you describe.
I believe that may be the reason why Bill Bell advised Don Butterfield to puff out his cheeks a bit, so that they would contact the mouthpiece at the sides without so much pressure in the middle. (Perhaps you should ask Mr. Butterfield about that)
My own solution to the problem was to re-shape the rim of my mouthpiece to fit my face. I found that too much "wrap-around" curvature messes up the low register, but a little bit really solved the high-register problem for me.


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