Posted by Sean Chisham on January 20, 1999 at 15:05:07:
In Reply to: Embouchure vs. mouthpiece posted by Josh Whitlow on January 19, 1999 at 21:53:23:
Feel free to play using your nose, if the quality of the product is high. You can go through a lengthy embouchure change, which may cause temperary partial disablement of product, but you will most likely end up right back where you started. The product will not be enhanced unless the mind is expanded. Arnold Jacobs allowed a great variance in embouchures and mouthpiece placement as long as the product was not diminished. For mouthpiece placement to cause dimishment would require an obviously extreme misplacement, such as playing out of the extreme corners, or possibly playing with the lips around the mouthpiece instead of within.
Take the energies you are spending on analyzing your facial position and direct them toward analyzing the phrases you are producing. Also focus them on listening to yourself through a tape recorder.
Mouthpiece placement and embouchure analyzations will provide little if any benefit, and will more likely cause many complications.
sean