Posted by Greg Crider on March 25, 2001 at 22:49:13:
In Reply to: Low and Loud posted by Brian on March 25, 2001 at 10:13:18:
Much of the problems brass players have in playing low notes with great volume come from three things: 1. is your embouchure open or pinched? 2. are your teeth and throat sufficiently open? and 3. do you change the set of your embouchure for the low notes?
Pick a comfortable note in your middle range and sustain it for a second or two, and then move chromatically down, sustaining each note with good volume. Find the point at which your notes start to choke down, and ask yourself these questions: am I changing the set of my embouchure? (You shouldn't make much change in your lip position or the set of the corners; most of the change should come from dropping of the jaw and opening of the teeth as you go lower) Are you trying to loosen or jam the mouthpiece or thrust your lips forward or into the mouthpiece? (Again, keep your embouchure set and don't make radical changes for any note; let open throat and dropped jaw help. By the way, the dropping of the jaw will not be nearly as pronounced on euphonium as it is for tuba.)
As you work on these notes, remember that playing pedal tones can help your relaxation. They take a lot of air but don't need to be played at maximum volume. Always play pedals with the fullest tone that you can possible get, and never be satisfied with blattiness.