We spend so much time and effort trying to learn what the inside of our mouth should be and how to shape the air it is a pity to waste it. But that's what many of us do.
How likely are we to hit the half note cleanly? Much of it depends on what we do during the eighth notes and the quarter rest.
If we play the eighth notes nicely then we want to use them as examples, as templates for what is coming up.
Many players would move their mouths and let their throats collapse as their System changes and relaxed during the rest. Not Left Coast Players! We would try to keep our entire system as much the same as possible so that we keep our set up to use on the next note.
Consider this snippet. Now we have not only a different note after the rest but it is an octave higher! What to do..
Most players would spend the quarter rest raising their shoulders (and eyeballs), tensing the throat and perhaps taking a shallow, hamster like breath - all things that make the top note harder!
Left Coast Players know what to do. We try to keep our System as much the same as possible. We will try to aim for both Gs in the same place with as little change in our embouchure or the inside of our mouth as possible.
We will stay still during the rest and use the G eighth note as a template for the upper note. Even if we take a breath we will try to keep our mouth as still as possible.
Instead of re-creating our system for the new note we keep the one we had just been using.
If you ask most horn players what the most important note of this phrase is you will get different answers but to us there is only one - it's the first note.
It's the note we are most likely to clam. It's also the most useful note!
If you are careful and play a well supported, cleanly tongued note then you have a template, an example of how to have your system shaped for the rest of the phrase. Since we are trying to make all the notes feel as much the same as possible we want to be extra careful to make the first note nice and use it for all the following notes.
Templating is also very useful for developing low and high ranges. Start your drills in your mid range and move up or down slowly, trying to keep the mouth shape of the mid range as much as possible.
How likely are we to hit the half note cleanly? Much of it depends on what we do during the eighth notes and the quarter rest.
If we play the eighth notes nicely then we want to use them as examples, as templates for what is coming up.
Many players would move their mouths and let their throats collapse as their System changes and relaxed during the rest. Not Left Coast Players! We would try to keep our entire system as much the same as possible so that we keep our set up to use on the next note.
Most players would spend the quarter rest raising their shoulders (and eyeballs), tensing the throat and perhaps taking a shallow, hamster like breath - all things that make the top note harder!
Left Coast Players know what to do. We try to keep our System as much the same as possible. We will try to aim for both Gs in the same place with as little change in our embouchure or the inside of our mouth as possible.
We will stay still during the rest and use the G eighth note as a template for the upper note. Even if we take a breath we will try to keep our mouth as still as possible.
Instead of re-creating our system for the new note we keep the one we had just been using.
If you ask most horn players what the most important note of this phrase is you will get different answers but to us there is only one - it's the first note.
It's the note we are most likely to clam. It's also the most useful note!
If you are careful and play a well supported, cleanly tongued note then you have a template, an example of how to have your system shaped for the rest of the phrase. Since we are trying to make all the notes feel as much the same as possible we want to be extra careful to make the first note nice and use it for all the following notes.
Templating is also very useful for developing low and high ranges. Start your drills in your mid range and move up or down slowly, trying to keep the mouth shape of the mid range as much as possible.
