GETTING TECHNICAL

ARTICULATION PART I

Embouchure Formation All the action of inhalation and exhalation has to do is ration air to

the embouchure and ‘if breathing is correct, the embouchure will

tend to form and develop correctly’. This simplistic statement by

renowned American teacher, Buddy Baker, illustrates the ease and

harmony that one should strive for in producing a natural and

fluent approach to brass playing. After breathing, the embouchure

or formation of the face muscles is the next most important factor

in establishing a secure tone and technique on a brass instrument

but probably causes the most concern to players when not

functioning correctly.

If one looks at the muscular structure around the mouth as

demonstrated by the neutral human expression demanded by a

passport photograph, one sees ‘the brass players face’. Lip slightly

puckered, corners of the mouth pointing downwards or as ‘close to

the facial mask’. Universally referred to as the embouchure, the

word is derived from bouche, the French word for mouth (in fact,

French speakers also use the word to describe the actual

mouthpiece of a brass instrument). A thorough definition of the

brass player’s embouchure is given by Philip Farkas (former

Chicago Symphony Principal Horn) in his comprehensive booked

entitled ‘The Art of Brass Playing’: ‘The mouth, lip, chin and

cheek muscles, tensed and shaped in a precise and cooperative

manner, then blown through for the purpose of setting air-column

into vibration when these lips are placed upon the mouthpiece of a

brass instrument’.

It would be nice to think that this concept of controlled tension of

the muscles around the lips or ‘facial isometrics’ was as

straightforward as suggested. In fact, there exist two quite

opposing views as to the actual method required to vibrate the air

column within the instrument in order to produce the upward series

of partials successfully. Samuel Burtis, American jazz trombonist

and teacher usefully refers to these methods as ‘fixed embouchure

or multiple embouchure approaches’.

In his oft quoted book, Trombone Technique, Denis Wick provides

a textbook definition for the ‘fixed embouchure’ method,

accurately describing the ideal embouchure as the subtle co-

operation of this complex muscular structure, epitomizing the ‘one

embouchure for the whole range’ school of thought. ‘To begin

with, the lower jaw should be pushed forward until the teeth are

opposite, and arched slightly downwards. With lips pursed, as in

whistling, they are buzzed by pressing them together gently while

blowing air between them. The cheeks should not be distended, but

allowed to remain in a natural, relaxed position. There should be

the merest suggestion of a smile to pull against the pucker’.

The opposing belief is that there should be a separate embouchure

setting or shape for every interval of approximately a seventh and

that one should develop the ability to move seamlessly between

these akin to ‘the break’ on a woodwind instrument. In my

experience, however, this method is only moderately successful.

One common problem lies in the psychological approach to

embouchure formation, where perhaps the most natural instinct is

to attempt to reproduce the sound one has heard from a revered and

respected player from one’s subconscious. We all possess mixed

abilities to imitate, which can give rise to players solving problems

in a somewhat unorthodox and incomplete manner. This is often

true of the ‘self taught’ player and in particular the world of jazz

where players are eager to express themselves, sometimes

prematurely, through dazzling improvised tessitura. The result is

usually the ‘stretched lip’ or ‘smile and press embouchure’ which

brings with it inherent dangers.

Advice given by some tutors in the early part of the twentieth

century, recommends one to smile and stretch the lips like strings

over the front teeth. As the cultivation of tone depends on the

vibration of the lip, this solution does seem contradictory, putting

too greater demands on one set of muscles. Its excessive use,

historically, can leave players with permanent muscular damage

and the frustration of not being able to play in mid or later life.

Renowned for his high ‘ballad’ style of playing, one might expect

jazz trombone legend, Tommy Dorsey to subscribe to the

‘stretched lip’ method favoured by others in his era but instead he

advocates that ‘the muscles of lips are made rigid by contraction

and not by stretching’. The use of the word rigid implies the use of

tension, which Dorsey goes on to qualify: ‘this does not mean that

the corners of the mouth should be tightly closed but on the

contrary, they should remain in a relaxed, natural position’. As the

information in his excellent trombone method suggests, Dorsey

may have been a pioneer at this time, insisting on fundamental

playing principles rather than speculation.

Facial Muscles

This diagram illustrates the complexity of the human embouchure

but the brass player need only be familiar with the main functions

of this structure.

Obicularis oris - ‘clown muscle’ surrounding lip.

Triangularis - mouth corners down and sideways.

Platysina - lowers jaw (yawning).

Buccinator - flattens cheeks keeps lips taut.

Zygometicus - mouth corners up and sideways (smile).

These muscle functions, however, admirably demonstrate the

potential for imbalance and the areas prone to misunderstanding

and weakness.

Buzzing

A range of terminology is used to encourage natural embouchure

formation from pronouncing the letter ‘M’ to creating a

combination of ‘smiling, whistling and pucker’, while the practice

of ‘buzzing’ is also widely recommended. After inhaling, one can

purse the lips, mouth corners down against the teeth and force air

between the lips causing them to produce a rather unrefined, ‘airy’,

pitch. This very successfully simulates the shape and tension

required to produce a note on the instrument. ‘Buzzing’ on the lips

alone creates ‘an inside look at playing’ but in excess can cause

stiffness. Although I have found no definitive medical evidence on

this subject, common sense might suggest the possibility of

weakening the ‘pucker’ and stretching the lip with too frequent

use. Dutch Bass Trombone virtuoso, Ben van Dijk usefully

suggests periodically relaxing the lips between playing by

producing a very wide frequency vibration or ‘horse sound’ to

promote endurance. However, as in the case of posture, one should

not under estimate the possibility of repetitive strain injury if the

embouchure is not treated with respect. Buzzing’ also allows one

to strengthen the cheek muscles, which are prone to distending

when the instrument is played in the low register and to dispel any

build up of air between the lip and the teeth (air pockets). These

two common problems are universally discouraged and only serve

to weaken the embouchure thus causing tonal insecurity. Indeed,

Dorsey goes as far to warn that ‘cheek puffing’ might even ‘be an

impairment to health by forcing air into the brain cells!’.

Lip Profile

Debate has arisen historically as to whether just one or both lips

actually vibrate during performance. On this subject, Lloyd Leno

has produced a study using high speed photography to record the

working embouchures of eleven different trombonists. Comparing

the function of a brass player’s lips to that of a double reed, Leno

concludes that both lips do in fact vibrate. In addition, he found

that the lips actually vibrate at exactly the same frequency as the

air required to produce the required note from the instrument,

adding that the vibrations initiated by the lips are then improved by

the natural overtones produced by the instrument itself.

To conclude, as one synchronizes increases in air speed and

downward tension at the mouth corners, the pitch should rise.

However, the temptation to allow the lower lip and jaw to recede

will be very strong, causing the lower lip to roll over the lower

teeth and eventually tuck under the upper teeth. This will

eventually lead to an abrupt halt in the rising pitch, chronic

sharpness and poor tone quality (when instrument is added) and at

worst, a total blockage when only a small amount of mouthpiece

pressure is used.

Happy buzzing !

Further reading material :

Buddy Baker The Buddy Baker Tenor Trombone Handbook (ed. K. Carroll)Texas: International Trombone Association Manuscript Press, 2001

Philip Farkas The Art of Brass PlayingMichigan: Edwards Brothers Inc., 1962

Samuel Burtis The American TromboneNew York: Samuel Burtis, 2000

Denis Wick Trombone TechniqueLondon: Oxford University Press, 1971

Tommy Dorsey The Modern Trombonist New York; Embassy Music Corporation, 1944

Lloyd Leno ‘A Study of Lip Vibrations with High Speed Photography’ International Trombone Association Journal

xv/1 Winter 1981