How III ; Brass Players A book of lip building and I flexibility exercises by JnhnRidneon FOREWORD I have attempted to write a collection of supplementary exercises concentrating on the generally overlooked area of study — lip building and lip flexibility. It includes advice on the essential physical aspects of brass technique, relating specifically to breathing, resistance and the formation of the embouchure. For the beginner there is positive instruction on establishing a good approach, for the player in difficulties a basis for rehabilitation is provided and for those with a sound embouchure I have included many lip building exercises to develop range, stamina and lip ‘teasers’ to develop flexibility. This collection is not a magic formula guaranteed to transform an embouchure overnight, but rather a concise assemblage of my observations and exercises arrived at and written during years of intensive teaching and research. If, having read the text, you recognize an apparent embouchure fault do not attempt to rectify it at once. This invariably prevents a player from performing for some time, leading to frustration and anxiety, symptoms more detrimental than the original physical defect. Changes should be made gradually, working towards the ideal over a period of months. In fact ‘make haste slowly’ is the best advice one can proffer generally, but particularly in relation to lip building exercises when developing range. High notes, if they are to be produced correctly, are dependant on gradual muscular de- velopment. Towards the end of the book 1 have incorporated studies requiring lip flexibility, fingering dexterity and a facile tonque action. They are demanding but the additional range, flexibility, stamina and confidence gained through successful application of these exercises more than compensate for the hours of labour. John Ridgeon September, 1975 JOHN RID GEON John Ridgeon was born in Barking in John Ridgeon wurde 1944 in Barking John Ridgeon est ne a Barking en 1944. 1944. He studied trumpet at the Royal geboren. Er studierte Trompete an der Il a etudie la trompette a “The Royal Academy of Music” (L'Academie Royale Academy of Music during which time he Royal Academy of Music. Dabei gait de Musique). C’est a cette periode qu’il sein besonderes Interesse den physischen developed a particular interest in the a commence a s’interesser tout Problemen beim Spielen von Blech- physical aspects of brass playing. His particulierement au processus physique. blasinstrumenten. Seine Tatigkeit als work as a player, teacher and researcher La publication d’une serie de livres, Spieler, Lehrer und Forscher auf diesem aujourd’hui consideres comme ouvrages in this field has led to the publication of Gebiet fiihrte zur Veroffentlichung de reference pour le joueur de cuivres, a series of books which have become einer Reihe von Bfichern, die zu resulte de son travail comme joueur, standard works in the brass library. Standardwerken der Literatur fiber professeur et chercheur. His lecture tours have taken him to Blechblaser geworden sind. En tant que conferencier, il parcourt Australia, Japan and the USA in addi- non seulement la Grande Bretagne, Neben seiner Lehrtatigkeit in Europa l’Europe et la Scandinavie mais aussi tion to his schedule in Britain, Europe haben ihn seine Vorlesungen auch nach l’Australie, le Japon et les Etats-Unis. and Scandinavia. Australien, Japan und in die Verein- Son travail de conseiller aupres de One of the most challenging aspects of igten Staaten geffihrt. joueurs de cuivres professionels est fun his career is consultation work with Einer der bemerkenswertesten Aspekte des aspects les plus exaltants de sa professional brass players. This brings seiner Karriere ist der Gedankenaus- carriere. Ce travail de consultation lui together his three main areas of inter- tausch mit professionellen Blechblasern. permet de se concentrer sur ses trois centres d’interet preferes a savoir la est; music, teaching and physiology of Hier kommen seine drei wichtigsten musique, l’enseignement et le processus brass playing. Interessengebiete zusammen: die Musik, physiologique. das Unterrichten und die Physiologic des In education John Ridgeon has had Au cours de sa carriere dans Spielens von Blechblasinstrumenten. appointments as Supervising Brass l’enseignement, John Ridgeon a occupe Als Lehrer wurde John Ridgeon berufen plusieurs fonctions telles que professeur Teacher for the London Borough of zum Supervising Brass Teacher for the responsable pour l’enseignement des Redbridge, Instrumental Organiser for London Borough of Redbridge, zum cuivres du district de Redbridge the London Borough of Barnet and Instrumental Organiser for the London (Londres), organisateur instrumentaliste Senior Music Adviser for Leicester- pour le district de Barnet (Londres) et Borough of Barnet und zum Senior shire. He established and directed the principal conseiller musical pour la Music Adviser fur Leicestershire. Er region du Leicestershire. Il a cree et Instrumental Teaching Course at the grfindete und leitete den Instrumental dirige le cours d’enseignement de Guildhall School of Music and Drama Teaching Course an der Guildhall School musique instrumentale pour 1’Ecole and was Chairman of the National of Music and Drama, und er war Chair- d’Arts et Musique de Guildhall, et fut Association of Brass Teachers in Edu- man der National Association of Brass president de 1’Association Nationale cation. In 1986 he organised the annual Teachers in Education. 1986 organi- des Professeurs de Cuivres de conference of the International Trum- sierte er die jiihrliche Zusammenkunft l’Education Nationale. En 1986, il organisa la conference annuelle de pet Guild which brought to London der International Trumpet Guild, die L’Association Internationale de some of the world’s finest players and einige der besten Trompeter und Trompette qui reunit plusieurs des Trompetenlehrer der Welt in London teachers of trumpet. Since 1986 John meilleurs joueurs et professeurs de versammelte. Seit seiner Berufung als trompette du monde, Depuis sa nomi- Ridgeon has devoted his time increas- General Adviser in Leicestershire nation comme principal conseiller mu- ingly to the training of professional konzentriert sich seine Arbeit vor allem sical pour la region du Leicestershire, il musicians in working in education and auf die Herausgabe einer mafigeblichen s’attache tout particulierement a pro- the wider community, establishing curer un programme musical scolaire und vielseitigen Musikzeitschrift fur Access to Music which has rapidly approprie et utile a tous les etudiants, Schfiler, die eine Vielzahl von Unter- tout en explorant lesdifferentes methodes become accepted as a leading organisa- richts- und Lernmethoden bietet. d’enseignement. tion in this field. 1991 wurde er zum Mitglied der Royal En 1991, il a ete fait M emb re Associe de In 1991 he was made an Associate of Academy of Music ernannt fur seine “The Royal Academy of Music” en recon- the Royal Academy of Music for his herausragenden Leistungen auf dem naissance de ses services exceptionnels outstanding Services to music. Gebiet der Musik. dans le domaine de la musique. HOW BRASS PLAYERS DO IT JOHN RIDGEON BREATHING WELL? The trouble with most people’s breathing is that just How do these muscles bring about the change in the air when they are most in need of a good supply of oxygen pressure? The diaphragm creates a vacuum by contracting the breathing faulters. With feet up, watching TV, all downwards from its normal position (see Fig. 2). works splendidly, but the moment extra breath is required the machinery goes ‘topsy turvy’. Attractive as Miss Incorrect Breath appears in our photo- graph, her approach will not help the brass player. Fig. 2 increasing the depth of the cavity. The rib muscles add to this expansion by increasing the distance between the ribs and lifting the whole rib cage. These two methods of breathing are not entirely separate and are used in com- bination, but it is desirable for the brass player to be able to isolate these contractions at will. Fig. 1 Miss Incorrect Breath (inflated) Let us talk about the correct method of inhaling. Air is drawn in through the mouth by inducing a change of Umbilicus pressure which activates a movement of air into the lungs. There are two main ways of achieving this: 1. The contraction of the principal breathing muscle, the diaphragm, which is situated below the lungs. It separates the chest from the abdomen. When the chest cavity is increased in this way, the air 2. The contraction of the other main breathing muscles, pressure in the lungs drops dramatically below that of the the internal and external intercostals. These are atmosphere, resulting in an involuntary flow of air into the situated between the ribs. lungs. 2 Try the following you will feel the contraction of the Under normal conditions breathing out is largely a matter diaphragm. Open your mouth and throat and pant rapidly. of relaxation; rather like a beach ball when the stop is Keep the shoulders still and try to minimise the chest removed. The greater the inflation the more forceful the movement. The abdomen moves downwards and outwards gust of air emitted. The muscles used to expand the chest making room for the diaphragm to contract. Practice this cavity return to their resting position through elasticity, ‘pumping action’ of the abdomen until the ribs and without contraction. This, however, is totally unsatisfactory shoulders no longer wish to move in sympathy. to the brass player, who requires complete control of exhalation in order to produce different dynamic levels and a multitude of vibrations. Consequently he must use additional muscular contractions to support the normal breathing-out process. The muscle concerned was not, of course, included in the human body for the purpose of playing a brass instrument, and is regularly employed in other occupations such as coughing. In each case its use provides an additional supply of air. In coughing, the articulation takes place in the throat. In brass playing it is normally governed by the tongue. Otherwise the action and the effect are identical. This extra support comes from the transversus abdominus, which is in the abdomen and attached to the diaphragm. Referring again to the beach ball, the effect of this muscle is like that of grasping the ball and giving it a healthy Costal Diaphragmatic squeeze. I have already said that the abdominal muscle is used for coughing. Let us now find other ways of bringing it into use, thus discovering an awareness and ultimately control over this mysterious ‘pump house’. Suspend a large sheet of paper at arms length between thumb and finger. Now blow, so that it does not flap but is held at a steady angle. Having achieved this, increase the abdominal effort,and in so doing blow the suspended sheet even farther away from its original position. You will become acutely aware of the need for increased support in order to maintain constant air pressure. This can be directly related to the production of a sustained note free from ‘wobble’ or ‘fade out’. Inflation Deflation Now for your second trick! Hold a hand about twelve inches away from your mouth. Blow short bursts of air in Fig. 4 the direction of the hand, terminating the supply with the The vacuum created by the expansion of the chest and glottis as soon as the wind touches the flesh. Then immed- brought about by the contraction of the costal muscles is iately re-activate the muscles to produce another burst of illustrated by first expelling as much air as possible. You air. You must now be aware of the correct behaviour of the will know when this has been achieved when you begin to abdominal muscles while producing the breath necessary to feel like an exhausted container of washing-up liquid. Now articulate repeated short notes. This lesson is very valuable close your mouth and nose. Having done this, lift the rib as a great many players create an unpleasant ‘pecking’ cage until you resemble, as closely as your figure will allow, effect in this situation due to too much tongue action and the first photograph. A stabbing pain in the diaphragm area insufficient breath support. will make you aware of the vacuum created by the expan- sion of the rib cage. You need only open your mouth to If you spend time experimenting with these exercises and experience the involuntary movement of air into the lungs others of your own, gaining greater awareness of the mentioned earlier. abdominal contractions, you will be rewarded with greater control over all aspects of playing; particularly in slurring, These two demonstrations of inhalation should be practised high register playing, and tone quality. until you are totally conscious of the areas of expansion and can isolate the contractions at will. It is then only necessary to synchronise the two methods, starting with the dia- phragm and moving smoothly into costal breathing. 3 RESISTANCE Inhalation and exhalation are the primary factors of brass tone production. Having mastered these, the next logical step is control of the breath required, firstly to support life and secondly to achieve a regular lip vibration. Surplus breath is as wrong as inadequate breath. Insufficient air creates physical discomfort and lack of support for an extended phrase while an abundance of oxygen causes an explosive sensation in the chest, throat and head cavities, resulting in the inability to achieve satisfactory control for anything other than a loud passage. A smaller volume of air is required for short, soft notes in the high register than for long, loud notes in the low register, so take the trouble to look carefully at the music you are about to perform and decide in advance how much breath is required for each phrase. You will be rewarded by feeling more comfortable Fig. 5 and relaxed. Glottis Opened (Loud note) Having observed the degree of breath needed for each phrase, be conscious of the correct method of controlling the air flow in note production. When the air is projected forcibly by the supporting abdominal muscles, and is at no point resisted, the duration of the exhalation will be very short. If you are one of those players believing that any opposition to the air flow restricts tonal quality and should therefore be avoided, try the following experiment. Take your largest breath, holding the throat wide open, and produce a HAA breathily and without exercising the vocal 'chords. Now do you believe that resistance is necessary! Repeat the same thing, but this time say HAA vocally. This automatically reduces the size of the glottis and creates resistance. Even with increased abdominal support the breath lasts much longer. This high-lights the significance of resistance and leads us to ask the question, ‘at which points in the breath’s journey do we introduce Fig. 6 this aspect of production?’ May I emphasise here, keeping Glottis Reduced the analogy of the journey alive for a little longer, that (Soft note) only a ‘road narrows’ sign is recommended and not a ‘road closed’. further duties, as a volume controller. I must state here that The areas and points of resistance come under two headings: it cannot be treated in isolation from the abdominal muscles which assume the major role in this respect. The 1. Predetermined factors, which are two - the instru- glottis should be considered as a ‘fine regulator' operating ment and the mouthpiece. Once selected they cannot small changes in dynamic level too subtle for the powerful be adjusted. Sufficient to say that the very inclusion muscles of the abdomen. of these tools in the exhalation procedure stretches the duration of a breath without the inclusion of any The production of loud notes presents few problems. It is other resistor. only necessary to create the required support from the abdominal muscles and to open the glottis wide, allowing 2. Variable factors, or adjustable resistance points. First the largest possible column of air to pass freely from the the Glottis. The essential use of the glottis has already lungs through the aperture and into the instrument. Any been established in general terms. Now let me be uncomfortable explosive sensation in the throat and chest more specific. indicates that the glottis is producing too much resistance in relation to the abdominal support, thereby inducing a The basic requirement of the glottis is to control the sudden ‘bottle neck’ effect. Avoid this at all costs. The results are gush of breath from the lungs following the contraction of unpleasant aurally and in some cases can be harmful to the abdominal muscles. It is now necessary to establish its the player. 4 It is in the production of soft notes that the average player experiences most of his difficulties. How often have we heard an acceptable performance ruined by a final ‘morendo’ which wobbles, deviates from the intended intonation and finally splutters to an apologetic conclusion to the equal embarrassment of performer and audience? If you Cavity suffer from this sorry state of affairs, created through inadequate breath control, read on. Tongue An observer casting a cursory glance at this problem might be forgiven for assuming that if considerable air pressure, created by the contraction of the abdominal muscles in support of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, is required for loud notes then the reverse must be true for quiet notes. In reality nothing could be further from the truth. When we breathe out, under normal conditions, the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles return to their resting position passively, without muscular contraction. This is Mr. Average’s mistake. He relies upon the elasticity of the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles to expel air in a gentle manner so establishing a ‘piano’. This is simply not on! Firstly, he creates a flimsy sound lacking in security. Secondly, he does nothing to provide the machinery for adjusting the air supply to the note (this point will be Cavity discussed later). We have all witnessed a sheet of paper fluttering aimlessly to the floor in a totally unpredictable manner. Now that same piece of paper, dropped, but this time supported from on top by a steadying hand - not Tongue sufficient to speed it on its way but just enough to steady the fall — follows a deliberate path to the ground. The same principle applies in producing a controlled soft passage. How then do we achieve this control free from the many hazards that lend themselves so naturally to colourful adjectives? The simple reply is to utilize the abdominal muscles in the same fashion as for loud passages but with less contraction. You may say, this is all very well but surely, with the recommended abdominal support, exhala- tion will correspondingly increase, producing something It can be observed from the above diagrams that the mouth more than the volume required. The answer lies in the cavity in diagram A is much smaller than the cavity in B. control of the vocal chords, which should reduce the This is achieved by simultaneously raising the jaw, bringing size of the glottis by closing a little, thereby creating the teeth closer together, and lifting the rear of the tongue resistance to the air flow and achieving the required as if to say EEE. Note that the sides of the tongue create a dynamic. The player now has complete control and is able seal with the top back teeth preventing any air entering to manipulate an infinite number of adjustments to help the cheeks and reducing still further the cavity inside the him balance the output of breath against the ever changing mouth. The reduction of space within the mouth has two demands of the embouchure. vital effects on note pitching. Firstly the resistance con- denses the air output into a fine jet which increases the velocity dramatically and results in faster vibration of the lip surface, producing a higher note. Secondly, it offers the The Tongue. The use of the glottis as a resistor is primarily air column a smaller resonating chamber which creates a for controlling volume, whilst the introduction of the similar result as blowing into a half-filled milk bottle. tongue in this capacity is almost entirely concentrated on The smaller resonating area produces a higher frequency achieving security of pitch. Let us discover how the tongue vibration than does the empty bottle. Similarly, try tapping helps the embouchure to achieve accurate placing of notes. your teeth with a pencil forming the letter E in the advised It is important to appreciate that the tongue is joined to the manner, then gradually change the shape forming ORR. jaw and that any manipulation of one,does, of necessity, You may be surprised at the considerable deviation from adjust the other. the original note. 5 This method of resistance is commonly neglected but to the initiated, control of the numerous tongue and jaw positions provides an ease of flexibility and tone control undreamt of by many players. The aperture The final adjustable resister to the air flow is created between the red membrane of the lips. Some authorities state that the aperture is fully occupied in merely selecting notes, but in my opinion the only possible way a brass player can achieve a vibration is by causing resistance to the air stream at the aperture, thereby exciting the red tissue and the attacking air column to oscillate. One only needs to consider the effect a crescendo has on intonation — when the aperture is subjected to additional air pressure — without the necessary adjustments of resistance. The resulting Fig. 8b Jaw in forward position sharpening of the pitch is strong enough evidence to sub- stantiate my own view that the aperture is essentially a resistor. The average player’s teeth overlap at the top and it is necessary to realign them by thrusting the jaw forward. The rule regarding its adjustment is simple enough in itself This provides a flat platform on which the lips can function - the higher the note the smaller the aperture, the lower comfortably. With the framework in position it is now safe the note the larger the aperture — but to acquire the to shape the relevant muscles into the embouchure. sensitive control necessary to gain complete mastery over all these minute movements, demands understanding or an abundance of natural aptitude. Even if you are fortunate enough to be well endowed with talent and have a natural physical approach to the instrument, as some undeniably do, it is as well to pursue an understanding of the subject, for many a ‘born player’ has woken one morning to find that things were not quite right. What then? THE EMBOUCHURE The function of the brass player’s embouchure is to convert a flow of air into varying vibrations. Before considering the facial muscles involved and the skills necessary to control them, we must determine the structure on which the embouchure is founded. This is fundamental, as any maladjustment of the jaw and teeth creates production problems. It is of prime importance to establish the correct Muscles employed in forming the embouchure relationship between the jaw and the upper teeth before proceeding. Muscles A-E, when contracted, pull the flesh of the cheeks upward and outwards away from the lips. F-I pull the flesh away from the lips but downwards. Each of these muscles is powerful from frequent exercise, whilst the lip muscle K is far less developed. Unfortunately this has to support the full weight of the mouthpiece, instrument, and pressure generated by arm weight. When the lip muscle contracts it gathers the flesh into a pucker, pulling against the opposing action of the cheek and chin muscles. This results in the lips being held in a state of tension responsive to the slightest manipulation, but with the balance of power heavily weighted in favour of the outward contraction. The modiolus muscles J, placed either side of the mouth, mediate in this struggle, generally supporting the action of the lip muscle. Their anchored position influences the Fig. 8a Jaw in normal position texture of the lips when establishing the embouchure for 6 mouthpieces of various sizes - thinning the texture when How then do we shape the ideal embouchure? I firmly they are set apart and thickening the tissue when secured believe that initially the visual conception is most important. nearer the rim of the mouthpiece. Independent control of Once the picture is in the ‘mind’s eye’ the brain quickly each muscle enables the player to manipulate the focal organizes the muscles into the correct formation. Ponder point of the embouchure, which is the aperture. for a while over these photographs. When acquainted with the muscles it is necessary to exper- ience how they function. Place your fingers on your cheeks while flexing the eye muscles. You will witness the con- siderable lifting capacity of these and the nose muscles if you repeat the exercise with the fingers on either side of the nose. Next, place your fingers either side of the mouth while grinning broadly. Each contraction pulls the flesh away from the aperture. You will find it very difficult to isolate the contractions of the individual chin muscles, and as this serves no useful purpose it is more valuable to develop an awareness of their combined effort. Close your front teeth, without over- lapping, and pinch the lips. Now move the flesh of the chin down as far as it will go. If the skin takes on a gossamer Fig. 11 Correct cornet embouchure appearance you will have succeeded in achieving the tension required to balance the contractions against that of the lip muscle. Fig. 12 Fig. 10 Correct trombone embouchure Correct chin contraction Now that you have experienced all the relevant outward Now, step by step. Thrust your bottom jaw forward, biting contractions it is necessary to activate the muscle which your front teeth and closing the lips on the supporting works in opposition. The lip muscle K can be activated by framework of the teeth. Commence the contractions with hanging the end of a pencil between the lips and raising it the nose muscles by flaring the nostrils and by squinting to to a horizontal position without the aid of the teeth. This activate the eye muscles. When you pull the cheeks into a will probably cause the muscle to ache, showing the area of broad grin you will have completed the first stage of creating contraction and exposing its comparative weakness. This is the embouchure. far from being an ideal method of forming the embouchure as it encourages a bunching of the chin muscles. A void this At this point observe that the split between the red bunching at all costs. The contraction of all embouchure membranes follows an upward curve towards the ears. This muscles must be carefully balanced to provide the correct has been encouraged by the contracted muscles and must texture and maximum strength and flexibility to the area now be counterbalanced by the chin muscles. surrounding the aperture. Only when this ideal balance is achieved will you have complete control over production. One desirable feature worth noting at this stage is the pressure on the supporting structure of the teeth and You will see from these photographs that the thickness of gums, created by the cheek, eye, and nose muscles. No the texture varies from mouthpiece to mouthpiece but the possibility here for the formation of unwanted pockets of basic construction of the embouchure remains the same. air. 7 The contractions continue with an outward movement contraction it is necessary to pinch the red membrane below the line of the mouth, but before this, the firmly together. This objective will be frustrated by the modiolus muscles must be nipped at the sides of the red counter-contractions of the nose, eye, and cheek muscles. membrane. Formation of these muscles into a determined When accomplished you will have shaped your embouchure. whistle shape is the first move of contraction towards the You will have guessed that I have exaggerated each separate centre of the embouchure, fighting the cheeks and bringing movement, building, 1 hope, a rich bank of muscular the corners of the mouth closer together. In doing this you memories in addition to the visual concept. will experience considerable fatigue. Next, attempt to pull the corners of the mouth downwards by contracting the The embouchure is nearly ready although the lips and muscle G and the chin muscles. This objective will not be teeth arc firmly pinned together. (Figure 13) Minor adjust- achieved, but the upward curve of the red membrane will be ments must provide a natural breaching point for the air to modified. Here then we have a situation much like a tent penetrate. This is called the aperture. In establishing the aperture it is important to appreciate that the dimensions will vary from person to person and from instrument to instrument. It is better not to ponti- ficate on this subject but to leave it to the individual to experiment. You should however know that too large an aperture makes for a breathy, dull quality of sound, while the opposite extreme produces a harsh, brittle tone. If you have established the correct structural and muscular conditions you need only separate the teeth to make an aperture. (Figure 14) This will be too wide, and it will be necessary to nip the red membrane on either side, narrow- ing the gap. (Figure 15) Fig. 13 Forming the aperture Stage one Fig. 15 Forming the aperture Stage three Fig. 14 Forming the aperture Stage two The embouchure is now ready for launching. Before pole secured in all directions by ropes. In completing stage embarking on the maiden voyage since construction or two you will have built a fulcrum on which all contractions refit - whichever the case - I advise a period of trials with- can be balanced. out the instrument and mouthpiece. A few minutes each day, vibrating the lips and developing the range, by contracting in balance, will provide you with the ideal At this point all the muscles except the modiolus are opportunity to inspect and ensure that the muscles are co-ordinating in an effort to part the lips. That they fail, functioning correctly. This ‘running-in’ period is very suggests that the main embouchure muscle has worked in important. Remember, visual memory first, muscular mem- opposition but probably requires additional contraction to ory second. achieve a balance of power. When this is accomplished the white of the top and bottom lips will become rounded and afford protection to the muscles from the sandwiching effect of the teeth and mouthpiece. To create the additional