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Thread: Embouchure issues and questions

  1. Embouchure issues and questions

    For the longest time I have practiced long tones on a nearly daily basis. However when completing these exercises, after a while, my lips would start to quiver uncontrollably. I had thought this normal, and the quivering to mean that my muscles were tired, like after working out with weights. Yet, over time, it seemed that they did not get stronger, which worried me. No matter how much I have looked on the internet, I have not found anyone who has a similar reaction to muscle fatigue, which led me to the possibility that I may have embouchure dystonia, yet my experience does not fit the symptoms associated with the disease. My lips only quiver when playing long tones and quiver more after a lot of practice. I eventually came to the conclusion that this was because of weak lips, but was perpetuated by my habit of slightly puffing my cheeks, which I had though until recently was acceptable. Perhaps the worst part of this habit was its subtlety; when playing, my face only looked slightly bloated, rather than full on puffing cheeks, leading to it being ignored.

    This habit, from what I can tell, removed much of the stress put on my lips from playing, which is why they were weak. When correcting this habit, I made it a point of not changing my embouchure, with my ‘new form’ having tighter corners on the edge of my mouth, a more open front and back jaw, and no cheek puffing at all. My tone seems better, especially in the high register and I have a better range, but now a new set of issues has come. The first is my jaw: it seems that when I open it slightly too much, or get low that it closes uncontrollable, in a fashion similar to my lips quivering. The second is control in the low register: in addition to the movement or chattering of my jaw, I have much less control over attacks and sustained notes in the low register. And finally I have generally less flexibility, control and endurance. On my ‘old form’ I could play for as long as I liked. I could play for up to 7 hours a day (I fortunately have the time from summer break) as long as I took frequent water breaks, typically after demanding periods of long tones or high/low range work. Now I need many more breaks and cannot practice for as long. Yesterday I was able to play for 5 hours, only when spread in 1-2 hour chunks throughout the day, but when I started today, I had very little control, and then decided to take the day off. Yet this lack of control is the same kind of feeling that I have had in various degrees since I started with my new form about a week ago. Is this lack of control that I have today a result of tired lips? Am I approaching my embouchure and facial form correctly? Thank you for any help.

  2. #2
    That sounds very perplexing! It seems like your embouchure basics are OK (set corners, no puffing). Generally the muscles of your bottom lip (chin) should pull downward to form a relatively flat surface.

    I have found that too much of any one kind of practice can be a problem... not for everyone, but for some, and for me as well. Your chops have to respond during playing in a variety of ranges, volumes, etc. Long tones are very valuable, but I would not practice them moving up (or down) note by note as you go. I like to move around to different ranges with each new long tone, or maybe after a few in one range. I also don't see any harm in mixing in other practice with your long-tone practice. Do long tones for a few minutes, then work on scales or arpeggios or slip slurs, then do some more long tones, etc.

    Imaging holding your two arms straight out in front of you. For a short time it's no problem, but holding them in place for a long time can start your muscles complaining (one of the Scout troops I was in as a kid used that as a mild punishment if you were talking out of turn). Anyway, I'm not sure our chops react much differently when pressed to do one thing for a very long time.

    I can't recall if it was Clarke or Arban, but one of them said you practice for lots of time each day, but you also take breaks! He said to take a break before your chops start to tire. I think the idea was that tiring them causes unhealthy strain.

    REGARDLESS OF THE ABOVE, you may need to see a good teacher who knows a bit about embouchure and physiology.
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  3. A short story here... A colleague of mine recently developed a debilitating type of eye muscle twitching after a short period of hand-eye coordination work under magnification. Important to note, he displays no other symptoms. Similarly perplexing and disconcerting. He sought medical consult and was diagnosed with early stage Parkinson's. Lip and jaw quivering is also a documented symptom of such. For my friend, medication has helped control the symptoms somewhat. As the symptoms you describe are somewhat out of the norm it may be appropriate to seek medical consult to rule something like this out. You didn't mention your age, which obviously could be a factor, but I've observed many brass players into their 80s and even early 90s that get fatigued more easily yet don't display these symptoms. Just another perspective to add to the experienced musical advice by Dave. Wishing you the best in working through this issue.
    Bob Tampa FL USA
    Euph -- 1984 B&H Round Stamp Sovereign 967 / 1978 Besson NS 767 / Early 90s Sterling MP: 4AL and GW Carbonaria
    Tuba -- 2014 Wisemann 900 CC / 2013 Mack 410 MP: Blokepiece Symphony American Shank and 33.2 #2 Rim

  4. First of all thank you all for your experience and wisdom! It is truly a great thing to be able to contact some of the greatest players in the world. Mr Werden: This is very sound logic and I will be sure to implement this in my practicing, if nothing else it will decrease the likelihood of developing any repetitive use injuries over time. Tampaworth: I am 16 years old, so I don't think I have Parkinson's, but it would be foolish to rule the possibility of Parkinson's out entirely. Perhaps related to this, it just occurred to me for whatever reason, are random muscle spams in the right side of my body, primarily afflicting my arms, shoulder and legs. These spams feel nearly the same--I can't believe I didn't recognize the connection before!

  5. Daniel,

    I agree with Dave in that you need to consult a teacher with good understanding of embouchure issues. Question: Do you always begin with long tones? In other words, are long tones always your first note of the day? Do you just pick up the horn and play them cold? Also, how loud are you playing them? It may be possible that you need to to warm up a bit more carefully before launching into long tones. I know that long tones are not thought of as strenuous exercises. However, playing involves a lot of moving parts and it can be more physically stressful than you may think to begin the day by holding a steady pitch on cold chops, especially if you are starting your practice in the morning. Long tones are similar to holding a physical pose or a stretch...you may need to warm up the muscles first. If this sounds like what you've been doing you may consider warming up your body more with some light breathing, singing, stretching, and other movement, then warming up your chops with some low, flowing exercises for a few minutes (lip bends, chromatic movement, scale patterns, etc) and see if that makes a difference. I'm not talking about a lot of time, just 5-10 minutes. Also, do you warm down before putting the horn away for the day? Again, 5 minutes of relaxing, low flow exercises can make a lot of difference. You sound like you are very serious about your improvement, which is a good thing, but you may also be forcing a bit physically. Of course, it's really impossible to tell without observing your warm up and practice habits first hand, so this is a good first step, but a live teacher will really be able to help.
    Martin Cochran
    Adams Performing Artist
    mceuph75@gmail.com

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