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Re: making the high D to B smoother?

Author: Erez Katz
Date: 2019-05-10 20:14

>> It is my belief in all my years of teaching that you are over thinking this.

Most likely true... well, at some point in the past I must have picked up a habit of voicing that passage to avoid the high pitch artifact.
It did not occur to me it was just an over tone caused by uncoordinated finger movement. I thought it was just a squeak.

>> I've taught hundreds of students from age 12 to 70 and never remember coming across this problem.
>> If your fingers move in perfect sync there's no reason to change anything in you embouchure or air column.

Apparently they were not. But my wife noticed it the first time she paid attention to it...

>> With that said, if there is still a problem you are either changing your embouchure or voicing unconsciously.
>> Just keep a steady air column, relax and coordinate your fingers.
>> I suggest you do it several times back and forth forte in quarter notes so your air flows steady.
>> Once you have confidence play it softer with the same relaxed air flow.
>> You did not have to change anything but you probably are.

Yup. I was getting a perfectly smooth slur (for the first time) with just better finger movement. It was a revelation because I had to "fight" my instinct to (miss)voice that slur.
I quickly switched to softer playing... playing that register loudly for a duration makes my ears ring.

Thank you and the others for taking the time to write these replies.
It is an incredible thing to be able to have access to this knowledge base.

Erez

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