Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-10-25 16:57
sfalexi -
Here's an exercise for improving altissimo tone that I've posted several times.
Start pianissimo on low E, crescendo to a good forte (always under control), press the register key gently to go to middle B and diminuendo back to pp. Then go to F/C, and so on. When you get to A, start going up to the third register (A/E/C#, etc.) as you begin the diminuendo. Work to carry the low register warmth and roundness into the second and third registers. Work the transitional finger motions very slowly. You should not know exactly when you will jump from one register to the next.
Tone quality is controlled first by breath, and next by your lips, tongue, palate and throat.
You have to keep the sound "on the breath." That is, there must be a direct connection from your breath to the sound. The sound has to feel like a part of you. To do this, you have to breathe more deeply that you're probably used to doing. Inhale from the bottom and continue until your rib-cage expands and rises by itself. Then, relax and let the air come out without effort. The feeling is of "relaxing" rather than "blowing."
At first, you may feel that there's not enough resistance. There's a great temptation to close off your throat, as if you were almost coughing or speaking, to give something to blow against. You have to teach yourself what it feels like not to do that.
To keep your sound vibrant, you have to make sure only about half the red part of your lower lip is inside your lower teeth. From that basic position, you can add high harmonics by pulling more of the lip outside your teeth, and cover the sound by putting more lip inside.
Try raising your soft palate (opening your mouth and watching in a mirror will let you connect the feeling and the position). Next, raise the back of your tongue and lower the front of your tongue into a "ski jump" shape.
It helps me to lower my jaw and pucker my lips slightly. (I play double lip full time.) This isn't what you do all the time, and the movements are very slight. Kalmen Opperman says to concentrate on keeping an "OOO" (rhymes with "too") quality in the sound. Concentrate on letting the air flow, rather than blowing.
Finally, listen to the great players, in as many styles as you can. The more you listen, the more possibilities you have, plus getting good examples to learn how to do. It's not enough to have a good tone. You must have many good tones.
This is all easy to say, and a lot to learn. You can't do it all at once, and it helps a lot to have a teacher listening. Do one thing at a time, until you can do it without having to think about it. Then add the next.
There's no end to learning.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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