Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-08-05 21:05
I just want to say thanks to all of you who are participating in this discussion. It's one of the best we've had on this board, IMO. (Of course, maybe I think that because it is exploring an area that has been of concern to me, in particular.)
At any rate, today I have been "ohm"-ing and keeping that jaw way open, and things are working rather well. The reeds don't seem hard today, at all, and my embouchure looks perfect when I check it in the mirror.
I think the idea of directing the air to the bridge of the nose (or behind the front teeth, tip of the nose, etc.) functions to increase the pressure on the air (and thus its speed), without increasing the volume of air being presented to the reed. It is quite a bit more of a passive way of doing things than I have usually done, and it seems to correct the "aggressive blowing" tendency that any number of knowledgeable people have observed in my playing. Time will tell!
I also noticed something else counter-productive that I was doing: I tend to let the reed rest too heavily on my bottom lip, helping to support the instrument. That's what hands, arms and FHREDs are for -- not reeds. Something else of which to be more conscious.
Susan
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