Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-10-16 12:53
My understanding of the "reed only" exercise is that it is not about pitch. I suppose one *could* determine what pitch or pitches are occuring, but I don't think that is the point of the exercise.
The point of the exercise is embouchure development -- to get you to a point where you can hold the reed steady, consistently in one place, without biting, and tongue at the same time, without having the reed bobble around.
As Judy notes, every little movement of the reed creates a corresponding modification of the pitch. That's what we *don't* want to have happen (at least, not unintentionally) when we are playing -- we want to maintain a consistent pitch center.
The angle of the reed is important. You don't want to hold it straight out, trumpet-like. Rather, it should be a bit angled down, as if it were in the instrument.
In my case, this exercise was helpful, because I was definitely not holding the reed firmly enough, or in a consistent position. I was bobbling it like crazy -- and my pitch center was all over the map. I had to learn to get my chin down and my (turned-in) lips rounded around the reed.
Once I "got it", though, it was like riding a bicycle. Today, if I am practicing and feel that things are a little off, I go back to the "reed only" exercise for a minute or two, then try again, and it almost always clears things up.
Susan
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