Vibration - pitch
In order to change the pitch, just changing the length of the tube is not sufficient. Because the same length of tubing can produce several overtones, the fundamental frequency of the lip vibration must be correct for the desired note. Should this be a new paragraph or the same?
The lips are living human tissue like vocal cords so it is impossible to tune them mechanically. Tuning a string or a membrane is much simpler in this respect. Many factors like the elasticity of the lips (bulk modulus), the tissue construction, and the mass and shape of the vibrating area have an influence on frequency. Should this be a new paragraph or the same?
With practice, brass players manage to develop a so called “embouchure” meaning, among other things, the ability to adjust the properties of their lips very precisely to produce the desired specific frequencies at the right moment. The lip muscle's forces and the mouthpiece pressure (what a pity!) in addition to the lip tissue construction influence the elasticity of the lip. Should this be a new paragraph or the same?
There are many more or less reliable theories about “embouchure building” – in fact it’s a very individual thing. From old or new method books everybody can pick up things that work best for him or her, or make his or her own collection of studies. Anyway the natural laws are the same for everyone and it is a waste of time to fight against them. For muscle training the same principles are valid as in sports: short lasting, fairly strenuous studies for increasing power and long lasting, light studies for improving endurance. Of course both are necessary, as long as the sensitivity of tone production is never sacrificed. The warm up and the balance between practice and rest are also very important in embouchure building.
About players’ physiology
High efficiency in transforming the air stream’s kinetic energy into sound wave energy is absolutely necessary for good tone production. Practically, this means the ability to produce pure sound without extra noise in a very sensitive way. The threshold pressure needed for lip vibration should be minimal (depending on the register, of course). Power, endurance, register, nuances and flexibility are important for a brass player, but when developing them, sensitivity and tone quality should never be neglected.
For high notes the lip vibrator must be tuned tight enough (the returning forces are greater than for low notes), otherwise fast vibration is not possible. In this case, starting and keeping the lip vibration needs higher air pressure, but the air pressure doesn’t make faster vibrations automatically.
A high air pressure or a fast air stream doesn’t make high notes. The air stream is also fast in low, loud notes. This reason-result relationship is sometimes confused or misunderstood. A higher air pressure is necessary because of the more tightly tuned embouchure. The air pressure inside the player can be very high at certain moments, but a well trained body can stand this and it is usually not harmful. In every kind of training the player should use common sense and listen to his/her body’s feelings.
The player’s lips often have to work in uncomfortable circumstances, because they are pressed (more or less) between the mouthpiece and teeth. Higher and louder playing will increase the mouthpiece pressure; this has been verified in many tests and in practice. This external pressure should be minimized, but there will always be a certain, individual amount of it. A well formed embouchure can stand it provided that the player is effectively using the internal power and elasticity of the lip and face muscles. Blood circulation in a loose tissue will easily be blocked under strong pressure and this results in early fatigue, or can even damage the muscle tissue.
SKILLS SUPPORTED BY KNOWLEDGE
Building up a well controlled embouchure and tone production always takes time and needs patience. There is no shortcut or magic method. Independent of the method and point of view (physical, physiological, mental) the final result is the most important.
Some players think that the “natural method” is enough – if one has a mental image of the goal, the body will automatically find the right functions. In the best case, mental images work very well. Some others want to develop their skills in a more analytical way. Anyway, we all work under the same laws of nature. The knowledge based on them is not harmful to anybody. Instead, it can be harmful if one’s opinions are based on indefinite beliefs, rumours, and misunderstandings or if they change very often.
Maybe only some kinds of problems make a person willing to acquire knowledge. Unfortunately, then it can be too late. Even if brass playing is a skill, not a science, some suitable amount of knowledge can help much in its development.
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