Hi.
I have read an article which says that trumpet players and flute players that have apple drop on their upper lips have difficulty in targeting higher notes. Its because the lip cant vibrate very much. Is it true??
How about french horn players with similar case? Please give me your opinions. thank you very much.
I have read what you are talking about.
I understand the logic behind the thinking.
I don't think that it is so true as to affect you enough on the French Horn.
What I mean is the 'studies' I am aware of technically prove the statement to be true. However, unless you are interested only in playing 1st or 3rd in Chicago,Cincinatti, or some other mega major symphony I do not find it applicable.
It's like an olympic athlete. I can do all the training I want with the best coaches and I will never be an olympic 100 meter medalist. I was not born with the perfect set of fast twitch muscles required to do so. I was born with distance running muscles. And I can run for quite a distance, but again, not born with the specific belnd of muscles to be an lympic athlete.
Horn playing is the same. That extra little flesh should not affect your playing enough to worry about anything. If for some reason you are considering a 1st or 3rd position in a major, mega, symphony and you have an unGodly amount of talent you could consider surgery. But, I kow a lot of brass players with different sized and shaped lips and with or without that little extra apple drop there are more important things to worry about.
A protruding top lip (PTL) is a common problem and definitely inhibits upper register development if the player doesn't get specific corrective embouchure instruction. It takes a very specific technique to overcome the PTL. Jeff Smiley, an embouchure expert, has a method that specifically addresses the PTL. His method has helped hundreds of trumpet and horn players overcome the challenges of a PTL as well as other embouchure issues (such as the "broken embouchure" where the top lip overlaps the lower).
Email me and I'll be happy to tell you how to get Jeff's book as well as my adapted version of the exercises for French horn. I offer follow up technical support for any horn player working Jeff's program. (It's called "The Balanced Embouchure.")
I'm working with one horn player that has a severe PTL and he is making very nice progress. He's over 60 years old and came back to horn about 9 years ago. He was so excited when he played his FIRST high C ever at the age of 65!
Valerie Wells
"The Balanced Embouchure" for French Horn
Wells123456@juno.com
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