In a nutshell, good horn technique is about producing a lot of beautiful tone with little effort. In other words, efficiently.
Our technique is a dynamic interplay of habits that we form over time. The better your habits, the better is your playing.
Habits get better, if you take care of them. They deteriorate, if neglected.
Your playing technique fluctuates with changes in your habits. Sometimes it improves, sometimes it deteriorates. The following is the list of Atomic habits. Practice these with every tone, exercise and piece you play.
12 habits of efficient technique 1
- Calm down
- Air comes freely in
- Air goes freely out
- Low mouthpiece pressure on the lips
- Healthy Buzz
- Prepare next note
- Activate core
- Lean on resistance (or Blow through the horn)
- Keep a consistent buzz line (catch or grasp the note)
- Bite an apple (and Plumber’s wrench)
- Beautiful sound
- Tongue Retraction (spoon vs cobra)
- Have fun, enjoy
- Always be phrasing (carry the phrase)
- Have a Pulse
Download a PDF that you can put next to your sheet music.
A full and relaxed in-breath
A sigh-like out-breath
When blowing, calibrate the speed and the quantity of air to the instrument and the mouthpiece that you are using so that the resistance of the equipment acts a sort of support upon which your air stream can “rest”, i.e. basic blowing is like leaning against a wall. Don’t push the wall: it will not give in; and don’t be distrustful of it: you can let your full weight be supported by the wall.
As you establish this trusting relationship between yourself and your equipment
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This list is based on Tom Hooten’s list ↩︎