Embouchure
- Maintain an appropriate and functional embouchure, suitable for the particular instrument, with relaxed lips supported by the corners of the mouth:
- gradually strengthening their embouchure over an increasing range and duration
- developing the ability to vary the tongue shape in the mouth (oo, ah, ee) to aid with the development of an upper register
- developing the ability to alter the shape of the embouchure in order to maintain a centered sound across the register
- Slur with more ease and control at a variety of tempi and over an increasing range of notes
- Slur across harmonics with a greater fluency and across a widening range.
Suggested range for Programme of Study 4:
Horns should now be working towards development of the lower octave down to CC.
Ask learners to buzz chromatically, with and without the mouthpiece, from C to G (a fifth).
Teach learners pieces that help them build up stamina of embouchure.
Introduce exercises to raise learners’ awareness of the muscles involved in forming an appropriate embouchure, e.g. holding a pencil in the lips at 90 degrees to the teeth. How long can they hold it for? (These exercises also strengthen the muscles involved.)
Ask learners to compose a short piece incorporating slurring across harmonics, e.g. an Alpine dance starting with the phrase GEC.
Encourage learners to buzz on the mouthpiece moving through notes of the harmonic series, so they can feel the natural movement of the tongue as the pitch changes. Try the same activity with the instrument and discuss what difference the tongue makes.
Explore the progression of this Learning Objective
Continue exploring the current Programme of Study
