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
- varying the tongue shape within the mouth with greater fluency to aid with the development of more advanced techniques e.g. lip slurs
- developing the ability to alter the embouchure in order to develop a range of tone colours
- Slur with ease and control at a variety of tempi and over a large range of notes
- Slur across harmonics with a greater fluency and across a widening range
Suggested range for Programme of Study 5:
Horns, four-valve tubas and euphoniums, and trombones with triggers, should exploit the full lower range of the instrument.
Encourage learners to buzz chromatically, with and without the mouthpiece, from middle C over an increasing range, e.g. an octave.
Extend learners’ range on the instrument by helping them to develop the pedal register.
Encourage learners to practise step-wise lip slurs.
Develop rapid slurs between
- adjacent harmonics:
- first and third valves:
- and using valve combinations first and third, second and third, first and second, first, second, open (sixth to first positions).
Learners should be encouraged to find the correct jaw and tongue position for pedal notes.
Trumpet players should practise pedal notes to strengthen their embouchure.
Horn and trombone players should practise lip trills.
Constantly review mouthpiece placement and embouchure. If things don’t ‘feel’ right, help learners to identify which aspect of playing needs attention, e.g. breathing, embouchure, posture.
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