Shortcut: Giving air support a better chance

Same story, all over again: It´s always a good idea to check whether the air support of the horn works properly. This is related to the widely opened structures around the larynx (pleased read in the chapter about posture).
Even if you do not feel any disturbances in this area, there may occure obstractions caused by a kind of cramped vocal folds.
This reduces the air stream you need for playing and singing.
Check out :
Do you have a full resonant or a weak voice?
Can you sing low notes resonant and easily? (Doesn't mean low Eflat for a tenor!)
Mental training: Watch Italian tenor singers. Try to sing as free and strong like they do.

The more uncomfortable this feels, the more your habitual posture differs from the better one. Aching muscles, particularly in the back, are not an unusual effect when doing changes like this. Do not hesitate to try on if you could improve your sound while playing with less effort.

Maybe you want to take some singing lessons, if possible, just to acquire basic techniques.
Singing will adjust the tension of the vocal folds and open them for the streaming air.

If you tried all this to no avail, get deeper into the subject:

1. Get started with an overview. Post yourself in front of a mirror. Check posture. Check dental status while closing the bite. Remember the correct examples: Straight posture, ANGLE CLASS 1? Watch differences.
2. Examine step 1 playing your horn.
3. Check your sound quality critically. Check pp. Can you manage to keep a warm, full bodied sound, even in ff? Straight tone?
4. Check staccato quality as well. Try fast staccato like appearing in army signals.
5. Check quality of slurs. Use at least 4 or 5 tone steps, octaves etc.

Depending on what your exploration shows, ask for professional help ! Ask your teacher ! Not every performance problem is related to physical disorder !

If you think, there could be dental problems, it will be a good idea to contact a dentist who knows about special horn players needs. Ask your dentist whether he knows!

If you found lack of good posture, try to find reasonable help by contacting an orthopedic specialist or even a chiropractician.

If you got orthodontic problems, make sure, your treatment planning at the dentists place covers combined exploration by an orthopedic specialist. It does not make any sense trying to correct ANGLE CLASS 2 while leaving a question mark body shape untreated. The dentist will fail.

Make sure, both specialists work syergistic. It´s a rotten idea to let them work against eachother. The one should know what the other intends to do for your case. In fact, closing your teeth, biting together like shown on ANGLE CLASS pictures, is the key of your body posture while it fixes the head position first. And vice versa, as long as you are a still growing young individual. Do not think so? Then bite (slightly) and move your head back and forth and change body position and feel what happens. At least when equipped with ANGLE CLASS 2, you might feel how the mandible wants to move.

As mentioned above, do not treat yourself without competent help! Countless hours spent in fitness studios will not solve the problem!

Posture is very much related to neurophysiological manners. It requires a huge amount of patience and care to save changes and have them work in a proper subconcious way. It is a subject with a hard way to go!

By the time you will find yourself coming out of trouble, may be with a new shape, better body feeling and increased playing ability.

Go for it !

Refer to "David Liebman - Developing A Personal Saxophone Sound" - Dorn Publ., Mass. USA.

Top of page Copyright Dr. Jochen Dornbusch 1999