| Think of the use of pressure as in balance with the use of wind.
You'll find that in order to reduce the pressure against one's face, that pressure must be replaced by something else: wind. If you have wind and no pressure you also get no sound other than that of a lovely autumnal breeze, perhaps, but nothing that is usable for us.
What you're looking for is a balance of wind and pressure, two things that are needed to create sound. We run into problems when we ascend into the upper register and give in to the idea that we have to push harder in order to continue to produce sound. This is where the mouthpiece buzz can be very helpful IF you have a proper concept of what a mouthpiece buzz should sound like. It should, believe it or don't, sound rich, full, and reedy... like a new type of musical instrument. Since you don't have the benefit of the resistance of the instrument it's harder to produce a buzz on just the mouthpiece than a sound on the instrument.
Develop that ability to buzz melodies on the middle register. Play simple melodies that you don't have to think about much in order to play them. My favorite is "Maria". I also like "On the Street Where You Live". You get the idea? Here's the other piece; people often buzz without hearing the pitch they want to play first. That's not good because you are allowing the equipment to deliver the tone without any thought from you other than just physical effort. While doing this buzzing, a clear mental picture of the sounds you want to make MUST be there. This buzzing business must be a musical event, not a physical one.
The sound you DON'T want is a smallish mosquito tone, even up in the higher notes. Strive for as full a tone as you can in all registers. You'll fnd that if you can produce a well-buzzed sound throughout the range of the mouthpiece, in tune and with a full sound, you'll do so without the excess pressure that you're talking about. And that, of course, is what we're really discussing here: excess pressure.
ML |