What I Learned from Bobby Shew Regarding Aperture Importance and Control

Yes Donavan I’m actually in the middle of rediscovering my embouchure and your videos are confirming many recent discoveries - things I was never taught. I also recently took a few lessons with Bobby Shew and this is also makes sense with the simple approach he has given me - keep these coming and thanks so much !

I saw in an interview with Wayne Bergeron that he observed Maynard played with his tongue between his teeth and lips. And if you look closely at the Allen Vizzutti video of "Fire Dance" that he did with the Jazz Rebel Alliance, there was great camera work that showed his tongue forward.

Thankyou, great stuff as always

Here’s another thing that I discovered for ME- relative to all this - my tongue touches my top lip to interrupt the air - which keep my tongue high in my mouth and helps shape the air in my mouth for the upper register - watching these videos and thinking about all this for myself this discovery has improved my range, facility, tongue speed etc - a complete and total reversal to what I was taught 50 or more years ago!!!!

This is a pretty genius thing to understand and learn to use. Absolutely awesome free lesson here. Love these videos. By the way, thanks for the Solo Max. It’s a dream of a trumpet! 😇

This perspective is very helpful. Thank you!!

I agree with your comments, thank you

Great stuff. Bill Carmichael said much the same in a lesson I had with him. Seems like the lead player’s tongue is visible during taking a breath.

Donovan, Herbert L. Clarke was also trying out these ideas (he called it a "stunt"): In a letter from Clarke to Fred Elias dating 10/11/1940 he says: Dear Fred: Up to your old tricks again with your betting on high tones. I wrote you last Monday from my country home in in Garden Grove, posted it in Santa Ana, where we had dinner, and found yours of the 4th when I returned Tuesday at Long Beach. So you still want to increase your range of the cornet: Especially at your age. Well, there is a trick I used to practice when travelling with Sousa, when my lips did not seem to respond after being up all night with local town bands, and playing my usual solos the next day. You know the condition, eh? Well, by practicing this "stunt" carefully, knowing just how to get each interval, correctly from high "C" up, I have often reached two octaves above "G" in the top space of the scale...Sometimes higher. This takes no strength, power nor strain. It is so simple that one is astounded at the results. Of course one must have a good embouchure and control of thde lip muscles. It is difficult to explain, but easy to demonstrate, and is scientific. When you form your lips to porduce the above "G," just touch your tongue, very slightly, to your bottom lip, the tip, which throws the tip of the lower lip up towards the tip of upper lip, using much power. The tone is produced to the inside of upper mouthpiece at an angle of 45 degrees, instead of blowing straight into the throat of the mouthpiece as one does in playing the cornet. Try it, after you have gotten the idea. I can do it without any embouchure, any time. But it must be practiced to get results.

Leon Merian also used a ‘sneer’ to lift his upper lip creating a bigger aperture. So the upper lip is more forward and the tissue inside is vibrating. You can feel some tautness under your cheekbones when doing this. Not stretching but lifting.

Good talk Donavan. Would another way of phrasing this be “The tongue is supporting the lower lip and not allowing it to collapse toward the teeth resulting in the maintenance of the aperture opening”?

Hey Donovan! Which Van Laar flugel is that behind you? BTW, same experience with Bobby. You bad I didn't get it then, TOO!

I'd be interested to hear Bobby's response to this.