Whole Body Music

Working with BE (Balanced Embouchure) on the horn has greatly increased my understanding of how the embouchure is formed and how it works. The information and exercises provided give a great overview of what it is you're trying to do with your lips on the mouthpiece. I finally understand what Farkas was talking about with the example of the string bag on the coffee can and what Tuckwell meant about pedal tones being a great way to improve embouchure.

The way I had been using my lips was sort of like strumming the guitar using only the wrist and not the whole arm along with it. The same thing is at play when I stand when playing the horn or flute or sing and can move and breathe with my whole body, not just from waist up when sitting.

Part of the problem is that in being so focussed on the finer points of music and music making, I was not appreciating the full physical nature of creating music. Using your full body in as natural a way as possible leads to better technique and better music.