Embouchure Gymnastics

Gymnasts work on various equipment and wind players do as well; mouthpieces in particular.

That's where I got my thread title.

I played brasswinds for many years and woodwinds, reeds, for a little less than one year now and I can say that, at this point, for me, my brass embouchure translated to woodwind far better than woodwind translates back to brass.

After playing brasswinds for so long, when I first played sax my embouchure felt very strong. I was surprised at how comfortable and smooth the changeover was.

Well, just now, I picked up a brasswind for the first time in about eleven months and I can say pretty conclusively that the effect doesn't work in reverse, at least not for me.

My brasswind embouchure is practically non-existent.

This is good, I tell myself. Now I won't ever have to waste time on brasswinds again. They've had their day. I can sell them off and buy more woodwinds.

Woodwinds are so much more elegant anyway, both in design and function. I'm loving playing again.

But still, it was really a surprise about the brasswind chops. I thought I'd have something left. I felt like I was playing raspberries into the mouthpice. No set whatsoever. I mean, I had the muscles around the mouth but the chops themselves on the mouthpiece felt like chop suey!

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