Embouchure
by Allan
I have been selected to the advanced level (Wind Ensemble) in my High School. Because I had braces as a younger child, I learned to play with my embouchure to the side of my mouth. I recently did a masterclass with Sir James Galway regarding tone and embouchure and I have been trying to get to the front of my mouth for my embouchure as I am working on Marcel Moyse book de la Sonorite for tone development (as he recommended) and I am not getting anywhere fast. So, do you know of anyone that played with the embouchure towards the side of the mouth rather than dead center in front, and were they able to develop good tone over the years? If I go to the front, will I be able to pick up where I am now, or will I lose everything and have to start over from scratch? I have a Silver Altus B foot flute, french holes, offset G. Thank you. Hi, Alan. Braces can be tough on the embouchure. I wore them for three years myself. While most people play with a centered embouchure, certainly there are many who don't. I can't point to a specific person, though. Do you feel comfortable with the side embouchure, or do you think you would feel better playing with a centered embouchure? It's really up to you and how you feel about it. I can't tell you what to do, but if I were in your situation and had to make the choice for myself, I would probably work toward the centered embouchure. If you do decide to develop a centered embouchure, there will naturally be a change-over period, but I honestly don't think it will take you that long to get back to the fine tone you have now, especially if you are motivated and work hard. When I got my first open-holed flute, I was really motivated to master it. Sure, it was a bit frustrating when my fingers slipped off the holes sometimes, but I was driven to play my beautiful new flute. I took me about a week and I was playing it just fine. Same for when I had my wisdom teeth removed. A week later I had All-State auditions. Talk about motivation! (Yes, I made it!) The de la Sonorite is a great book to work on for tone. Work slowly and methodically, and you will get it. If you decide to leave your embouchure as it is now, keep working with de la Sonorite and lots of tone and embouchure exercises, especially long tones. Good luck and keep working hard! P.S. That's cool that you got to attend a masterclass with James Galway--he's awesome!
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