Shofar Embouchure: The Secret
Arthur L. Finkle
Shofar Sounders have to develop their embouchures. Brass instrumentalists cite that their professional requires them to develop an embouchure for good tone, endurance and range. Let us first define this French derived word. Accordingly to the American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, the word "embouchure" is. The manner in which the lips and tongue are applied to such a mouthpiece. Its source [French, from emboucher, to put or go into the mouth, from Old French : en-, in; see en-1 + bouche, mouth (from Latin bucca, cheek).]
The Embouchure Is a Holistic Concept.
The embouchure includes, but is not limited to, the facial muscle development, the lip pressure, the teach aperture, the oral cavity, the mouthpiece and the bore of the instrument. In order words, any component of the playing of the instrument comp0oses the embouchure.
Because the physical features of humans vary, there is not a “one-way” method to develop an embouchure. What works for some does not work for others due to the combinations and permutations of physical human differences.
There are various ‘schools’ of embouchure development: Farkas, Reinhart, Maggio; The Superchops or Callet Embouchure, Stevens-Costello Embouchure, Maggio and The vocal approach.
Philip Farkas, a renowned French hornist and teacher, indicates that, before placing the mouthpiece on the lips, the lips must be formed in a "puckered smile" position. Then two groups of muscles are at work:
1. The muscles around our lips are those, which bring our lips to an extreme pucker, such as would be used to whistle.
2. The cheek muscles group, are those which bring our lips to a smile, especially when the instrumentalist wants to sound the higher notes.
When these two muscles groups are working in balance, we have a good “M-postion.”
Mouthpiece placement is next on the agenda, although for the shofar the “mouthpiece” is usually so small that we do not follow the suggested procedures for brass instrumentalists.
Indeed, although, the preferred method is to sound the shofar on the right side of the kips for right handers and the left, for left-handers, I have seen some play the shofar as if it were a trumpet with the mouthpiece in the middle of their lips.
Indeed, the Mishnah Berurah 585:2 (notes 8 and 9):
He should blow: Tehi'ah, Shevarim Teru'ah, Tehi'ah three times, etc. For the reason for this order, see below in Sec. 590, Par. 1 and 2.
On the right side. (8) of /the blower's/ mouth.
This is required/ because it is written,5 "And the Satan stands on his right, to condemn him".
If it is possible to blow in that /manner/. If /the blower/ cannot /do so/ there is no need to object even if he places /the shofar/ on the left side /of his mouth/ and the opening of the shofar is also on the left side.
Likewise, /the blower/ should turn the shofar upwards, etc.
When the Shofar Sounder finds their optimal lip placement (sometimes through trial and error), the beginner can begin to develop the embouchure. The main goal now is to find the correct balance between airflow and lip vibration.
Farkas accents the facial muscles that you develop as an expert whistler. He also cites the lip position and practice to develop a good embouchure.
The lips have little resistance when they are not curled. Because of this, the lips tend to be blown apart in high registers and much arm pressure has to be used just in order to seal the embouchure.
A solution to this problem, is raising the tongue, which reduces the pressure on the lips. The tongue will be raised all the way in the extreme register, so that it touches the molars and the top of the mouth.
· Philip Farkas, A Photographic Study of 40 Virtuoso Horn Players' Embouchures, (Bloomington, Indiana: Wind Music, Inc., 1970), 41 pp.
· Philip Farkas, The Art of Brass Playing: A Treatise on the Formation and Use of the Brass Player's Embouchure, (Atlanta, Georgia: Wind Music/TAP Publications, 1962), 65 pp.
· Philip Farkas, The Art of French Horn Playing: A Treatise on the Problems and Techniques of French Horn Playing, (Bloomington, Indiana: Wind Music, Inc., 1956), 95 pp., ISBN 0-87487-021-6
Reinhardt's Embouchure
More controversial was Reinhardt's method, which he named a “pivot.”
A successful brass embouchure depends on the simultaneous motion of both the mouthpiece and lips as a single unit along the teeth in an upward and downward direction.
As the performer ascends in pitch, he or she will either move the lips and mouthpiece together slightly up towards the nose or pull them down together slightly towards the chin, and use the opposite motion to descend in pitch.
Whether the player uses one general pivot direction or the other, and the degree to which the motion is performed, depends on the performer's anatomical features and stage of development.
Such method is extremely difficult to perform on s shofar which has varying depth and no rim to its mouthpiece.
Stevens-Costello Embouchure Technique
Stevens-Costello Embouchure Technique is a non-pressure system of brass playing based on physical laws of the embouchure setup. Using proper air compression and direction can produce an unlimited range. There is no other system out there that gives you the “notes” on a brass instrument before one develops the rudiments of music. It contradicts the evolutionary way of “building chops for years”.
Possible, but difficult, for shofar sounders, William Costello in the 1930’s and later taught by Roy Stevens until 1989 in New York City taught this idea worldwide, helping those with embouchure problems and developing others to become great lead players.
The Superchops or Callet Embouchure
The Master Superchops is the purely physical technique necessary to play brass instruments with the greatest ease and finest sound.
The Tongue-Stop
The tongue always stops and starts air flow .. The tongue-stop serves two equally important functions. First, it sets up the air for each articulation. Second, it stops the air at the end of each tone, setting up the tongue for the next articulation.
If you let the tongue come back after every articulation you let too much air into the mouthpiece cup and the tone goes flat after every attack. Train your ears to hear this all-too-common intonation problem and you will be well on your way to a whole new level of playing. When done correctly, your ears teach your tongue!
The Spit Buzz
We can see the spit buzz in two phases.
Before you make the actual attack, the tongue stops the air by touching both lips. We call this a tongue-stop. The air is then released by a spitting action much like spitting a hair off the top of the tongue. At the precise moment of the spit buzz the released air causes a vibration of the lips. Every time you begin a new attack you must first stop the air with the tongue.
In other words, an air-stop precedes every articulation, not just the first of a series. Do NOT try to blow the air first.
The Tongue
You want a distinct tongue articulation at both the start and end of the tone. You must think that the stop is the start of the next sound.
Most of the resistance comes from the grip of the lower lip. However, there is also some resistance from the top teeth. The air you are blowing goes over the tongue and under the top teeth. With the proper use of the lower lip, we direct the tongue to come closer to the top teeth and stay there. This gives you more brilliance, more power, and eventually, a much easier upper register with greatly increased endurance and less strain.
Think of A Percussive Attack
Think of a percussive attack, like beating a snare drum or hitting a small bell. A tongue-attack combined with a tongue-stop provides the cleanest, clearest articulation possible regardless of style.
Maggio Embouchure
Utilized by some jazz brass instrumentalists, a puckered embouchure (Kiss) seems to garner high "screamer" notes. Such screamer notes are not for Shofar Sounding.
The Vocal Approach (Ear and Visualization)
Some who investigate their minute physical combinations may wind up with "paralysis by analysis".
Like a good singer, the vocal approach focuses on sound and let that activate our mind (ear) and body to "self-correct".
Books For Embouchure Development
Some good books for embouchure all share some common things like breath attacks, long tones with crescendo and decrescendo and lip slurs. They all have simple but powerful exercises with the necessary instruction text:
This article was an answer to a question from Pops Clint McLaughlin.
(September 2002, The Pros Talk Embouchure, 2002): It is now compiled into a book called The Pros Talk Embouchure
