Mastering the Trumpet High Range - Part 7 Efficient Air - Howard Summers 

Thanks for the thoughts! My main source for the physics concepts that I reference here are covered in detail in The Physics of Musical Instruments by Fletcher. There's a chapter in there on mouthpiece/lip interaction. He talks a lot about two ways for the lips/air to create a wave. One of the ways he describes matches what you're talking about, and that's valid. If the lips are too forward (falling further into the cup) you get something akin to what you're describing. It typically gives a more airy, pinched sound and makes high notes more difficult at louder dynamics. Fletcher states that most embouchures are a mix of the two mechanisms, but if you want higher frequency with volume, you want it more open, more vertical movement of the lip with faster air. Fletcher provides an equation for frequency that puts lip proximity on the bottom (so the larger the lip proximity, the lower the frequency) and air speed on top (the higher the air speed, the higher the frequency). The air speed number is squared though. So all thing being equal, air speed has a greater impact on frequency. Lip proximity impacts frequency on a linear scale. Air speed affects it on an exponential scale. I agree that the tension of the lip is key in playing. This video is focused on air speed though, which seems to be more lacking in most developing players. Fletcher's equation implies that frequency can be manipulated by any one variable, with which I would be hesitant to argue. I do agree that it's extremely difficult to manipulate one variable at a time, but that does not disprove the concept.

@@howwies but air "speed" over the tongue is not the air "speed" through the aperture. And narrowing the oral space does not increase the air "speed" through the aperture. You are attempting to make that assumption.

@@darryljones9208 If air had no mass, you would be correct, and the air speed immediately before the aperture would be completely useless to affect the speed of the air in the aperture. However in practical application we see this affects the frequency significantly. Play a double G (one octave above the staff) then drop your tongue slightly, and the pitch drops significantly (in most cases you'll drop to the next partial). The air speed is manipulated immediately before the aperture, and that momentum is carried into the aperture. If you create a venturi at the end of a hose, the water speeds up at that point. As it leaves the end of the venturi, it maintains most of its speed and shoots significantly farther (compared with a hose with same input pressure and no venturi). The greater momentum (mass*VELOCITY) carries it further. If there were no mass, the absence of the compression (from the venturi) would instantly slow down the water. This is not what is observed. This is the reason why we see increased turbulence immediately after a venturi in the middle of a tube. If the only affected area were inside the venturi, there would be no additional turbulence after the venturi. This is not a new concept. Here's Allen Vizzutti explaining the concept of arched tongue to increase air speed for high notes. Check out 2:50 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NtAceD_M_Ho.html Here's Bobby Shew mentioning his use of tongue. It's a tangential reference, but he describes it in an identical manner as Allen Vizzutti at 1:22:39 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-r5MiWAi4Ggw.html Check out this video of horn playing in an MRI. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MWcOwgWsPHA.html It's a beautiful example of several ways we use the tongue to affect air speed. From about 1:50-1:56 you can see the tongue arch higher and further forward - exactly as I describe in my video. At 1:20(ish) there's a different technique for the low notes - she arches the back of the tongue and opens up closer to the aperture. This is similar to a "kink" in the hose that restricts air upstream, then the larger opening near the aperture serves to slow the air. When she goes to the 4th partial (the higher note), she opens up the restriction in the back, but keeps the front open. This removes the restriction and speeds up the air. You can see differences from the articulated exercise vs slurred even though she's playing the same notes. This speaks to other factors that influence the end pitch (i.e. rigidity of the lip, lip angle, and lip proximity). So, manipulation of air speed inside the mouth is only one tool, but it's essential.

@@howardsummers9733it does not matter where the "kink" is. Including right before the aperture. You can not discount the viscous losses (which you do not consider for) through a narrowing of the air flow path. It still will not increase the air velocity through the aperture. That includes the path right before the aperture. That will NEVER be a substitute for lip firmness. Your "mass" comment demonstrates that you are attempting to mis-apply Bernoulli principle. Total pressure is due to mass and molecular velocity. Attempting to Increase flow velocity by "narrowing " the path of flow before the nozzle will never increase the total pressure bearing on the boundary where the aperture exists. Any increase in dynamic pressure by some small increase in flow velocity is negated by a reduction in static pressure. But Bernoulli does not consider viscosity. Any narrowing of the flow path will ALWAYS introduce viscosity losses of the presure (energy density). In summary. All other things considered constant, arching the tongue does increase the air pressure bearing on the aperture nor does it increase the air velocity through the aperture. Attempting to drop the tongue while playing a high pitch makes a reduction in the embouchure firmness. That is why the pitch is usually not maintained. MRI studies NEVER include measure of any of the following: air pressure, flow, flow velocity, efficiency, lip posture change (firmness or lip muscle effort) So citing that as your "proof" is just absurd.

@@howardsummers9733 by the way. There are reasons that a hose nozzle behaves as it does and it is not the same geometry as air flow in playing. But I can explain more about that and why your assumptions are erroneous. In any case you can kink the hose ANYWHERE on its length INCLUDING RIGHT BEFORE THE NOZZLE. You will get the same pressure loss through the narrowing (regardless of a venturi) AND reduction in flow velocity out of the nozzle.