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Steady Air

3/1/2019

Short blog post here. Two words that have consistently made a HUGE difference in the sound of my bands have been "steady air." For whatever reason, the imagery seems to be there for developing musicians, and it has helped to sort out so many tone/sound issues.

When making this point, I always go up to the board and draw the above image. I make sure to be extra dramatic when drawing the "not good air" portion. Seems to always get the point across.

2 Comments

Bob Browning

3/30/2020 10:20:05 am

Good visuals! The app TE Tuner has a setting for wave analysis which gives the student a picture of their tone in real time as they play. I play a long tone first, trying to demonstrate “steady air” (which is also steady embouchure) and then have them try. They can see the ups and downs I their volume as well as pitch. Probably the most helpful app I’ve found. I project it on a screen and the whole class stays riveted as we work on tone and/ or tuning. Thanks for your great ideas!

Bob