"Chopstick Exercise": Practice "Bytes"

Hello,

As promised, this is my version of Keith Underwood's "Chopstick Exercise" which helps flutists learn to better organize their embouchures by playing with a chopstick in their mouths.

Very weird exercise, with wonderful results!

I use the exercise as a "prelude" to teaching buzzing, especially for advanced flutists who are beginner buzzers.

In the video I demonstrate the exercise in short Practice "Bytes."
More Practice "Bytes" are posted in the LeGrand Virtual Studio.

Bon appetit!
Catherine

Interview with Keith Underwood, Part 4

"Please provide a Buzzing 101: Syllabus…"

Here is the fourth installment of the interview.

Additional segments coming in September and October:

• More Buzzing Exercises, Lip Vibrato, and Tuning
• Timing and Sequence of Events for a Breath
• Tongue-Controlled Embouchure and Support
• On Ideal Vibrato Speed
• On Creating an Open and Supportive Atmosphere

I am grateful for the information and inspirations I have received from Keith over the past 15 or so years, and I am delighted to share this video interview with Keith filmed on August 18, 2007 at Ghost Ranch, NM.

I invite you to subscribe to this blog to receive future interview segments short enough to post here. Longer segments will be posted at my website and I will announce the postings in this blog.

Thank you, Keith, for answering my questions, for this interview and throughout the years!

Sincere best wishes to my readers,
Catherine

Interview with Keith Underwood, Part 3

"What if our lips get numb?"


Here is the third installment of the interview!

I am grateful for the information and inspirations I have received from Keith over the past 15 or so years, and I am delighted to share this video interview with Keith filmed on August 18, 2007 at Ghost Ranch, NM.

I invite you to subscribe to this blog to receive future interview segments short enough to post here. Longer segments will be posted at my website and I will announce the postings in this blog.

Thank you, Keith, for answering my questions, for this interview and throughout the years!

Sincere best wishes to my readers,
Catherine

Interview with Keith Underwood, Part 2

"When will we hear improvement from buzzing?"

Here is the second installment of the interview!

I am grateful for the information and inspirations I have received from Keith over the past 15 or so years, and I am delighted to share this video interview with Keith filmed on August 18, 2007 at Ghost Ranch, NM.

I invite you to subscribe to this blog to receive future interview segments short enough to post here. Longer segments will be posted at my website and I will announce the postings in this blog.

Thank you, Keith, for answering my questions, for this interview and throughout the years!

Sincere best wishes to my readers,
Catherine

Video interview with Keith Underwood: Benefits of Buzzing for Flutists

Greetings!

I have just returned to North Carolina from the Keith Underwood Flute Masterclass at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, a week filled with tangible learning in an open, warm, and supportive atmosphere. Thanks to Nancy Laupheimer for organizing a great class, and thanks to my classmates for sharing their learning processes.

I am grateful for the information and inspirations I have received from Keith over the past 15 or so years, and I am delighted to share a video interview with Keith filmed on August 18, 2007 at Ghost Ranch.

I have posted the first installment of the video interview here.
All segments will eventually be posted at my website.

Catherine LeGrand interviews Keith Underwood
Ghost Ranch, NM, August 18. 2007:

• On Benefits of Buzzing for Flutists
• When will we hear improvement from buzzing?
• What if our lips get numb?
• Please provide a Buzzing 101: Syllabus…


Additional segments coming in September and October!

Catherine LeGrand interviews Keith Underwood
Ghost Ranch, NM, August 18. 2007 (continued):

• More Buzzing Exercises, Lip Vibrato, and Tuning
• Timing and Sequence of Events for a Breath
• Tongue-Controlled Embouchure and Support
• On Ideal Vibrato Speed
• On Creating an Open and Supportive Atmosphere


I invite you to subscribe to this blog to receive notice of future postings of interview segments.

Thank you, Keith, for answering my questions in this interview -- and throughout the years!

Sincere best wishes to my readers,
Catherine

Flute Embouchure: A Rather “Square” Subject

For many years I have taught that a good flute embouchure has 4 corners: 2 corners by the upper cheekbones, one by each nostril, and, the 2 corners on the chin, below the lower lip. The location of these muscles forms a square on your face.

The exercise I call “Tongue Sandwich,” activates the Levator labii superioris (Rabbit Face muscle) and Depressor labii inferioris (Lizard face” muscle) at the same time, drawing the lips away from the tongue and encouraging an active embouchure without jaw tension.

Think of your upper and lower teeth as the pieces of bread for your sandwich and the tongue as the very generous serving of your favorite sandwich filling.

(See Dataface website, mentioned in a May post, for illustrations, descriptions and video of these muscles at work.)
http://face-and-emotion.com/dataface/expression/muscles.jsp

I have posted a video of the “Lizard Face” and “Tongue Sandwich” exercises in the LeGrand Virtual Studio for your information and amusement. “Rabbit Face” Exercise video can also be found there.

Here is a Blogger Beta trial of an embedded video. Let me know how this works.


Good Tongue-Controlled Embouchure spit-buzzing technique, as advocated by Jerome Callet and Keith Underwood, creates a rather “boxy” feel in the embouchure—a "box " INSIDE the “square,” creating an active, yet flexible, embouchure.

Spit-buzzing encourages the use of the orbicularis oris muscle (the ring of muscle around the lips) to engage by curling gently inward creating compression of air with the wide, forward tongue.

This is also a type of “sandwich.” Try thinking of it as 3 layers of Tootsie Rolls:

• Top layer: upper lip curling downward (feel with your tongue the thick tube-like band of muscles on the inside of your upper lip).
• The middle layer--the forward, thickened and widened tongue with downward trajectory.
• The lower layer—lower lip raised slightly by the mentalis muscle and curled slightly back over the tongue to support the tongue position.

I hope these ideas are useful.

Hmmm…all this talk of sandwiches...Time for lunch!

Catherine

Keith Underwood and Jerome Callet video

This video of Keith working on Bach Sonata in B Minor, BWV 1030, with tongue-controlled embouchure expert Jerome Callet. The focus of the session is articulating off the top of the tongue.

It appears that Jerome uploaded this to Google video.

Please visit Jerome's website for more information on his teaching and more previews from his soon to be released teaching DVD.

Great stuff!

Catherine