Arnold Jacobs' Clinic Notes

Concepts Part 2

Subconcious

• More powerful than conscious.
• Can only be changed by positive influence.
• Do not fight old habits, learn new ones.

Medicine

• Inhalant to counter bronchial congestion
  • Albuterol(generic name)
  • Single inhalations up to 16-18 per day
  • Only attacks lungs' beta
  • Requires physician's prescription
  • Beta 1--Heart
  • Beta 2--Lungs

Avoid extremes

• 2/3 - 3/4 - full works best
• Most utilize less than 1/2 capacity

Muscles work in groups, not individually

• Achieve softness in muscles.

High register

• Air compression reduces capacity slightly(15%)
• Create compression by movement not pressure.
• Avoid conscious control of lungs.
• Lungs will rise with low air capacity.

Full breath

• Requires no diaphragm to evacuate air.
• Diaphragm cannot contractup, only down.
• Diaphragm cannot be felt; there are no sensory nerves.
• Think: Breathe and blow from mouth - not the body.
• Move quickly to shorten length of lungs.
• Let body decrease in size.
• Think length of torso, not breadth.

Vowels

• OH
• AH
• Tongue
  • oo-thoo (back and forth)
  • a-la (up and down)
• Mouth should not be more open than throat. Resistance will transfer to throat.

Air capacity

Function of

• Age
  • Diminishes with age
• Height
  • Long torso means large capacity
• Weight
  • Overweight is detrimental.

Hyperventilation

• Helps prepare for long phrase

Exercises

Breathing

• Should be practiced
  • Away from instrument
  • In front of mirror
    • stripped to see motion
  • Will take six months or more
  • If done consciously, will not be natural
  • Must replace former practices
• For continuous action
  • Extend arm(for visual reinforcement)
  • Inhale-Raise arm
  • Exhale-Extend arm
  • Move smoothly, continuously
  • Motion, not pressure
  • Practice partial contents
    • Move in thirds
    • Move in halves
    • Have younger students blow into a bag.
• For maximum fill
  • Lower arms at side
  • Inhale-Raise arms out and up over head
  • Exhale-Lower arms
• To counter CO2 buildup
  • Hyperventilate before passage
• Ease in inhalation
  • Open mouth as wide as possible
  • Feel bottom of mouth with tongue
  • Change air direction instantly
    • Will relax system
• Speed and Quantity
  • Five Count
    • Slow inhalation to begin
    • Exhale-2-3-4-Inhale(5)
  • Four Count
    • Slow inhalation to begin
    • Exhale-2-3-4-Inhale("and" of 4)
    • Exhale 5-6-7 in hale on 8 (for even quicker breath).

Buzzing

• Better on rim or mouthpiece
  • Requires less force
  • Removes powerful influence of instrument

Inhalation

• Think "SUCTION"
  • Begin with resistance
    • Use soda straw
      • Cut in half-Inhale
      • Continue to halve straw, increasing volume of air
  • Decrease resistance as progress is made

Posture

• "Puppet on a string"
• Convert standing into sitting position
• Avoid rigidity--think length.
• Do not fold to exhale--straighten to inhale.
• Keep the spine long.
• Jacobs prefers Rolf to Alexander.
• Playing "H" articulation
  • To avoid "stickies"
• Play octaves with vibrato on upper note.

Locking

• Substitute word for note.
• Support available before note starts.
• Descend from high note
  • DO-TA
  • DO-LA
  • DO-SO

Problems

Grunting

• If at start of sound
  • No great problem
  • Caused by muscular contraction in abdominal wall
  • Correct by holding air with expansion only
  • Count loudly while holding air
  • Feel little air on back of hand
  • Practice away from music
• If at end of sound
  • More serious
  • Caused by increase of muscular activity
  • Not blowing-Inactive

Stage fright

• Slow breathing
• Use solfege(singing)
  • Good psychological tool--no anatomical validity.
• Flood brains with sound

Embouchure

• Length
• Thickness
• Tension
• Use solfege as a stimulus
• Use as replacement for vocal chords.
• Do not fix in any particular position.
• Begin with buzz , not mouthpiece.
• Swelling lips
  • Lymph system
  • Histonine is the substance.
  • Buzz on ring
  • Lip massage to move out of lip

Phrasing

• Find middle note
• Sustain
• Time
• Compare to phrase in piece
• Work out breathing

Tongued passages

• Slur to prepare

Tools

7/8 inch diameter tube

• Put mouthpiece in tube and blow.
  • Inhale and exhale.
• Then forefinger in one end
  • Inhale and exhale.
• Open tube
  • Inhale and exhale.

Six-litre anesthesia bag (One and a half lung capacity is a good size)

• Fill bag with exhalation
• Inhale from bag
• Play passage

Ping-pong ball in tube

• Begin with more resistance
• Inhale and exhale
• Keep ball in raised position
• Ball should remain during in tongued passage.

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