The Balanced Embouchure for Horn: Almost 13 Years & Still Going Strong!

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Almost 13 Years & Still Going Strong!

It's been forever since I've posted. Why? Well, there's really nothing new to report about my horn playing. I still practice The Balanced Embouchure exercises to stay in shape. I'm still very happy with my range and endurance. BE has been great for me and lots of others. Thank you, Jeff Smiley! This is how I came to BE.

The Balanced Embouchure Book with CD is $45.00.
The BE for French Horn booklet and/or PDF of horn adaptations is $3.00 (with book purchase).
Shipping & handling is $5.50 to $25.00 depending on location. (The quoted prices are in US dollars.)

Those who purchase The Balanced Embouchure with a Comfy Horn Strap, receive a $5.00 discount (as well as break on shipping).

To Order:

Step 1. Email me: ValerieW78 “at” Gmail “dot” com. Please tell me what instrument you play and the country you live in.

Step 2. I send you an invoice with payment options (credit card, PayPal, check or money order).

Step 3. You pay the invoice.

Step 4. I ship your BE book.

Happy horn playing!

Valerie Wells

2 comments:

Steve LoganMay 5, 2019 at 9:17 PM
Dear Valerie,
Thank you very much for communicating to me the information regarding BE. I have two other questions, however.

First, how can I purchase a copy of “The Balanced Embouchure”?

Second, does BE discuss any information regarding different lip formations of horn players and problematic issues that some formations may cause?

Let me explain. I have thicker lips than is probably the ideal thin lip formation of most Horn players, however, in August 2016 at the age of 63 I still decided to begin Horn lessons.

The thickness of my lips is not a problem, I don’t think. But, I have a “tear drop” formation in the center of my upper lip which is common in many people with some tear drop formations being slight to more pronounced.

Mine is on the more pronounced side and since I’ve had a struggle in the upper range I’ve wondered if this formation is hindering my upper range progression. Hence, this second question.

Thank you again, Valerie, for your time and effort in helping me. I’ve always wanted to be a Horn player but was told by my 7th grade music teacher that I didn’t have the right kind of lips to play the Horn.

Then in August 2016 I took the leap anyway and began Horn lessons as a senior citizen and I’m having a great time learning the Horn!

Sincerely,
Steve Logan
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BEforHornJune 23, 2019 at 10:26 PM
Steve, I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to get back to you. I was locked out of my blog and not being a techy senior, I had to get help from a programmer (my son) to get me back in. LOL! You can purchase the BE for Horn directly from me. Email me ValerieW78 "at" gmail "dot" com. And, to answer your questions... Jeff Smiley addresses the exact lip formations you describe in the book. He offers solutions that have helped hundreds of not thousands of trumpet & horn players improve their chops. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Valerie
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Welcome to The Balanced Embouchure For Horn

Hello and thanks for stopping by. I’m Valerie Wells, a horn player starting this blog to share my success using The Balanced Embouchure (BE) and to provide a place for other horn players to share their positive experiences with BE. The Balanced Embouchure is an embouchure development system originally written for trumpet by Jeff Smiley. BE is now helping an ever growing number of horn players improve their embouchures, too. To learn how I came to BE, see this. There is only one BE book. The same book is used for both horn and trumpet.

For additional information about BE in general, please see the following links:

Jeff Smiley’s website
http://www.trumpetteacher.net/
The Balanced Embouchure Forum http://www.trumpetherald.com/
Michael Camilleri’s website
http://users.actrix.co.nz/mcamilleri/BE/BEFAQ.htm
Bert Loch’s website
http://bertlochs.com/

Ko de Rooj's website (Netherlands)

www.balanced-embouchure.eu

Skype lessons available

Bruce Lee: teatro333 "at" gmail "dot"com

Valerie Wells: ValerieW78 "at" gmail "dot" com

Common Misconceptions about BE

For various reasons that seem inherent in our approach to the instrument, French horn players (self included) often develop misconceptions about The Balanced Embouchure that can potentially impede progress.

Misconception #1: BE is written for trumpet, therefore much of it will not apply to French horn.
Some exercises need transposition or adaptation for French horn, but the principles and techniques taught in this book are as applicable to French horn as they are to trumpet. (I learned this lesson the hard way.)

Misconception #2: BE is all about rolling the lips in and out.
Lip rolling is only part of BE. There are tonguing exercises, snaps, zips, breathing exercises, etc. All these elements combine to form a development system that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Misconception #3: Roll-Out exercises are for developing the low register. Therefore a horn player with a secure low register, need not practice Roll-Out exercises.
Roll-Out exercises are designed to develop tone, flexibility, endurance and balance in all the registers, not just the low. A balanced embouchure has elements of roll-out in every note of every register.

Misconception #4: Roll-In exercises are for developing the upper register.
Roll-In exercises are designed to develop tone, flexibility, endurance and balance in all the registers, not just the high. A balanced embouchure has elements of roll-in in every note of every register.

Misconception #5: “Doing BE” means rolling out for low notes and rolling in for high notes.
“Doing BE” means practicing the BE exercises and following the program as designed. Directly applying lip rolling to your regular embouchure is not BE and will be of limited value.

Misconception #6: The correct BE embouchure has a bunched chin and puffed cheeks.
There is no, one correct “BE embouchure.” The balanced embouchure you develop following the BE system will be unique to you. There is no way to predict what your final embouchure will look like. Horn players need to avoid preconceived ideas of what their balanced embouchures will look like.

Bert Lochs has taken the above #6 misconceptions and elaborated upon them for trumpet players.