Posted by Fred Young on December 25, 2003 at 22:14:04:
In Reply to: playing sharp posted by whats the deal? on December 23, 2003 at 12:42:31:
Rather often people who use the old fashioned smile type lip placement are very sharp and have rather harsh tones. I would advise you pucker your lips as in forming an O, then keeping that lip blow the tuba and notice how much flatter and mellower your tone becomes. You will have to stop playing often and re-pucker the O when you play until it becomes automatic. The late Forest Stanley who was the teacher of many of the greatest French hornist (such as Dale Clevenger and Phil Meyer) had his students doing this for the first year of their lessons. I sat behind his horns in rehearsals and watched their tuning slides being pushed almost all the way in after the semester or so.