Posted by Kenneth Sloan on February 28, 2002 at 08:43:11:
What follows is one of my occasional "observations" borne of being an adult (re)beginner. Perhaps this is interesting - perhaps it's perfectly obvious. If nothing else, if you are a current (or future) instructor, perhaps it's the kind of question a student might ask.
I have noticed a distinct qualitative difference in the *feel* of some notes. Most of my notes give me the feeling that I'm "buzzing" the note. There's a distinct feeling of mechanical vibration of the lips, and I suspect that this buzz comes through in the sound (no - I haven't explored this with a tape recorder). On the other hand, *some* notes occasionally feel very UN-buzzy. The feel in my lips is that I'm blowing air, but NOT vibrating my lips (clearly, the lips *are* vibrating - the question here is the *feel*).
One way to describe the feel is to free-buzz (no instrument, no mouthpiece). The former (buzzy) notes feel just like a free-buzz that produces a sound. The latter (blown-through) notes feel like silently blowing air through pursed lips.
I trust that the effect is now obvious. The question is: which is better?
My subjective impression is that the "unbuzzy" notes are "better". They occur more often in the middle of my comfortable range, and occur when I feel that I'm playing well. On the other hand, I keep hearing all this stuff about "more air, more buzz, more sound".
Discuss...