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While the topic was addressed in other chapters of the book, Farkas felt it to be important enough to emphasize that he expanded his thoughts on mouthpiece pressure into a dedicated chapter in The Art of French Horn Playing.
The case for using neither too much or too little mouthpiece pressure
Those familiar with his writings on the topic know Farkas was against mouthpiece pressure and had a lot to say on the topic. Or at least we tend to think he was against mouthpiece pressure, but actually one central point to his chapter that many miss is that there is an amount of pressure that is too much and an amount that is too little.
Notice that I have always carefully referred to heavy or excessive pressure. This is done to emphasize the fact that some pressure is normal. From time to time we hear of some marvelous player who uses “absolutely no pressure”. I have investigated a few of these cases and found that these players actually can play with almost no visible pressure, but when doing so they sound far from marvelous. Invariably, when they are asked for a big tone and a full volume, they immediately resort to moderate, normal pressure….
So far as I know the only element that he regretted in his lengthy discussion of the topic was including a photo of himself playing a horn placed on a shelf in an “exercise devised to lighten pressure.” While he clearly advocates for moderate to light pressure, I can attest that in later years he stated publicly in master classes that he regretted the insertion of that photo. Too many players were trying to play with that kind of very light pressure which in the above quote he specifically wanted students to avoid. He certainly wanted players to use enough pressure to support the embouchure properly.
Don’t use too little pressure
Farkas returns to the topic of mouthpiece pressure near the beginning of the first chapter of The Art of Brass Playing. Perhaps in relationship to the discussion of the topic in his earlier book Farkas again shows some concern that players not use too little pressure.
Another function of the lips which, strangely enough, is often overlooked by brass players, is our need to “attach” ourselves to the instrument so that the air-column is hermetically sealed or completely air-tight at the point of contact between lips and mouthpiece. In this respect the lips must act not only as the coupler, but must also become a sort of built in “washer”. Too often one can stand near a brass player while he is playing and become aware of the sizzling sound of escaping air which attests to the unsuccessful use of the embouchure for this purpose of sealing the lips to the instrument. Luckily, …when one uses the embouchure correctly in all its aspects, this problem of sealing the lips perfectly to the mouthpiece solves itself.
Lateral pressure?
Mouthpiece pressure is a topic that turns up again at length in The Art of Brass Playing. To cite one final quote, Farkas encourages readers to avoid a type of pressure that he calls “lateral pressure.”
We usually think of pressure as a push directly in line with the mouthpiece, which exerts its force backward against the teeth with only the unfortunate lips to act as a cushion. But pressure, of course, can exert itself in any direction, and many players have a habit of pushing the mouthpiece laterally—at a right-angle to the direction of the mouthpipe.
This force could be to either side, or up, or down. …the practice of forcing the mouthpiece upward toward the nose can be observed in a large number of players. Usually, most of these players apply very little lateral pressure in the lower and middle register, but apply more and more upward push as they ascend…. Evidence of this can be seen by the lessening distance between the top of the mouthpiece and the botom of the nose.
Mouthpiece pressure will vary depending on your dynamic
Quite a different take on mouthpiece pressure may be found in Essentials of Brass Playing by Fred Fox. He notes that in relation to dynamics that mouthpiece pressure will vary for any given pitch.
As you blow louder the lip has a larger vibration, just as a harp string has a larger vibration when it is plucked forcefully than when it is plucked softly. As you get louder on a sustained note, the mouthpiece pressure must be eased to accommodate the larger vibration of the lips. This must happen or the lips will be unable to vibrate freely with the larger vibration and the note will begin to sound constricted or forced. Conversely, as you get softer the mouthpiece pressure becomes firmer. Think of pushing the mouthpiece away with the lips as needed when getting louder.
How to judge the right amount of pressure? Play a crescendo on a note in the middle register of your instrument and relieve the mouthpiece pressure excessively. The note will sound like it is sagging, as though the bottom has dropped out of it. Play the note again, but this time increase the mouthpiece pressure as you get louder. The note will sound tighter or choked very quickly. Once these extremes have been experienced, listen for them and adjust the sound on any crescendo-diminuendo.
Too little pressure = thin sound
Fox is not an advocate of what he calls the “pure buzz system.” He observes that when the high range is played with too little pressure the sound is too thin.
It places too much of a work load on the lips, and they get too hard. I am suggesting the principle of minimum pressure in the middle register and adding mouthpiece pressure in the high register, thus allowing the lips and mouthpiece to share the burden more equally. A happy partnership should be achieved in the upper register of not too much lip effort or too much mouthpiece pressure. This, to me, is the desired goal.
The case for moderation
Harry Berv is in favor of moderately light mouthpiece pressure in A Creative Approach to the French Horn. In his chapter he highlights these two points. “The hornist, no longer how long he has been playing, should only show a slight mark on the lips if his mouthpiece pressure is correct” and, after an exercise to avoid excessive mouthpiece pressure, “When going to high notes, do not be concerned if they do respond easily at this pressure. You will see that after much practice the mouthpiece pressure will be moderately light and the lips will respond more easily since the blood can circulate freely.”
Mouthpiece pressure is a big topic on which we have just scratched the surface. More soon in Part II.
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