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Morosco Exercise and Embouchure Training Routine

Dale Wolford's adaptation of Victor Morosco's Embouchure training and exercise to develop control of the jaw and tongue position on the saxophone.

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Dale Wolford
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© © All Rights Reserved
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190 views

Morosco Exercise and Embouchure Training Routine

Dale Wolford's adaptation of Victor Morosco's Embouchure training and exercise to develop control of the jaw and tongue position on the saxophone.

Uploaded by

Dale Wolford
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Morosco Exercise No.

1 for Saxophone

1. Helps reduce tension of throat, tongue and facial muscles.


2. Promotes correct position and use of the tongue
3. Improves awareness of jaw pressure.

Before you begin:


1. Make sure you have proper head position. (Head straight ahead, bring horn to mouth without
moving head up or down.)
2. Say “Hu” and “Tu” — This is a French pronunciation to get your tongue into the position most
related to the way you speak. It should have a nasal sound when you say it out loud. (Think
stuckup!)
3. Train your embouchure (see “Embouchure Training Routine” on next page)
Begin the Exercise
1. The notes in measure 1 are to be played as loud as you can with a good sound. The objective is to
attack the notes as crisply as possible. All notes should have the same pitch and volume!
2. It may be necessary to play more than the prescribed amount of breath attacks and tongued notes
in m.1. When you are successful playing m.1 (but not before!), you may proceed to m. 2.
3. The notes in m.2 are to be played with a legato tongue. Each note should be clear and definite.
4. Continue this exercise to the lowest possible note. In the beginning, the lower notes may prove too
difficult. Take your time to gradually increase the range downwards, then work up to the highest
possible note.
5. If this exercise is practiced without the awareness of pitch, rhythm, and volume, you are wasting
your time!

Saxophone = 60
Hu Hu Tu Tu Tu Tu

Eb Alto Sax !
Hu Hu Tu Tu Tu Tu

!
(Continue down chromatically
to the lowest possible note.)
EMBOUCHURE TRAINING ROUTINE
All Single Reed Instruments.
Preparations:
1. These drills should be practiced with a mirror, until enough muscle memory or "feel" is estab-
lished.
2. This routine is best learned by first using the mouthpiece-neck combination for saxophone, or
mouthpiece-barrel combination for clarinet, before attempting them with the complete instrument.
When you accomplish the entire routine, add the combination to the body of the instrument.
There are four steps to learning the basic embouchure, they are:
1. Set 3. Blow
2. Place 4. Jaw
1. Set
This is the simple motion of bringing the lower lip over the lower teeth, with minimal or no
extraneous movement of other facial muscles. Using unnecessary muscles shows itself in the form of
dimples, lines, wrinkles, widening of the mouth, and bunching of the chin. These are all signs of
unnecessary tension. By doing this step correctly you are creating the foundation for the next step.
Caution: Pushing the lower jaw forward into the lip can look very much like you are bringing
the lip over the teeth, but by doing so, you are pushing your jaw out of it's natural plane which
creates tension in the throat and puts the pressure point too far down the reed.
2. Place
Bring the mouthpiece-neck or barrel combination to your mouth and place the reed on the lip
with no change of Step 1: Set.
Practice this until you can do this 3 times in a row without change. The most common errors in
this step are:
* The lip coming off the teeth, reaching for the reed.
* The head coming down on the mouthpiece.
* Pushing the lip further into the mouth.
3. Blow
Blow air into the mouthpiece. Air sound only. You are not trying to get a sound. The pitch of the
air should be low, and feel as if you are blowing warm air into the mouthpiece. Notice in the mirror
if there is any change of facial expression, or deviation from steps one or two.
This should be done 3 times without change. If you notice any change you should go back to
Step 1 and go through the steps.
4. Pressure
While blowing add pressure of the lower jaw to the reed until a sound is produced. This is done
with the use of the chewing muscles at the back of the jaw. It is the same motion as chewing or
saying the letter "X". If the correct muscles are used there will be no change of your facial expres-
sion, as defined in Step 1. With some practice and careful attention you will begin to tell the differ-
ence between jaw pressure and lip pressure. Lip pressure makes the the sound "darker" and response
slower.

Note: These steps are to be done in exact sequence. Use the mirror to ascertain if you are
maintaining the SET position as step 2, 3, and 4 are added. When actually playing Steps 3 and 4 are
combined into one step. If you notice any change when doing the steps you should return to Step 1.

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