by Bridgett Jacobson
Embouchure is the way you place your mouth upon an instrument to get a sound. The way you form your lips to produce a sound is slightly different for every instrument. There are right and wrong ways to place your mouth upon an instrument.
If you place your mouth upon an instrument correctly, you will be able to generate a sound from your instrument free of breaking. You will also be able to let out a sound from your musical instrument that is of a clear tonal quality and without the sound of air escaping from it.
Along with having correct embouchure (correct mouth placement) you need to also use your diaphragm correctly. If you need to know where your diaphragm is put one hand over your abdomen (stomach area) and form your other hand into a fist and place it tight against your lips (thumb and forefinger side should be facing you). Blow into this fist, and feel the affect it has in your abdomen area. If you feel a reaction when you blow into your fist you know you are using your diaphragm to push the air out of your air passage.
In our governments the real power lies in the majority of the community, and the invasion of private rights is chiefly to be apprehended, not from the acts of government contrary to the sense of the constituents, but from the acts in which government is the mere instrument of the majority.
—James Madison (1751–1836)
When you play your instrument you should use your diaphragm just like you did when you blew into your fist. This will help project the sound so people can hear you. The sound of a person who used their mouth and diaphragm correctly while playing is usually a more confident, forceful, and defined tone.
It is possible to play softly and still use your diaphragm. The only difference when playing softly is that your mouth and diaphragm are more relaxed while playing. Specifically for correct mouth placement, there are a few different ways to place your mouth upon an instrument if you want a premium quality sound to come from it.
For brass instruments such as trumpet, French horn, tuba, and trombone the embouchure technique is similar. Usually you pucker your lips very tight and force very quickly air through a thin crevice (crack) in your lips. This can be a challenge for beginners to learn how to produce a sound in this way. However, the more practice you have when playing a brass instrument the better off you are.
Some people, believe it or not, are able to play a scale on a brass instrument such as a trumpet without even touching any of the trumpet keys. It is because the production of sound from an instrument is all in the lips, or the mouth, rather. It is all about how you place your lips, tongue, and even your teeth on your instrument as you play (usually your teeth are folded under your lips, and your tongue is pushed back to play correctly).
The powers of the federal government ... result from the compact to which the states are parties, [and are] limited by the plain sense and intention of the instrument constituting that compact.
—James Madison (1751–1836)
For woodwind and flute instruments such as flute, clarinet, piccolo, or oboe, the technique is a little different. The flute playing embouchure is much like the way you would shape your mouth to blow on an open-hold whistle. It is also like the effect you get when you blow into a bottle with a small neck to produce a sound. The embouchure for flute players is slightly more relaxed than for brass players, however, it is still crucial to place your mouth right on the flute or you will not be able to produce a sound.
The clarinet and oboe are reed instruments. The effect of blowing into one of these is like taking a piece of grass in between your thumbs and blowing on that-only a more pleasing sound, of course. In order to produce a sound from a clarinet you need to wrap your lips tight around the mouthpiece, and pucker them. Then you put pressure on the reed with your bottom lip. Your top lip helps hold the embouchure position. Then you blow into it with all the force you have.
For all wind and brass instruments you use your tongue to stop the air passage when you need to. This will help you stop abruptly between each note for a staccato (short and separated) effect when you need to, and will also help stop the sound of an instrument after a long legato (smooth) phrase.
The best way to learn an instrument is to have someone there to guide you through every step. You can take lessons and join a band class to help you get the instruction you need to further help you. Your music teacher can give you feedback and help you learn how to place your mouth correctly on an instrument.