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<blockquote data-quote="blaxadder" data-source="post: 617657" data-attributes="member: 10833"><p>Hi Basil,</p><p></p><p>Well first question I would ask is what 'flavour' reed are you using ? I must admit that when I first tried the palm keys with a 1.5 Rico Royal I could not get any of them to sound (or if they did, like you, it sounded like a cat in a lot of pain !) with a 2 they started to come, and a 2.5 they can almost start sounding 'sweet'. </p><p></p><p>The other thing with these high notes is you kinda want to increase the air pressure and decrease the volume of air. I think of it as trying to sort of 'whistle' into the mouthpiece. Obviously you don't want to change the shape of your embrochure or tighten too much, but imagine the action of going to whistle. If you do it without a mouthpiece, form a whistle with your mouth, then try the normal toungeing method (tee, ti, doo) in place (or sort of together with) the whistling sound. Hopefully you'll feel a bit of a kick right in the back of your throat, like a small cough (maybe also think of it as your Adams apple trying to go down to the floor). Now transfer that kind of action to your normal embrochure on the mouthpiece, and try it very gently at first. That will hopefully produce a nice high pressure puff of air to start the reed in the right direction -- once you get it you'll see how it works !</p><p></p><p>Hope that hasn't confused you even more.</p><p></p><p>All the best</p><p></p><p>Blax</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="blaxadder, post: 617657, member: 10833"] Hi Basil, Well first question I would ask is what 'flavour' reed are you using ? I must admit that when I first tried the palm keys with a 1.5 Rico Royal I could not get any of them to sound (or if they did, like you, it sounded like a cat in a lot of pain !) with a 2 they started to come, and a 2.5 they can almost start sounding 'sweet'. The other thing with these high notes is you kinda want to increase the air pressure and decrease the volume of air. I think of it as trying to sort of 'whistle' into the mouthpiece. Obviously you don't want to change the shape of your embrochure or tighten too much, but imagine the action of going to whistle. If you do it without a mouthpiece, form a whistle with your mouth, then try the normal toungeing method (tee, ti, doo) in place (or sort of together with) the whistling sound. Hopefully you'll feel a bit of a kick right in the back of your throat, like a small cough (maybe also think of it as your Adams apple trying to go down to the floor). Now transfer that kind of action to your normal embrochure on the mouthpiece, and try it very gently at first. That will hopefully produce a nice high pressure puff of air to start the reed in the right direction -- once you get it you'll see how it works ! Hope that hasn't confused you even more. All the best Blax [/QUOTE]
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