THE

EQUILIBRIUM
CONCEPT

R. DALE OLSON
 THE
EQUILIBRIUM
CONCEPT

[Link]
EQUILIBRIUM = BALANCE

IN WHICH ALL COMPONENTS OF

PERFORMANCE EXIST AT APPROPRIATE
LEVELS.

PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS = EQUILIBRIUM

BEGINNERS = DISEQUILIBRIUM
EQUILIBRIUM = EFFICIENCY

EQUILIBRIUM, WHERE ALL COMPONENTS

ARE BALANCES, RESULTS IN EFFICIENCY

DISEQUILIBRIUM, WHEN ONE OR MORE

COMPONENTS ARE OUT OF BALANCE,
RESULTS IN INEFFICIENCY
 WHAT MUST BE IN
BALANCE?

TODAY, FOUR COMPONENTS OF TRUMPET

PERFORMANCE WILL BE CONSIDERED:
INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE
ACTIVITY OF THE ORAL CAVITY
FACIAL TENSION
EMBOUCHURE-MOUTHPIECE FORCE
ORIGINS OF THE EQUILIBRIUM
CONCEPT
 ORIGINS OF THE
EQUILIBRIUM CONCEPT
 SCOPE OF THIS LECTURE
HISTORIC BACKGROUND OF EACH
COMPONENT WILL BE PRESENTED

TYPES OF DISEQUILIBRIA WILL BE

IDENTIFIED

EXERCISES WILL BE SUGGESTED TO

MODIFY EXISTING DISEQUILIBRIA
 OBJECTIVE STUDIES
VERSUS
MENTAL IMAGERY

TEACHERS USE MENTAL IMAGERY WHICH

IS NOT ALWAYS CONSISTENT WITH
SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE.
EQUILIBRIUM CONCEPT AS
A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL

SPECIAL EFFECTS, PARTICULARLY IN JAZZ

EXTREMELY RAPID PERFORMANCE
“ALTERNATIVE PARADIGMS”
A.F. WELDON, 1880
DE LA MATER, 1923
 SECRETS OF “LIP SCIENCE”

DE LE MATER WROTE (IN 1928)

“Lip Science contains secrets heretofore
carefully guarded by the most famous artists --
secrets that are published for the first time”
“You can reach high ‘C’ with perfect ease,
skip an octave lower in staccato or legato, and
skip back again, just as easily as playing low C.
No straining, bulging … tired lips, trick
mouthpieces or unusual effort of any kind”
EQUILIBRIUM CONCEPT AS
A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL
“ALTERNATIVE PARADIGMS”
REINHART “PIVOT SYSTEM”, 1940’s
COSTELLO SYSTEM, 1940’s
MAGGIO SYSTEM, 1950’s
“BALANCED EMBOUCHURE”, 1990’s
“TONGUE CONTROLLED
EMBOUCHURE”, 1990’s
 EQUILIBRIUM CONCEPT AS
A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL

DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT:
SOUND LEVEL (dB) METER
PRESSURE GAUGE
CHROMATIC STROBOSCOPE
STUDY OF EXISTING LITERATURE
 NEED FOR OBJECTIVE
MEASUREMENT
THEORIES MUST BE BASED ON EVIDENCE

NO PROGRESS USING THEORIES ALONE

PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS ARE NOT A GOOD

SOURCE OF INFORMATION CONCERNING
PERFORMANCE
EQUILIBRIUM CONCEPT
ALL MATERIAL PRESENTED IN THIS
LECTURE HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM THE
SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE.

NO UNSUPPORTED “THEORIES” HAVE

BEEN USED

NOT OPINION, BUT DOCUMENTED

DATA
 TENURE AND HISTORY OF
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
EMBOUCHURE-MOUTHPIECE FORCE 1890

INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE 1902

ORAL CAVITY 1954

FACIAL TENSION 1972

 ANALYSIS =/ PARALYSIS
A CLICHÉ BY THE UNINFORMED

OFTEN AN EXCUSE TO NOT STUDY

HIGHLY TECHNICAL INFORMATION MUST

BE “FILTERED” THROUGH A
CONSCIENTIOUS TEACHER BEFORE BEING
PASSED TO YOUNG STUDENTS
 BASIC COMPONENTS OF
TRUMPET PERFORMANCE

INTERORAL AIR MOTION WITHIN

PRESSURE ORAL CAVITY

FACIAL TENSION E-M FORCE

 WHEN ONE COMPONENT
CHANGES, ALL MUST
CHANGE

TWO BASIC TYPES OF “DISEQUILIBRIA” EXIST:

“CHRONIC”
DEMONSTRATED BY VERY YOUNG
PLAYERS OR PLAYERS WITH CONTINUING
PROBLEMS OF LONG DURATION
“TRANSITORY”
MISTAKES MADE BY EXCELLENT PLAYERS
 PERFORMANCE SYSTEM IN EQUILIBRIUM

FACIAL TENSION

AIR PRESSURE ORAL CAVITY

EMBOUCHURE-MOUTHPIECE
FORCE
 PERFORMANCE SYSTEM IN EQUILIBRIUM

AIR PRESSURE CHANGES, ALL CHANGE

FACIAL TENSION INCREASES

AIR PRESSURE INCREASES ORAL CAVITY CHANGES

EMBOUCHURE-MOUTHPIECE
FORCE INCREASES
TYPES OF DISEQUILIBRIA

“PRIMARY DISEQUILIBRIA” (8 TYPES)

IN WHICH ONE COMPONENT EXISTS
EITHER TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW
“SECONDARY DISEQUILIBRIA” (23 TYPES)
IN WHICH TWO COMPONENTS EXIST
EITHER TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW

A TOTAL OF 31 TYPES OF DISEQUILIBRIA

 EFFECTS OF DISEQUILIBRIA

THE SYSTEM BECOMES UNBALANCED

SOME COMPONENTS ATTEMPT TO
COMPENSATE FOR THE IMBALANCE, BUT CAN
DO SO ONLY IN A VERY LIMITED RANGE.
THE SYSTEM BECOMES INEFFICIENT
NONE OF THE COMPONENTS ARE
FUNCTIONING AT THEIR OPTIMUM LEVEL
 CONCLUSIONS
TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL MUSICAL PERFORMANCE,
ALL ELEMENTS MUST BE “BALANCED”

“DISEQUILIBRIA” MAY EITHER BE

“CHRONIC”, OR “TRANSITORY”

WHEN ONE ELEMENT CHANGES, ALL MUST

CHANGE
INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE
 MEASUREMENT OF AIR
PRESSURE
SMALL DIAMETER BASKETBALL NEEDLE
HELD IN THE CORNER OF THE MOUTH
NEEDLE AFFIXED TO A RUBBER TUBE
TUBE AFFIXED TO A PRESSURE GAUGE
PITCH MONITORED BY STROBOSCOPE
INTENSITY MONITORED BY “Db” METER
 INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE (OUNCES PSI)
BEGINNER, AT 95dB

22

16,5
Air Pressure

11

5,5

0
Low F# Low C F# Middle C F#
Pitch
 INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE (OUNCES PSI)
BEGINNER, AT 105 dB
27

20,3
Air Pressure

13,5

6,8

0
Low F# Low C F# Middle C F#
Pitch
INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE (OUNCES PSI)
PROFESSIONAL AT 95 dB

16

12
Air Pressure

0
Low F# Low C F# Middle C F# High C
Pitch
 INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE (OUNCES/SI)
PROFESSIONAL AT 105 dB
28

21
Air Pressure

14

0
Low F# Low C F# Middle C F# High C
Pitch
AVERAGE INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE (OUNCES/
SI), BEGINNERS VERSUS EXPERTS AT 95dB

14
Air Pressure
10,5
Beginners
7 Experts

3,5

0
Low F# D# Middle C A
Pitch
 AVERAGE INTERORAL AIR PRESSURES
(OUNCES/SI), BEGINNERS VERSUS EXPERTS AT
105dB
20
Air Pressure
15
Beginners
10 Experts

0
Low F# D# Middle C A
Pitch
 AVERAGE INERORAL AIR PRESSURES
(OUNCES/SI), BEGINNERS VERSUS EXPERTS AT
115dB

40

30

Beginners
20 Experts

10

0
Low F# D# Middle C A
 INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE (OUNCES/SI),
BUD BRISBOIS AT 95dB, 105dB, 115dB (1970)

40
Air Pressure
30
95 dB
105 dB
20
115 dB
10

0
Low F# D# Middle C A F#
Pitch
 INDEPENDENT AIR
PRESSURE EXERCISES

NO NEED TO DEVELOP LEVEL OF AIR

PRESSURE, ONLY CONTROL
 CONTROLLED INTENSITY

60 dB--------------------- 70 dB------------------------ 80 dB------

80 dB--------------------- 90 dB -------------------------------------------------

A SOUND LEVEL METER IS REQUIRED FOR THIS

EXERCISE. MULTIPLE VARIANTIONS ON THIS
BASIC EXERCISE ARE POSSIBLE.
 CONCLUSIONS
INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE IS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH
PITCH: THE HIGHER WE PLAY, THE HIGHER LEVEL OF AIR WE USE

INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE IS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH

INTENSITY: THE LOUDER WE PLAY, THE HIGHER LEVEL OF AIR WE
USE.

THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE USED IN HIGH,

LOUD PERFORMANCE IS IN THE RANGE OF 4.5 PSI

PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS MAY USE LOWER LEVELS OF INTERORAL

AIR PRESSURE THAN NOVICES, NOT HIGHER.
 CONCLUSIONS
PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS DEMONSTRATE A MUCH SMOOTHER AIR
PRESSURE GRAPH THAN NOVICES.

ONLY ONE OTHER VOLUNTARY HUMAN ACTIVITY REQUIRES THE

SAME INTERORAL AIR PRESSURES AS TRUMPET PLAYING:
GLASS BLOWING

“AIR” IS NOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHER COMPONENTS

OF TRUMPET PLAYING. IT IS OFTEN USED EXCESSIVELY.

TRUMPET PLAYING IS MUCH HARDER THAN “DEEP BREATHING”

ORAL CAVITY
 THE ORAL CAVITY
MEASUREMENT METHODS

REQUIRES MEDICALLY TRAINED PERSONNEL

X-RAY HALL, 1954

VIDEOFLOUROSCOPE HAYNIE, 1960<
TONGUE POSITION:
AN ACTIVE, OR PASSIVE, ELEMENT?
 CONCLUSIONS
THE TONGUE AND CONFIGURATION OF THE ORAL CAVITY CHANGE
BOTH AS A FUNCTION OF PITCH, AND INTENSITY

THE CONFIGURATION OF THE ORAL CAVITY HAS BEEN CLAIMED TO

BE ONE OF THE PRIMARY DETERMINANTS OF TONAL QUALITY

TONE POSITION (I.E., DIFFERENT SYLLABLES) HAS NO AFFECT ON

INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE. THIS REFUTES THE “GARDEN HOSE”
ANALOGY.
FACIAL TENSION
 MEASUREMENT METHODS
ELECTROMYOGRAPHY,
WHITE, BASMAJIAN, 1972
(“INDWELLING, FINE-WIRE, BIPOLAR ELECTRODES”)

ELECTROTHREMOGRAPHY,
MEYER, BERTSCH, 2005
(PHOTOGRAPHING PATTERNS OF HEAT GENERATED BY
MUSCLE ACTIVITY)
 FACIAL MUSCLE ACTIVITY, LOW-HIGH
REGISTER, PROFESSIONAL PERFORMERS
3

Subject 1
Facial Muscle

2,25
Subject 2
Activity

1,5 Subject 3
Subject 4
Subject 5
0,75

0
Low Reg High Reg
Pitch

RAW DATA FROM WHITE, BASMAJIAN, 1972

 FACIAL MUSCLE ACTIVITY, LOW-HIGH
INTENSITY, PROFESSIONAL PERFORMERS
3

Subject 1
Facial Muscle

2,25
Subject 2
Activity

1,5 Subject 3
Subject 4
Subject 5
0,75

0
Low dB High dB
Intensity

RAW DATA FROM WHITE, BASMAJIAN, 1972

 THE APERTURE
THE APERTURE IS THE OPENING BETWEEN
THE LIPS DURING PERFORMANCE.
THE SIZE OF THE APERTURE IS LARGELY
PASSIVE, BEING GOVERNED BY
COMPONENTS SUCH AS INTERORAL AIR
PRESSURE, FACIAL TENSION, AND E-M
FORCE.
IT IS NOT INDEPENDENTLY UNDER THE
CONTROL OF THE PLAYER.
 THE APERTURE
CONTRARY TO CURRENTLY FASHIONABLE
CLAIMS, CONTROL OF THE APERTURE IN
ISOLATION IS UNREALISTIC.

THE CLAIM OF “PLAYING WITH AN OPEN

APERTURE” USUALLY MEANS THAT THE
PLAYER RELAXES HIS FACIAL TENSION OR
PURPOSEFULLY SEPARATES HIS/HER LIPS.
CORRELATING SCIENTIFIC
STUDIES WITH
THEORETICAL PEDAGOGY
 FARKAS VERSUS STEVENS

Philip Farkas wrote that the “in the lip muscles”

and the “out of the lip muscles” are pitted
against each other, and referred to this as a
“drawstring” or “tug-of-war: theory.

Roy Stevens, teaching the Costello System,

wrote that greater muscle activity should be
concentrated in the muscles outside the lips.
“in the lip” muscles “ out of the lip” muscles
 FARKAS VERSUS STEVENS

White and Basmajian showed that, among professional players, there

was greater activity in the “out of the lip muscles”.

Therefore, Farkas, who taught that both sets of muscles acted as a

“drawstring” was incorrect. Had Farkas been accurate, the “in the lip”
and the “out of the lip” muscles would have shown similar activity.

The accuracy of Stevens theory was supported by scientific

investigation of White and Basmajian.
,
 CONCLUSIONS

MUSCLE ACTIVITY GREATER FOR HIGH NOTE PLAYING

MUSCLE ACTIVITY GREATER FOR LOUD PLAYING
HIGH NOTE PERFORMANCE REQUIRES GREATER
MUSCLE ACTIVITY THAN LOUD PLAYING
PROFESSIONAL PERFORMERS SHOW GREATER
ACTIVITY IN THE “OUT OF THE LIP” MUSCLES
PROFESSIONAL PERFORMERS ESTABLISH FACIAL
TENSION FOR A GIVEN NOTE ¼ - ½ SECOND PRIOR
TO SOUNDING A NOTE.
 INDEPENDENT FACIAL
TENSION EXERCISES
RATIONALE: FACIAL TENSION IS DEVELOPED
IN ISOLATION FROM OTHER COMPONENTS
OF PERFORMANCE

AIR PRESSURE UNAFFECTED

ORAL CAVITY CONFIGURATION UNAFFECTED
EMBOUCHURE-MOUTHPIECE FORCE NOT
AFFECTED
 ISOMETRIC FACIAL
TENSION EXERCISES
ALTERNATELY TIGHTEN AND RELAX
EMBOUCHURE FORMATION, ONE SECOND EACH

ALTERNATELY TIGHTEN AND RELAX

EMBOUCHURE FORMATION, 5 SECONDS EACH

ALTERNATELY TIGHTEN AND RELAX

EMBOUCHURE FORMATION, 10 SECONDS EACH
 INDEPENDENT FACIAL
TENSION EXERCISES USING
WOODEN DOWELS

REPEAT FIRST SERIES OF EXERCISES, BUT

HOLDING VERY THIN WOODEN DOWELS IN
BOTH CORNERS OF MOUTH.
 FACIAL TENSION
EXERCISES USING
MOUTHPIECE

PERFORM FIRST SERIES OF TIGHTENING AND

RELAXING OF EMBOUCHURE, BUT PLACING
MOUTHPIECE LIGHTLY ON LIPS USING MINIMUM
FORCE.
DO NOT BLOW INTO MOUTHIECE.
EMBOUCHURE-MOUTHPIECE
FORCE
 1890
DYNAMOMETRE

JOSEF
JOSEFEVICH
SCHEDIWA
(RUSSIA)
TRANSDUCER
OF BARNEBEL,
1986
FORCE CAPTOR
PETIOT, 2003
 2005
FORCE
TRANSDUCER

MAYER AND
BERTSCH

AUSTRIA
 EMBOUCHURE-MOUTHPIECE FORCE

E-M FORCE, BARBENEL,1986

40
33
30
25
Force, in PSI

20 21 87 dB
20 18 95 dB
16 15
11 12
10 9
7 7
6
5
4 5

0
Low G Low C E G Middle C E G High C
Pitch
 EXERCISES

GOAL OF EXERCISES:
MANIPULATE BALANCE
MODIFY EXISTING DISEQUILIBRIA
ISOLATE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS
 “BENDING” EXERCISE
RATIONALE:
THESE EXERCISES REQUIRE CONSIDERABLE
MANIPULATION OF
1) INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE,
2) MOVEMENT IN THE ORAL CAVITY, 3)
FACIAL TENSION.

THEY PROHIBIT EXCESSIVE EMBOUCHURE-

MOUTHPIECE FORCE.

E-M FORCE IS ISOLATED

 BENDING EXERCISES,
WHOLE STEP

0 --------------------------------------------- 0 ------------------------------------------

FIRST PLAY WITH STANDARD FINGERING

SECOND, SIMULATE SAME SOUND, BUT
“LIP” TO ONE-HALF STEP BELOW THE
BASE NOTE, THEN ONE-WHOLE STEP.
PLAY THROUGH FINGERING SERIES.
 BENDING EXERCISES,
MINOR THIRDS

0 ---------------------------------------------- 0 -----------------------------------------

0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREVIOUS

EXERICSE, BUT EXPAND TO INCLUDE THE
INTERVAL OF A MINOR THIRD BELOW BASE
NOTE.
 EXPANSION OF
“BENDING” EXERCISES
THESE STUDIES MAY BE EXPANDED, BOTH
UPWARD AND DOWNWARD. BEGINNING WITH
“LOW” C, IT IS POSSIBLE TO “BEND”, OR LIP
EACH NOTE A MAJOR THIRD, AND MORE.
EXPAND INTO THE PEDAL REGISTER.
SYNOPSIS AND
CONCLUSION

THE
EQUILIBRIUM
CONCEPT
ALL ELEMENTS OF TRUMPET PERFORMANCE
MUST IDEALLY CHANGE TOGETHER

THE THEORY OF “COMPENSATION” HAS VERY

LITTLE SUPPORT

AS AN EXAMPLE, AIR PRESSURE CANNOT

REDUCE EMBOUCHURE-MOUTHPIECE FORCE

COMPENSATORY NATURE OF PERFORMANCE

EXTREMELY LIMITED
 INTERORAL AIR PRESSURE (OUNCES/SI),
BUD BRISBOIS AT 95dB, 105dB, 115dB (1970)

40
Air Pressure
30
95 dB
105 dB
20
115 dB
10

0
Low F# D# Middle C A F#
Pitch
 FACIAL MUSCLE ACTIVITY, LOW-HIGH
REGISTER, PROFESSIONAL PERFORMERS
3

Subject 1
Facial Muscle

2,25
Subject 2
Activity

1,5 Subject 3
Subject 4
Subject 5
0,75

0
Low Reg High Reg
Pitch

RAW DATA FROM WHITE, BASMAJIAN, 1972

 EMBOUCHURE-MOUTHPIECE FORCE, IN PSI

E-M FORCE, BARBENEL,1986

40
33
30
25
Force, in PSI

20 21 87 dB
20 18 95 dB
16 15
11 12
10 9
7 7
6
5
4 5

0
Low G Low C E G Middle C E G High C
Pitch
 PERFORMANCE SYSTEM IN EQUILIBRIUM

AIR PRESSURE CHANGES, ALL CHANGE

FACIAL TENSION INCREASES

AIR PRESSURE INCREASES ORAL CAVITY CHANGES

EMBOUCHURE-MOUTHPIECE
FORCE INCREASES
WHEN ONE COMPONENT
CHANGES, ALL MUST
CHANGE
 THE
EQUILIBRIUM
CONCEPT

THE END