[Syd Read]

I watched the video “10 tips for professional melodica players” with interest. As a former pro French Horn player I thought I’d add several tips of my own.

#1 TAKING A BREATH: to get max air intake (for long phrases) AND to limit the space between notes when requiring a breath try the following:
– keep your upper lip on the mouthpiece
-simply drop your lower jaw. (like in a gasp) The air will rush in!!
That’s it

#2 WHERE to BREATHE: All music (like natural conversation),has natural spots where an idea ends and another begins …this is called phrasing.
Deciding where those phrases end will help determine where to take a breath and will make the flow of your melody more pleasing.

#3 TONGUING: In the video Daren discusses short tonguing (“TO” = staccato). There is another common tonguing used to give the attack of the note a softer start. Called “Legato” (meansd LONG)
When playing smooth pieces, like airs, use the syllabe “Doo” to seperate notes softly. You should hear a slight seperation between notes

Hope this helps

ScottishSyd

[Daren]

Great tips ScottishSyd, thanks for sharing!

[Alan Brinton]

Thanks, Syd.

[Author]

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