Tension and pressure

[Atoastedtrmb]

Hi, I was just wondering if any of y’all could give me some tips as to how to reduce pressure from pushing the horn into my face and how to reduce tension when playing, especially if playing in the high range or playing a fast passage. I’m curious to see what methods or tricks y’all have as to how to do this. I’ve tried multiple things like holding the horn from the back, backing myself up against a wall, just reminding myself in my head not to do that, and just barely letting my lips touch the mouthpiece when playing. They have worked to some extent but not very much, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

[harrisonreed]

Use your tongue to control the airstream and air pressure. This will reduce the tension in your chops from doing the same thing, and allow you to reduce mouthpiece pressure as well.

Also, lean into whatever embouchure your you are. If you're downstream, it's okay to use your lower lip as the "shelf" and greatly reduce the mouthpiece pressure on your upper lip/teeth.

In other words, play with great mechanics, understand how your particular embouchure works best. You know, "10,000 hours" and all that.