Page 3 - Embou-Sure Book Series

Introducing “Embou-Sure”
A step-by-step method complete with sound files
The concept of EMBOU-SURE has been utilized with outstanding success on students of all levels for more than ten years. It is by no means an experimen- tal technique, but rather one which incorporates descriptive terminology as a means of clearly stating the goals, problems, and solutions involved in learning to play wind instruments. It is a method which will work equally well for the wind teacher who also plays the given instrument and the non-playing music teacher.
It had occurred to me, as I am sure it has to many teachers, that specialists in any area have only three advantages over the rest of us:
1. Visual expertise in detecting incorrect tone concepts.
2. Auditory expertise in detecting incorrect tone concepts.
3. Verbal expertise in correcting embouchure formation and tone- con-
cept problems.
So, if we can see, hear, and say EXACTLY the right things, there is no reason that we can’t also be experts in teaching, altering, and refining embouchure and tone. That is, in short, the very intent and purpose of EMBOU-SURE.
And, there’s no magic in all of that either. Simple, very explicit comments during initial stages of development almost guarantee immediate success. Having applied the methods detailed in this article to the instruction of beginners of
all ages (including some as young as six years), I’ve been really amazed by the instant effectiveness of these concepts. It’s very exciting and it’s the reason I de- cided to ask other experienced teachers to join in the development of this series.
EMBOU-SURE is formulated on the concept that the prospective instructor has also “taken the course.” It is mandatory that each concept be thoroughly and accurately comprehended. Thus, anyone planning to use this method must start as a beginner, utilizing the text (accompanied by the cassette tape, if possible) as a means of developing a fine sound and an expert teaching system.
If you find that Embou-Sure does indeed help you refine beginning embou- chures, I hope you will thank the authors who freely gave of their time to bring these concepts into a usable form.
For me it has been an exciting project which dates back to those first guinea pig woodwind tech classes in 1975. To this day many thanks go to my students at Southern Oregon State College who contribute significantly to the refinement of techniques that make the Embou-Sure concept effective.
I want to especially thank Stuart Turner and Larry Hudson for their initial efforts back in 1979 to expand the concept from woodwinds to brass. To
Phebe Kimball, Barbara Cantlon, Randall Spicer, Richard Polonchak, Val Phil- lips and Bob Spevacek who wrote Embou-Sure articles for Bandworld Mag- azine in 1986 and 1987: Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedules so that Embou-Sure could emerge as a system covering all the winds.
In retrospect, it was probably Clarence Sawhill who was most responsible for the development of this concept. Anyone who knew (and, of course, loved) Clarence will recall that he had a set of “embouchure faces” that he used for many years when working with bands. Those “faces” were fun, funny, and abso- lutely accurate. In 1968, when I saw Clarence’s film that literally took the “man off the street” and taught him an embouchure in ten minutes, it stuck with me.
This book, then, is a compilation of ideas spanning many years. Because of the low number of books in each printing and the cost of tapes, duplication, and processing, Embou-Sure is provided to you at cost. We hope you enjoy it and find the techniques useful.
M. Max McKee, Editor Summer 1987-Ashland, Oregon
2018 Update/Edition
With new technology, the Embou-Sure Series has been updated to include QR codes for each sound file so you can access them on the internet. Most mobile devices will scan the QR code with the use of the camera. If you need additional help to access the sound files (online), please download a QR scanning app for your mobile device. In addition, we have included a USB drive (flash drive) with the sound files so you can quickly add them to your computer.
Embou-Sure – 4