Post by ziman on Dec 8, 2012 3:59:35 GMT
Hi all,
On Monday, I discovered a reliable way to check whether my embouchure was correctly positioned and centered at the blowing hole of the xiao. Here, I'll outline the method first, and then share the information source that enabled me to find this out.
This method will only work on xiao that have the blowing hole/notch cut inside a bamboo node and not outside. To see what I mean, look at this photo from Donsiau's website:
As long as the notch of your xiao is cut like the left xiao in the picture, this tip will work for you. If it's cut like the right xiao, it won't work. (Note that this is not about notch shapes; it doesn't matter whether your xiao is a U notch or V notch or hybrid. It's about the position of the notch.)
Now, turn your xiao so that the end of the flute with the blowing hole is facing you. This is what you're probably seeing:
www.dropbox.com/s/z4zhhp0qqxu2fk5/IMGP1562.JPG
(Note: click the link for the picture; somehow this website has trouble rendering pictures I link from my Dropbox.)
When you look at the picture, and/or at your xiao's blowing hole, see the two upper tips of the blowing hole and how they are just a little bit higher than the rest of the flute?
Now put the flute to your mouth, and position the xiao such that both of those two tips of the blowing hole are just, ever so slightly, touching your upper lip. Make sure both tips are just lightly touching, and neither of them feels higher than the other.
Now part your lips and blow. The above positioning method should make it much easier for you to hit the xiao's sweet spot.
This method is good for checking if your positioning has slipped midway though playing as well.
I found this method while reading the blog of the brilliant xiao maker, Ren Jin (任瑾), one of the more innovative makers today. He has experimented with acoustically better and more ergonomic designs of the xiao's blowing hole. I was intrigued by one of his designs in particular, the one shown in the first picture on this page: www.renjinxiaofang.com/newsdetail.php?id=79
Explaining why the walls of the xiao's notch were curved like that, Ren Jin wrote that "the two front points of the notch are for tactile feedback on the upper lip; the two rear points are for tactile feedback on the lower lip." In this way, the player of this xiao would be able to feel and quickly verify whether the positioning of his embouchure was correct.
Once I read that page, I thought, EUREKA! Even though few other xiao have such a well-thought out notch design, the two front points on the notch are still in the same position, so they can be used in the same way Ren Jin suggests. So I tried it myself, and indeed, I found it very helpful.
Happy playing!
On Monday, I discovered a reliable way to check whether my embouchure was correctly positioned and centered at the blowing hole of the xiao. Here, I'll outline the method first, and then share the information source that enabled me to find this out.
This method will only work on xiao that have the blowing hole/notch cut inside a bamboo node and not outside. To see what I mean, look at this photo from Donsiau's website:
As long as the notch of your xiao is cut like the left xiao in the picture, this tip will work for you. If it's cut like the right xiao, it won't work. (Note that this is not about notch shapes; it doesn't matter whether your xiao is a U notch or V notch or hybrid. It's about the position of the notch.)
Now, turn your xiao so that the end of the flute with the blowing hole is facing you. This is what you're probably seeing:
www.dropbox.com/s/z4zhhp0qqxu2fk5/IMGP1562.JPG
(Note: click the link for the picture; somehow this website has trouble rendering pictures I link from my Dropbox.)
When you look at the picture, and/or at your xiao's blowing hole, see the two upper tips of the blowing hole and how they are just a little bit higher than the rest of the flute?
Now put the flute to your mouth, and position the xiao such that both of those two tips of the blowing hole are just, ever so slightly, touching your upper lip. Make sure both tips are just lightly touching, and neither of them feels higher than the other.
Now part your lips and blow. The above positioning method should make it much easier for you to hit the xiao's sweet spot.
This method is good for checking if your positioning has slipped midway though playing as well.
I found this method while reading the blog of the brilliant xiao maker, Ren Jin (任瑾), one of the more innovative makers today. He has experimented with acoustically better and more ergonomic designs of the xiao's blowing hole. I was intrigued by one of his designs in particular, the one shown in the first picture on this page: www.renjinxiaofang.com/newsdetail.php?id=79
Explaining why the walls of the xiao's notch were curved like that, Ren Jin wrote that "the two front points of the notch are for tactile feedback on the upper lip; the two rear points are for tactile feedback on the lower lip." In this way, the player of this xiao would be able to feel and quickly verify whether the positioning of his embouchure was correct.
Once I read that page, I thought, EUREKA! Even though few other xiao have such a well-thought out notch design, the two front points on the notch are still in the same position, so they can be used in the same way Ren Jin suggests. So I tried it myself, and indeed, I found it very helpful.
Happy playing!