TRY THIS! Experiment for humans and brass players :-)

As long as we are on the very interesting subject of syllables, I thought that there might be some folks who would like to experiment with this:

1. Sit up right in a chair, relaxed with spine straight and feet flat on the floor.

2. Then say out loud in a full voice the sound 'Oh'. While you say this, imagine the 'Oh' sound surrounding your whole body as if it were a bubble of sound resonance extending out about three feet from your body and encircling it. Do this until you feel you are immersed in that 'Oh' resonance.

3. Then say the word 'La' ( rhymes with 'ma' ) and feel that sound resonance in your heart area in the middle of your chest. Have the 'La' sound have a lot of warmth. Do this until you feel that settled warmth of sound in your chest.

4. Lastly, shut your eyes (you can actually have your eyes shut the whole time of the entire exercise if you wish) and put your attention on your forehead and say the sound 'nim' (rhymes with 'him'). Feel that sound resonance softly near the center of your forehead. Do this until you feel very inward and have a sense of a calm and awake feeling.

This 'exercise-experiment' can be very restful and focusing before we start playing especially if we are mentally scattered or anxious. Also, play with the various sound resonances until they feel natural for you in duration and length.

For all those that are interested in trying this, you are welcome to post your comments on the blog. I would be interested to know your findings and experiences.

Happy experimenting!