next »

[ALBERT3]

I've heard alot about the Chop-Stick Alternative pencil thing and I was wondering if anyone had a routine.

how long should I do it at one time ?

should I do it everyday or alternate days ?

any other useful info

Thanks for everything,

Al

[Dave Tatro]

I want to help but am a bit confused by your post! Do you HAVE a set of Chop-sticks and want to know how to use them or are you looking for a way to get Chop-sticks type results with just a pencil?

FYI- I just got some Chop-sticks a couple weeks ago and have used them maybe 5 times so far. I like them, and feel like I am getting a great workout. I can't say that I'm seeing huge results yet, but I've had a few grueling gigs and a long rehearsal of difficult solo litereature over the last few days and it seemed like I had a bit better endurance than previously. I don't know if that is from the CS's or just from playing a lot lately.

I have also used a pen or pencil routine in the past with good results. Let me know specifically what info you are looking for and I'll try to help out!

Dave

[Steve McGovern]

Chop-sticks comes with a booklet that outlines a few different routines.  Alternate days of work with days of rest, and increase duration from session to session.  Hold the stick for as long as you can keep proper form, then rest.  Repeat until you've met your daily goal.  Starting out, this might be 60-seconds per effort, 5 times a day, for a total of 5 minutes.  After a week, you might be up to 10 minutes a day.

I found that each new day is totally different, and there is a danger of over-doing it.  So, the first effort of the day is not very long, and I wait 2 or 3 minutes to see how tight or tingley it made me.

I used them while on a business trip where I was away from the horn for 3 weeks.  I think it lessened the chop decay somewhat.

[ALBERT3]

I do not currently have Chop-Sticks

I would buy some but I've heard of people getting the same results with pencils  and I don't want to spend uneeded money if I can get the same results with pencils.

I have been playing for 1 year and a couple of months.  I've done the pencil thing for 2 days now and I don't know if it's just my brain telling me that it's working or what? but it seems to be helping my higer range already either way it works for me

hope this helps,

Al

[valver]

OK....I'll bite.

What are you talking about?  What's the chopstick pencil routine?

[Steve McGovern]

http://www.trombone.org/articles/library/viewarticles.asp?ArtID=240

The Pencil Trick Routine

The Pencil Trick Routine has been recommended by many brass teachers since Reinhardt first wrote of it in 1942. Using a standard, unsharpened wooden pencil, form your embouchure as if to buzz while saturated with saliva. Place the tip of either end of the pencil just between your compressed lips at the point of where your embouchure aperture forms during normal playing, never between your teeth. Using the compression of the lips alone, hold the pencil straight out for as long as possible without strain, usually only a few seconds at first. Gradually extend the amount of time you can hold the pencil straight out before dropping. Similar to the Jaw Retention Drill, following this exercise you should drop your jaw, open your mouth, and exhale forcefully to relax.

[Dave Tatro]

I do not currently have Chop-Sticks

I would buy some but I've heard of people getting the same results with pencils  and I don't want to spend uneeded money if I can get the same results with pencils.

I have been playing for 1 year and a couple of months.  I've done the pencil thing for 2 days now and I don't know if it's just my brain telling me that it's working or what? but it seems to be helping my higer range already either way it works for me

hope this helps,

Al

Ah, so...

Well, you will be somewhat limited in the variety of exercises you can do with just a pencil, but with a little creativity, you can probably make it work well for yourself. It sounds like you are already doing the basic "pencil trick" as described above.

As far as frequency, treat it like weightlifting for your chops. You wouldn't lift heavy weights with the same body part each day, so don't do it with your lips either. Muscles need time to rebuild themselves after a hard workout. Another thing to consider is your playing schedule. You probably don't ever want to do 30 minutes of pencil drill on a day when you will have to play anything demanding.

I personally like to hit the Chop-sticks/pencil hard if I'm not going to play on a given day. If I have a lighter playing day, I'll finish off the evening with a shorter routine to get a good "burn" before quitting. I usually don't do anything after a really taxing day, other than cool down and maybe stretch my embouchure muscles a bit. I also try to have at least one day a week when I don't do any playing or exercizing of the face at all. This routine seems to work well for me.

Dave

[john jenkins]

Yeah, I just use a pencil and tape coins onto it for added weight.

John

[ALBERT3]

Does anyone have pictures of how to properly hold the pencil or chop-stick

I just don't want to be doing it wrong.

thanks for all the tips,

Al

[john jenkins]

Does anyone have pictures of how to properly hold the pencil or chop-stick

I just don't want to be doing it wrong.

thanks for all the tips,

Al

What I do is make pretend I'm about to position my lips into a mouthpiece (puckering, getting my corners firm, etc) and then I form a small aperture (opening) between my lips by sticking in the erase end of the pencil just to the point where my lips are overlapping the metal eraser cap. And then your goal is to keep the pencil at a perpendicular angle as much as possible. The key to this exercise is to work the corners, making them more firm, so focus your attention to that area of your mouth. But don't do it too long. Try to stop before you muscles begin to quiver. You don't want to damage anything.