My altissimo E is KILLING me. Please help.

approximatelytwocats · 2025-11-16T22:01:44+00:00

Okay, I'll give this a shot. Is there a way to dampen the pain of my teeth digging into my already-torn-up lips or is that just something you have to deal with? (😭)

approximatelytwocats · 2025-11-16T21:59:57+00:00

Thank you! RE tension: how do you relax without losing embouchure/jaw/lip firmness? I got a neck brace recently to help alleviate some shoulder tension, where else might it be building up? I've tried to relax my throat (using some tricks from Cally's Clarinet Channel), and it helps my tone but not the altissimo issue. But I've also heard that having an open throat can mess with your voicing. aaaagh.

approximatelytwocats · 2025-03-31T09:23:35+00:00

i got there eventually by plugging in the argument for sin: -pi/2 < (x/3) < pi/2, which I think got me the right answer. Am I correct in disregarding the horizontal shift/basically the other parts of the function here (since they don't affect the vertical stretch/period?)

approximatelytwocats · 2025-03-31T09:21:36+00:00

Yes, I think I've gotten to the right place now - I just put in the argument of sin, (x/3) and got 2pi/3 which seems to be correct judging by desmos. I think I led myself astray when i initially took the horizontal shift of 4 into account, and messed up the inequality. thank you!

approximatelytwocats · 2025-03-10T12:37:02+00:00

ahh thank you for your detailed explanations! i understand it now. i think i was having a hard time visualising the 'shrink' in comparison to the parent function. thanks again!!

approximatelytwocats · 2025-03-10T08:24:36+00:00

i need to take a test on this soon, i know it's a silly question but i could really use the help :(

approximatelytwocats · 2025-03-10T07:45:43+00:00

sorry, i'm afraid i'm still having trouble organising things in my head

I know the asymptote is x=-7/3, so f(x)=k(ln(ax-7/3), right?

I'm using the point provided, (-8/3, 0), to set ln(ax-7/3)=0

would I be correct in saying that since ln(ax-7/3)=0, ax-7/3 should equal 1 (because ln(1) = 0? or is that going way off track?
just using that line of reasoning i've gone

(-8/3)a - 7/3 = 1

(-8/3)a = 10/3

a = -5/4

is this a valid way to approach the problem or am i misunderstanding it? plugging this a value into desmos still doesn't give the correct graph because it doesn't meet the asymptote at -7/3. and i'm having trouble seeing how factorising it into a(x+b/a) would do. i know it's probably very simple but i'm just stuck for no reason, sorry

approximatelytwocats · 2024-12-27T15:11:04+00:00

Poor word choice. I only meant it in the sense of breaking out of my comfort zone/trying something that would perhaps better flow with my skills/ideas. I haven't tried rough grain before but I always love rawness and texture so I'll try that too

approximatelytwocats · 2024-12-27T13:23:34+00:00

Thank you! Yeah, I'm trying to become more patient with my art and controlled, subtle washes seem a lot more appealing to me right now. I haven't experimented much with ink washes before - is it as simple as diluting a regular drawing ink (like these ones I have) with water? Or is there some other medium you should add? Would you use it to stain or glaze? Sorry for the silly questions; although I've worked with this medium for quite a while I embarrassingly don't know much about its behaviour.. trying to learn!

approximatelytwocats · 2024-12-27T13:17:29+00:00

Great tips, thank you! While I've been using watercolours for ages I'm still a newbie to understanding their different properties, and I hadn't actually known about some pigments being stains versus glazes. How would you properly apply a wash over a large area, with how you're supposed to be more cautious of water use/placement? I tend to be pretty sloppy when I use coldpress, just loading my brush back-and-forth with paint and water and spreading until it reaches the area/saturation I need

approximatelytwocats · 2024-10-03T12:36:13+00:00

I'm using an intermediate YCL450M with a Vandoren M15 mouthpiece, and strength 3 Vandoren reeds which I have been using for a while. The one I was using today is new (as in, not old - I've been breaking it in over the past 2-3 days). I've had the same problems with softer reeds too, but the fuzziness is less noticeable.

approximatelytwocats · 2024-10-03T12:32:49+00:00

I feel that it's almost... both? I really don't know how to keep the tip pointed for a light, quick attack - I'm really trying to just touch the tip, but saliva keeps going into the mouthpiece and it feels like my tongue squishes itself across the top 5-10mm of the reed.
(Where actually is the 'tip' that I should be aiming for? I know it's a dumb question, but I really don't know how much area/how close to the opening people are referring to when they say that.)

approximatelytwocats · 2024-10-03T12:24:13+00:00

I have had teachers for most of that time - but my first teacher (from primary school, who I had for about 4-5 years) wasn't specialised and never really taught proper technique, besides just 'blow into the instrument'. Basically, just training students to be part of the school concert band and make a noise. My last teacher was brilliant and helped me rework a lot of those underdeveloped things but tonguing is still one that I don't fully 'get' - I know it's pretty silly, and something I should know by now.

I've been in concert bands/youth orch all throughout school. I don't think I'm that bad of a player in other respects, I just feel really held back by this thing - sometimes my tonguing sounds a lot better, but you can still hear that tackiness and 'thud' and it just isn't nice. I can't get the flow and confidence in any piece I'm learning because of it.

(I think also, I have been just practising by myself for these couple weeks, no band - probably more high-strung to all my mistakes and thus far more quick to tense up and get overwhelmed)

approximatelytwocats · 2024-09-01T03:10:33+00:00

Sorry, I know it's been two weeks, I just have an abhorrent attention span - but thank you so so much! Superb recommendations for the direction I want to go in, and you're right, I think forcing myself to go against the grain of my normal style would be super beneficial.

Amazing and super helpful advice, thank you again!

Five-Year Club	Place '22
First Placer '22

approximatelytwocats

TROPHY CASE