Mouthpiece lip-pressing force and its component minimum and margin forces during French horn playing

Area of Science:

• Brass instrument acoustics
• Musculoskeletal biomechanics of wind instruments

Background:

• Mouthpiece force (MPF) is crucial for sound production, air seal, and embouchure function in brass players.
• MPF comprises minimum force for sound and margin force for safety and embouchure support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of pitch and dynamics on MPF in French horn performance.
• To analyze how minimum and margin forces are affected by pitch and dynamics in French horn playing.

Main Methods:

• Eleven professional French horn players participated in the study.
• Players performed sustained tones (F2-F5) at varying dynamics (p, mf, f) using a specialized MPF sensor mouthpiece.
• MPF, minimum force, and margin force were recorded and analyzed.

Main Results:

• MPF significantly increased with both higher pitch and increased dynamics.
• Minimum and margin forces also rose with pitch and dynamics, showing substantial inter-player variability.
• Margin force constituted 35%-57% of MPF, a higher proportion than reported for trumpet players.

Conclusions:

• The increased margin force in French horn playing likely serves to ensure an airtight seal with thin-rimmed mouthpieces.
• A higher margin force may aid embouchure function by stabilizing the lip vibration area and potentially increasing lip tension.
• These findings suggest a specific embouchure strategy employed by French horn musicians related to mouthpiece force application.