French horn embouchure: An electromyographic facial kinematic study

This study investigated embouchure-related muscle activities and related facial skin movement in trained French horn players. In relation to pitch and intensity of tone produced, amplitude of surface electromyogram (EMG) from five selected facial muscles and related facial skin kinematics were examined during preand post-attack phases. There was no difference in EMGs and facial kinematics between these two phases, indicating importance of appropriate preparation for embouchure formation. EMGs in all muscles increased linearly with an increase in pitch, and they also increased with tone intensity without interacting with the pitch effect. Facial skin movement remained constant across all pitches and intensities, except for lateral retraction of the lips during high-pitch tone production. These findings indicate that contraction of the embouchurerelated muscles is fundamentally isometric for flexible sound parameters in order to modulate lip tension and firmness. Horn players seem to have developed a specialized ability to precisely balance facial muscle contraction with inter-oral pressure.