When your playing technique isn't quite right, or when you're desperately trying to play a piece that exceeds the limits of your skill or physical strength,

you may find yourself temporarily pressing the mouthpiece hard against your lips, causing a high note to be produced.

I'm sure many people have experienced this situation.

So, is the solution to this problem simply to "be careful not to press"?

...Not at all, is it?

It's the most superficial symptomatic treatment, and it's more like a psychological solution. And the effect (i.e., reduced pressure) is minimal.

This is because it doesn't change the underlying cause, such as some other technique that's not working properly or playing a piece that puts a lot of strain on the mouthpiece.

However, the teaching that "don't press" is now widely circulated and taken for granted, and many people continue to work hard believing it from the start.

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Also, it's common for people to immediately attribute "too much pressure" to something not going well without analyzing or verifying it.

On the other hand,

I breathe quite hard, but I can play really well

When I try not to press hard, it just doesn't work at all

There are many examples like this.

In short,

◎ It's okay to press
◎ Try pressing
◎ Try to lessen the urge to not press

However, in this lesson,

I followed the theory that "pressing may have a role similar to that of a ligature."

I was able to produce high notes that I couldn't reach before.

Let me make this clear in advance.

This is not to say that "everyone should breathe." If I don't say this, some people will get confused and get angry, lol.