Neuromuscular Control of Trumpeters' Lips

SCIENTIFIC experiments on musical performance are surprisingly sparse when one considers that neuromuscular control of skilful motor performance reaches its acme in music. A case in point is the embouchure of brass instrumentalists, that is, the control of the firmness and vibration of the lips in relationship to each other and to the mouthpiece. The pedagogical literature is in a “state of chaos” according to Weast 1 . Among anatomists little more is known today about the normal function and kinesiology of the muscles of facial expression than has been known for a century—knowledge gained through the dissection of corpses and simple observation 2 . With the exception of buccinator muscle during normal function 3,4 and labial muscles during speech 5,6 , the facial muscles have been almost ignored by electromyographers. Thus, electromyography (EMG) offers to reveal the function of the facial muscles as it has for many other parts of the body 7 .