In suona playing, mouth shape is an extremely important part. It plays a very important role in pitch control, timbre control, volume change, and playing skills. Slightly cover the cusps of the teeth (usually the lower lip is more than the upper lip), the upper and lower orbicularis oris muscles are close to the gums, and the reeds are contained (the depth of the reeds is generally not more than the reed seat, so as to give full play to the control ability of the labial muscles on the reeds ), with a slight sense of mouth opening, into a state of smiling. This mouth shape not only increases the thickness of the lip muscle, makes the pronunciation full and strong, vigorous and elastic, but also prevents the lip muscle from loosening locally due to fatigue, causing changes in the mouth shape or even air leakage, and also produces natural and labor-saving playing. With a sense of relaxation and comfort.

Some people don't have enough understanding of the importance of correct mouth shape in playing suona, and lack of understanding and mastery of correct mouth shape, so it is inevitable that such problems will arise in the process of playing. Some use the cheek blowing method, the corners of the mouth are loose, and the pronunciation is rough; some are the gum inflatable blowing method, the airflow is scattered, and it is laborious; The front and middle are tiled on a large area, and the air card is tightly placed, so that the sound is not beautiful, it is loose but not soft, and it is bright but not brittle. Incorrect mouth shape will inevitably affect the playing, and even make it difficult to control the pitch and change the intensity, and the contrast between strength and weakness and timbre is not obvious, so the melody played can only be "sound" music, not pleasant. The above-mentioned styles of playing are basically inseparable from the Qi card, which raises a question, what role does the Qi card play in the playing of Suona? How does it relate to mouth shape?

Suona playing uses air cards, which is related to the playing of folk artists. In the past, suona artists (commonly known as drummers), in order to make a living, traveled to the villages for a long time, and their lives were uncertain, or to play for weddings, funerals, weddings, weddings, and weddings, or to catch up with markets and temple fairs to celebrate festivals. In spite of the rain, the hunger and the cold, I dare not let go of any opportunity, and I must play well so as not to lose the source of my livelihood. Such social environment and conditions compelled them to develop excellent and outstanding skills in order to ensure the minimum conditions for performing arts and surviving. Among the folk artists, it is particularly emphasized to have the hard skills that can be played for a long time, because it takes several hours or even longer to play a happy event. very big. Especially when several pieces of music need to be played continuously or one piece of music can be repeated indefinitely, the method of gill-guiding ventilation (also known as cyclic ventilation) has become an indispensable technique for using air for artists. Bulging cheek ventilation method (here refers to the big drum fat) will inevitably lead to the loosening of the lip muscles and the decrease in the force of the mouth. At this time, the Qi card can play a role in making up for the defects and reducing the fatigue of the lip muscles. On many occasions, folk artists have to play while walking. Sometimes they walk for a few miles or dozens of miles. When encountering uneven ups and downs, they have to look up and bend their heads, turn their heads and turn around. When they encounter crowds, they will collide. In this case, in order to maintain a stable playing, in addition to the need for good blowing training, the Qi card plays a very important complementary role. However, if you play for too long, it will still cause the mouth to lose control, and even make strange noises such as air leakage and wind leakage. In order to overcome this drawback, some artists have improved the air card, such as changing the air card, which is usually about one-half the width of the mouth, to be close to the width of the mouth, so as to avoid the corners of the mouth being too loose and air leakage, so that the mouth shape is relatively stable. state, in order to play for a long time. There are also people who dare to make the gas card larger than the mouth width, and have a concave shape (ie "-" shape) that basically matches the natural mouth shape of people. In addition to the above functions, it can also prevent the lip muscles from rolling outwards, which is beneficial to the lips. The exertion of muscle strength and control of the reed can also play a role in shielding the poor mouth shape.

It can be seen that the use of air cards in suona playing was formed by the specific environment and conditions played by folk artists in the past. Now, the social status of folk artists and the environmental conditions for playing have undergone fundamental changes, and the methods and techniques of suona playing are also changing and improving. Many folk artists have jumped to become music teachers in art schools and performers in professional literary and art groups. Through long-term teaching and stage practice, they have made many improvements and improvements in the use of suona playing methods and skills. Although some folk artists are still playing in the folk, they are also not far behind, and they have made great progress and improvement in their tireless self-enrichment and study. I remember going to the countryside for interviews a few years ago and seeing with my own eyes the suona playing on stage by Sun Yuxiu, He Ze He Guanxian, and Cheng Wu Feng Guichen, and I learned a lot. Especially Yutai Song Shubin's playing, without wearing a gas card, played five folk songs in a row, and there was no sense of effort. The way folk artists play without air cards arouses my great interest. Since then, my understanding of how to play without air cards has become stronger. However, due to the usual habit of playing with a Qi card, it feels awkward to suddenly remove it, the corners of the mouth are loose, the labial muscles move forward, the whistle is too deep, the reed loses control, the air leaks, the hair is loose, the high-pitched overplay is difficult, and the double pronunciation is unclear. , and even murmurs, staccatos, breathing tension, and ventilation disconnection. But over time, you can appreciate its strengths. So I applied this method to teaching, and achieved corresponding good results.