Improving Tone

Rodgers · Regular Member Joined: 20 Aug 2014 Posts: 38

Hi Everybody. I'm looking for ways to improve my tone. I feel like it's good as it is (good enough to make high school all-state twice in a reasonably big state -- think the size of Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia but not quite as big as Cal, TX, NY, etc). I'm also a semi-comeback player if that matters. I used to play ALOT all 4 years of high school and am now starting my senior year of college. Due to other commitments, I haven't been able to play a whole lot.

My current routine for good tone:
-5 minutes of mouthpiece buzzing
-5 minutes of longtones (mix of low, mid and high range notes) with Wynton Marsalis' sound in mind
-10 minutes of lip-slurs

I also try to make sure my throat is as relaxed as possible (though really difficult to do sometimes in the middle of a big performance or audition).

Basically, I'm trying to ask how I can make the jump from really good amateur to legit professional. If possible, I'd like not to redo my embouchure.

Pops · Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:36 am Post subject:

Look up resonance and Look up Aperture Tunnel on this site and you will gets LOTS of previously posted info.

The short answer is that we have poor tone when we fight something and good tone when we don't.

Most players fight themselves, (they do facial isometrics when they play, they use the embouchure tools in the wrong registers, they play slightly out of the trumpets' pitch center fighting the horn, they don't use the "Aperture Tunnel"...)

Most players hold the lips tightly against the teeth even on low notes. But on low notes and mid range notes the lips should blow off of the teeth slightly. That makes the vibrations partly to completely inside the lips or forming an actual "Aperture Tunnel".

Look at this page and you will find more info.
http://www.bbtrumpet.com/Thermal.html
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Billy B · Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2014 4:02 pm Post subject:

How much time do you spend listening?
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p76 · Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2014 5:34 pm Post subject:

Billy B in on the money - you have to know in your head how you want to sound - and it might be more than one sound depending on what you play (I've got in my head a commercial, classical, brass band and jazz sound - all a little different). I could make lots of suggestions as to who to listen to, but you might like a different tone to me - listen lots!

Make sure you've got that in your head, and you'll find that it will be an easier path to tread to improve your tone.

Cheers,
Roger
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AJCarter · Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2014 5:45 pm Post subject:

Listen to LOTS of people. Wynton is of course great. But what about Chris Martin? Tine Helseth? Tom Hooten? Listen to as many as possible.

The buzzing will help. there is another thread where Pops mentioned buzzing and finding pitch centers. if you're buzzing out of the center, you wont get a good note. I begun to buzz with a visualizer (sparingly, for now) and find that it makes me feel better. Still getting used to it, hopefully the other benefits will come soon.

Also, try to play with some kind of ear plugs in and focus only on your sound and the buzz you hear internally. is it pure?
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chuck in ny · Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2014 7:46 pm Post subject:

keep playing and practicing your normal routine and your tone will improve, unless of course you play without really listening to your sound. we all have the sound in our head that we are going for and there is no reason you won't get there.

HornnOOb · Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2014 8:55 pm Post subject:

Play long tones - listen & adjust to desired tone over time. Listen to a lot of trumpet music.
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Rodgers · Regular Member Joined: 20 Aug 2014 Posts: 38

I've also heard buzzing just through the lead pipe of the trumpet can help tone quality. I always assumed that the buzzing on lead pipe of the trumpet was just really dirty and that you would really risk getting a lip/mouth infection if you did that.

Does anybody have any anecdotes on how lead pipe buzzing has helped their playing?

Brass_Of_All_Trades · Veteran Member Joined: 11 Aug 2014 Posts: 141

jungledoc · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 5:15 pm Post subject:

moerecon · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 5:41 pm Post subject:

My band director says my tone is godly for a middle schooler. That's bevause over the summer I did an hour and a half of long tones everyday.
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Rodgers · Regular Member Joined: 20 Aug 2014 Posts: 38

I also watch Alison Balsom and Tine Thing Helseth on youtube quite a bit.

There are reasons in addition to their overall sound quality, technique, and musical expression that make watching them so nice.

trmptz · Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 6:50 am Post subject:

Long tones will help you relax and your throat relax. Listen as you do this and strive to produce the smoothest airstream that you can.

connormckay · New Member Joined: 23 Oct 2014 Posts: 6

I think when it comes down to it there is somewhat of a simpler approach to achieving good tone. You can do lots of long tones and lip slurs, but just ask for the good tone. Audibly ask for good tone. Yes, this is psychological trick.

nvidal · Veteran Member Joined: 12 Aug 2014 Posts: 389

nvidal · Veteran Member Joined: 12 Aug 2014 Posts: 389

Btw, I would NOT use leadpipe buzzing for tone quality, it is to setup up the physical system, as is basically the entire Adam "routine" of basic fundamentals, to sound beautiful, you need to copy beautiful sounds as so many on here are talking about.

Low notes are key on trumpet to improving tone quality imo, I got this from Jay Friedman's website, though he is principal trombone with the CSO, he talks a fair bit about trumpet, but more importantly, many of his concepts apply to all brass. Lots of good articles on there, has helped me tremendously over the past year.

http://www.jayfriedman.net/articles/

Good luck

PH · Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:03 am Post subject:

This isn't the Adam forum (and there's tons of stuff on there that might help the OP IMHO). However, there is some misinformation and misperception above regarding using the leadpipe in Adam's pedagogy that I want to quickly repair.

First of all, we don't BUZZ the leadpipe. We PLAY the leadpipe or we BLOW the leadpipe. The lip oscillation is a result, not a cause.

Secondly, there has developed a bunch of people that advocate buzzing the leadpipe in a way that is not the way Adam students do it (with an approach that might even be diametrically opposed to what we are trying to achieve on the pipe). If it works for them that is great, but it isn't how we do it.

Finally, in Adam's pedagogy leadpipe playing is not all the big deal that some people seem to make it. With most of my students and in my own playing, I play 5 or 6 long tones on the leadpipe at the beginning of my daily practice. That's it. Period. More than that and you are getting into something completely different.
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Don Herman rev2 · Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 11:19 am Post subject:

Guessing not many students play the leadpipe with a "perfect embouchure" that "does not move or fatigue over 4 octaves". I was going to ask more about it but instead will wander over to the right forum for answers already posted. Been a long time since he gave that (great!) lecture at ITG Denver...

Back on topic, listening to what you like and recording yourself so you can hear what you sound like out front is important IMO. Or having a teacher help... Sometimes it is hard to tell what we sound like from behind the bell. You need to learn what that great "out front" sound sounds like when you are playing.
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Geodude · Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:22 pm Post subject:

You'll get good advice here from some very capable and well meaning folks, but think seriously about some lessons with a good teacher either in person or remotely via Skype. Once they hear you and see you play, they'll be able to give targeted advice for you to progress toward your goals.

How much are you practicing beyond the 20 minutes you spelled out? Yes I know quality trumps quantity, but are you putting in the time you really need to reach your goals? Just looking at college senior performance majors, you are playing catch up with folks who have been practicing for hours a day and performing regularly for those three years you were not and when those folks graduate, they are all going to be competing with players who have been in the woodshed and performing professionally for decades. Do what you must to work toward your goal, but make sure you set a realistic timeline.

Apples and oranges but how many all state HS football players would be ready for the NFL at the end of their senior year in college if they only played intramural touch or flag football freshman through junior year? I know there are a few, but the number is tiny. I expect you have a lot of ground to cover to transition from former HS stud trumpet to becoming a working professional.

MiloTheGreat · Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2014 9:32 am Post subject:

Tone.

For me its, not practising long tones, or buzzing, or lead pipe. I practised in the room that had the most echo and played tunes I love. I've no idea what I adjusted but my aim was to make the room "fizz", if I could hit a note and the pictures would rattle, without playing loud, I was on to something.

My 2c.