Embouchure questions?

kehaulani · Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 7:40 pm Post subject:

Adding to my above post 'cause I just saw this.

jungledoc · Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 10:08 pm Post subject:

perspective · Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 12:03 am Post subject:

Yea, OK, Horntooter. We all know that middle C, in the wider world, is the one nearest the lid lock on a piano, but we are talking in the context of the standard trumpet range here. No wish to offend. Sorry.

horntooter · Veteran Member Joined: 12 Nov 2012 Posts: 120

kehaulani · Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 3:34 pm Post subject:

horntooter · Veteran Member Joined: 12 Nov 2012 Posts: 120

Touche.

I do agree that the naming system is logical for trumpet, but having no knowledge of the OP's musical history (maybe he learned piano first!), the note mentioned is ambiguous (to me or anyone, really, not to the OP!).

kehaulani · Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 4:15 pm Post subject:

(post self-deleted. Not really pertinent to the OP's actual question.)
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razeontherock · Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 7:55 pm Post subject:

perspective · Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 9:37 am Post subject:

Well, well, all this back and forth as to what you meant by middle C has not got you very far, has it, emaginethat ? As others have said, you need a good teacher and he/she will tell you if you need an embouchure change in order to move forward. Only after that, and all else having failed, consider a switch to another brass instrument that has a larger mouthpiece - trombone maybe ? A very expressive instrument in the right hands and, who knows, yours may the right hands.
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emaginethat · Regular Member Joined: 14 Aug 2014 Posts: 12

No I can play a C in the staff just fine, it's just when I get to the E my notes get airy. I can play notes above the staff but it's off an on, and I feel like my lips are being strained when I play notes above the staff because it hurts. But I said I would do a video of me playing, so here's a video of me slurring a couple of scales.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc2mMjrgugc

cheiden · Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 1:55 pm Post subject:

You've got a pretty good sound for just a year on the horn. I don't hear anything particularly wrong with your approach or your results. What I do hear is as you ascend is that at some point the note sort of comes out but it's flat, not centered, and that instead of taking your time and adjusting that you continue to ascend until it fails. I'd recommend that you slow down and if a note is flat that you take time to adjust. There are lots of things that could help.
- Try a little more air or a little less
- Try adjusting your horn angle (pivot)
- Try changing you mouth/tongue from an "Ah" to an "Eee"
- Try gently bending the note down then try to let it drift back up to pitch

If a note won't come out on pitch then spend some time on the note below it. Try to make that note super solid. I mean practice it soft/loud, tongued/slurred/breath attack, bent down then back up, approach the note directly/chromatically/interval.

Again, a lot of players in their first year can't play much above C or E in the staff. I think I played 4 years before I was playing hardly anything much above the staff.
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horntooter · Veteran Member Joined: 12 Nov 2012 Posts: 120

This confirms to me that you shouldn't do an embouchure change and your mouthpiece is fine. You definitely sound good and are developing normally.

Andy Del · Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 7:25 pm Post subject:

Good on you for having the nouse and guts to post yourself up on youtube for a bunch of strangers to comment on!

While sound quality is always an issue with home recordings/videos and the like, I hear things that indicate you need to find a live, in person teacher. The reason I say this is that for each point one person raises here, someone else will give you a different perspective, then a different idea, exercise etc. and all that happens is the dedicated young player will naturally get confused, then disheartened, and then take up ice hockey or water polo...

Find a good teacher, trust them, and become the best player you can!

cheers

Andy
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prunenoveggie · Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 11:06 pm Post subject:

As everyone has previously mentioned, find a good local teacher. I would recommend first and foremost someone personally recommended (I'm sure there are plenty of trumpet players here on TH who could recommend a good teacher). As someone who has previously been a Takelessons.com instructor, I would NOT recommend it. If you need to find someone online, try using thumbtack (it doesn't cost you anything, and will hopefully get you quotes from a few different teachers). Even if you can't afford regular lessons, try to meet with a good teacher at least once or twice.

From what I see/hear, air seems to be a bigger problem than embouchure. I would try some simple breathing exercises, focusing on maintaining a nice upright posture while staying as relaxed as possible. While you should find that the muscles around your stomach, sides, and lower back are working to both keep you upright and blow out the air, try to keep your neck and shoulders relaxed. This is much easier said than done, but hopefully you'll have an easier time with it than I did!

I don't think it would hurt for you to try a bigger mouthpiece, although I would say if you don't find any improvement within a day or two to switch back. At your stage of development, changing mouthpieces will certainly confuse your chops and your body. However, I can't help but think that a larger mouthpiece might be easier for you to play (you seem to have fairly large lips).

I also have a question for you. How far apart are your teeth when you play? When I was in high school, my embouchure looked similar to the pictures you posted and I couldn't get my teeth open more than a 1/4". In my case, an embouchure change similar to what your band director suggested was quite helpful. However, that change occurred after I had been playing for many years, and, more importantly, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF AN EXPERIENCED TEACHER. In general, I would NOT listen to any trumpet-specific advice from a band director, however well-intentioned it might be.

Find a teacher! In the meantime, just relax, blow, and try to do what's comfortable and sounds good.

-Miles
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