Trumpet Embouchure Demystfied! Four Step Setup Method

[Hotlipsporter]

Hey trumpeters! I've posted a video, which I hope will help some players out there struggling with embouchure issues. I have broken down, into some simple steps, how to successfully form a trumpet embouchure that, with practice and time, will allow you to do everything. It is not a high-note embouchure...It is not even my method...but simply a middle of the road approach that I've seen many of the best trumpeters in the world use. Having studied with Wynton, Faddis, Pierre Thibaud, Guy Touvron, Mark Gould, Laurie Frink, and money others, I'm confident in saying that they form/formed their embouchure, employing the same principles (consciously or not). This video will help to demystify the embouchure.

Video Link:
https://youtu.be/lLE_-ly8hrQ

P.S. I know this subject is controversial and I'm by no means trying to be dogmatic about this approach. I realize the embouchure is, to some degree, personal...BUT, there are also some principles of function, that we can certainly all agree upon. This are the common denominators that form the nuts and bolts of this approach. I would just like to help players realize some things that took me many YEARS to realize, in hopes of helping trumpeters reach their potential. Good luck!

-Charlie Porter

[BBB1976]

Hey Charlie Porter: This is a very good video I think for lots of reasons. Vibration is well explained. Having a FLAT face is crucial, and helps a lot with lots of things e.g. sound focus, articulation even etc! Personally I found years ago Caruso done in a specific way helps this done with the trumpet (I was helped with this when I was young!) Setup and playing note to note is indeed really well explained as well. Teeth alignment is well explained from you.
One of the most important things you mention which I feel young players do is CLAMPING down with the lips! The Clarke Technical Studies is a great book to develop not to do this! Indeed, keeping the lips open and playing softly into and building up the upper register. Very important book for a young trumpeter. Thus, keeping the air going through the lips and NOT clamping down. I see this a lot! Charlie Porter is a very good player as well guys.
Great video! Nice one! Respect!
Dude, really like the hat as well!!
Have a great day
Best wishes

[dstdenis]

Thanks for posting a link to this video. Very informative and helpful!
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[Benge.nut]

Wow...I thought my chops were chewed up! Dude has a bunch of scar tissue!

[John Mohan]

I think this one explains everything you need to know:

https://youtu.be/KY15R3yHBEI?t=1m16s

Then follow it up with knowing what, how and when to practice (and then do the practicing).

[Grits Burgh]

Charlie,

Thanks so much for posting. I have been following your videos for a while and they have been very helpful. You are a natural teacher.

Oh, and the clip of you playing "Stardust" is out of this world. Your sound is fantastic and your interpretation of that piece is the best I have ever heard.

Warm regards,
Grits
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[EdMann]

Well done young man. You've got a real bead on what works for you and may work for others.

ed

[John Mohan]

I better make it clear before I upset somebody, my first post here was not meant to criticize the OP's video - I haven't even seen it yet (just watched the first few minutes). It was mainly for the sake of humor that I posted the video I posted (that scene came to my mind as I started watching the OP's video). But, I think there is room here for the consideration that "too much analysis can cause paralysis".

And regardless of your opinion, you've got to admit, the reaction shot showing Bogart's "Hmmmm" face is just to die for!

[EdMann]

To Have and to Have Not, one of the all time great films. I can watch that over and over, and you can't argue with a 19 year old Lauren Bacall telling you to blow... man..

As for analysis, I think there's enough in the vid to get you thinking more about avoiding one of the great pitfalls of playing, pinching. I believe that his point to that little item, which perhaps was understated, made the rest of the presentation totally logical. I used more of his approach to my warm up today, and it was a problem solver, applicable without dogma to most any methodology. Many talk about keeping the embouchure taut, and he not only explained it with metaphors, but showed precisely what he does to gain a supple, taut playing surface for his set up without resorting to smiling and pinching. Insert applause.

ed

[JVL]

Often, before founding, we have to search. And often also, before doing something, if not naturally, automatically, we have to analyse.
What we do, have learnt etc. often comes from years of experience or from many generations before us.
Of course, when performing, it s better not to have to think about our strict playing.
I support totally all the people like Charlie and others that keep on searching.
Best

[beagle]

Thanks Charlie - this was fantastic.
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[Dbfinn]

Was helpful. Thanks for posting.

[shofar]

John;

That's awesome. No need to apologize. Way too much analysis. Keep it simple.

Rog
screaming_raptor@mac.com

[shofar]

Sorry guys. I hate the auto correct. My email is wrong on the last post.

screamin_raptor@mac.com

Later

[scottfsmith]

I've had an AM embouchure problem and this is looking like good medicine for it, thanks! I have been pulling out when forming the embouchure and sometimes my sound closes off, particularly when I am playing first thing in the morning (lips probably swollen). The pulling only up and down really helps with that.

[ghelbig]

[kalijah]

You don't have to make a muscular effort to open the lips. The air pressure will open them (and close them) if they are in a position to play.

A "Closed" aperture is much more effective for me. Absolutely more efficient in the tone AND in the requirement of muscular effort at the aperture.

The aperture actually has a degree of "natural" elasticity. You need not add much at all, especially in the lower range. When you exploit this natural elasticity it takes much less effort. Also, for me, it sounds FAR better.

[Bert]

I appreciate the attempt to break it down into understandable steps, but this is definitely not the way I would like to teach somebody how to do it.

Besides the fact that for me it is way too analytical(although I must admit that I was intrigued by the way you make it into a very logical story), the thing that bothers me a bit, is the initial pinning the lips into position (Step 2) to the point where the lips inside the rim even bulge out. I think that is too much pressure on the lips to start with. I am wondering what you can do with that if the mouthpiece is slippery through sweat or saliva. You really have to push hard to pin the lips down that way then.
The other thing that struck me, was the initial alignment of the teeth. This had me in trouble a long time ago. It was my own fault: I also algned them exactly the way you describe, and I forgot to take them apart. So I played with closed teeth, sort of. It took me a very long time to get rid of this. Also I think the lip should be able to vibrate freely and not be sandwiched between teeth and mouthpiece.



And for the record: I tried the four steps this morning, but my lips felt shot after doing it a couple of times, I was thinking and analysing to a point where I couldn't hold a simple G in the staff, and it sounded not good after five minutes, so I wouldn't do it myself also.

I am more of centre compression. I like to think the lips to move to the centre and not outward like you describe. That had me in trouble a long time ago when I could not play beyond G above the staff no matter what I tried. Actually I had a picture of Wynton on my stand at that time, so I could copy his embouchure.
Why would you fight making compression in the middle by pulling all your facial muscles outward? That doesn't make sense to me anymore. I understand that you do this because you don't want to 'pinch' and keep the aperture open, but there are more efficient ways to make the necessary compression without pinching or fighting yourself by trying to pull both ways at the same time. Balancing the inward and outward pulling muscles this way sounds inefficient to me. A slight roll in and pucker helps to keep the aperture tunnel open enough and provide for the necessary compression without pinching or losing tone. The only thing we want is to get the lips to vibrate faster to get a higher pitch. BTW pucker and roll in is not pinching, I hope people get that.

When I see you set up yourself on the last part of the video, I see a much more relaxed way of setting up, too. Of course when you practice these four steps, it is going to be smooth and fast, but I think your way of setting up yourself is different from the way you describe it here. I myself made endless attempts to try and analyse how to set up and try to figure out what happens, but I failed everytime. I heard you play on Youtube and you sound terrific, but I wonder if that is due to this set up. I think not. You even say in your post that it is not 'your method', but why would you post this movie on Youtube then? I totally believe that you are sincere in your attempt to describe this process, but it feels kind of dangerous to do it this way. I think it can cause a lot of problems when people are going to try this.

Bert
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[scottfsmith]

I would give it some more time, it takes awhile to get in the groove. I am slowly getting better at it, and after three days I am 95% of the time setting up well.

I personally don't pin the lips as hard as he suggests, I also didn't pay much attention to his teeth comments. Also its more useful at the start of a session, once you have been playing for awhile you can short-cut. My main technical error was pulling out the corners too much in setup - a big mistake this video cleared me of.

My main problem was the sound closing off when playing above the staff, I had posted about it here a few weeks ago in fact. I do this setup and voila, no sound closing off. I have to be dead beat now before I start missing high notes. Overall its helping me with four things: playing with swollen lips in the morning is much better; endurance is improved because I don't close off the upper notes when tired; upper notes in general are more consistently sounding all the time; less energy is needed to get the upper notes out.

Whether the method works for you or not, it has a lot of really good factual insights about embouchure I had not seen before.

[Bert]

Maybe I am overly concerned, great that it works for you. Looking at myself, I know that with this kind of instructional video's I tend to be very faithful and I follow the rules given very strict. Why would anybody tell me things he doesn't want to be done in his or her method? So when he says align the teeth, I do that, when he presses the mpc against the lips in order to seal, and th lips bulge, I do that. You say you didn't pay attention to that, apparantly good for you, because it works for you. I guess there must be more people like me that don't immediately think of watering the method down instantly. For that kind of people this can be hazardous. People who have tried a lot and still cannot get DHC or whatever, they see a very clear iand instructive video and follow it religiously. I just want to warn that it can be counterproductive. Apparantly you are smart enough to keep listening to your own body, that's the best way to keep out of trouble and cannot be overstated, so that's why I comment.

I just hope a lot of people benefit from it and won't get in trouble instead.
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