Pureness of tone?

[heavyharmonies]

This may seem like an off-the-wall question, but here goes: How does one go about getting a "purer" (for lack of a better word) tone?

I'm not talking about technique, speed, range, or endurance, but rather that pure, rich trumpet "sound" that one hears when listening to classical works (Canadian Brass material, chamber music, Wynton's Carnaval -- realizing that he's playing cornet, not trumpet, but the comparison is valid , etc.)?

Is it a breathing issue? Embouchure? Mouthpiece selection? All of the above? Something else?

I have a decent tone (as in not fuzzy) using a Bach 1.5B with a Xeno 8345GS. In fact my tone is better than most of the players in our local community band, but it is NOWHERE near that crystal pure ringing sound that I would so like to achieve.

Sorry for possibly not using the correct terminology; it's hard to explain. I know the sound when I hear "it".... I just cannot duplicate "it".

Thanks in advance.

[Umyoguy]

[Derek Reaban]

Heavyharmonies,

Pureness is a great way to talk about the tone that you would like to achieve. I like to call it a resonant, vibrant, ringing, colorful sound. Lots of people talk about a rich or fat sound. Choose the adjective that works best for you!

I would strongly suggest going to the post Yamaha Day of Trumpets Video Clips and follow the link to the Yamaha site. Watch the classes presented by James Thompson and David Krauss. There are some additional links in that folder to a class that I summarized given by David Krauss at the ITG Conference in Denver. Read that one too.

Breathing is extremely important in achieving this sound. You must be full and pressurized in a relaxed way. You need to “let” the air out instead of pushing the air out. Embouchure is important too. The more stuff that vibrates in your chops, the better trumpet signal you are sending into the horn. This correlates to the pureness of sound that you are looking for. The most important element however is a vivid picture of this sound in your mind. That’s why we practice!

Other players to read about that I think do a great job in discussing this topic are John Hagstrom, Manny Laureano, Jay Friedman, Arnold Jacobs, Charlie Vernon, James Thompson & David Krauss as mentioned above, Jens Lindemann, Charlie Schlueter, Marcel Tabuteau, Emory Remington, and many of the players / teachers in the Stamp and Adam forums (especially Pat Harbison).

Hope this helps!
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[J. Crowley]

In my experience, Lip-bends are a way of centering the tone and keeping your embouchure more focused, and getting a 'purer' sound.
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http://www.JonCrowleyMusic.com
http://www.brooklyntrumpetlessons.com

[heavyharmonies]

Played around last night a bit trying to find "it" and I think I'm getting closer. Relaxation seems to play a large part. If I consciously take deep breaths before playing and try to "breathe through the horn" rather than "pushing the notes through the horn" I seem to have better results. Also playing with my eyes closed has a positive effect as well.

I can't get there consistently, but there were several passages last night where I said to myself "That's nice! I want that all the time."

It's tougher the higher I go, as my natural inclination is to tense up and/or apply more pressure. It's hard to fight that.

Overcoming old habits seems to be half the battle when it comes to learning or trying new things when playing...

[Lolo]

By purer tones do you mean like not that blare type but more 'buttery'? If so I make my lips wetter and blow gentler and try not to raspberry but to hum into it. I actually can't explan very well. But also, try to sort of sing the music in your head as to how it sounds and if it requires a purer tone the more you sing it inside the more it sounds outside. Sorry. I don't do technical very well.
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What you recall are impressions; we have the facts. We called the tune. The secret police of your childhood were older, wiser than you, bigger. Call back the sound of their voices. Boom. Boom. Boom.