Changing MP placement and its effects

SaxoTrump

Being an amateur less than successful trumpet player I nevertheless managed to survive since I had found a sweet lips spot off center to the right. I played that way for quite awhile.
(I can't play in the middle due to the dental problems).

After awhile however I found that I have to change the MP placement to the opposite - off center to the left again due to the dental problems.

While my 'off center to the right' embouchure placement used to give me some adequate results, moving the MP to the opposite side, my new 'off center to the left' MP placement made me sound like I just picked up the trumpet for the first time in terms of sound production of course: the sound is dead and _very airy_, range is narrowed, notes are missed, etc.

I've been in this new position for 3 days. I'm sure I can't expect too much in such short time but what should I foresee as a realistic adaptation period before I come back to normal with this new MP position?

JayKosta · Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 5:23 am Post subject:

If the issue with the 'left placement' is due to muscle strength and coordination, then I'd guess at least a month is needed. And probably longer for your upper range.

Jay
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deleted_user_680e93b · New Member Joined: 03 Apr 1996 Posts: 0

SaxoTrump · Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 6:01 am Post subject:

SaxoTrump

deleted_user_680e93b · New Member Joined: 03 Apr 1996 Posts: 0

Richard III · Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 6:13 am Post subject:

What mouthpiece are you using?
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SaxoTrump · Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 9:04 am Post subject:

gabriel127 · Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 9:32 am Post subject:

Moving the mouthpiece vertically (up or down) on the chops is the least troublesome change to make.

Moving the mouthpiece laterally is another ballgame. If the repositioning is just slightly to the right or left, this is a change that can take a very long time and can drive you nuts in the process. This is because the muscles and nerves have been accustomed to working a certain way with the aperture in a particular place. When you move it just slightly to the left or right, you have to retrain the muscles and nerves to work a little bit differently. Your muscle-memory will want to keep working the way it used to. Couple this with the fact that you have built up a callus where the mouthpiece used to be. Moving to the side causes you to straddle part of the old callus and then develop one for the place that used to be under the rim. This is not an easy change to make.

If on the other hand, you are moving from one side of the mouth completely to the other side, in other words, your entire mouthpiece is now sitting in a completely different place from before with no overlap, you will have an easier time with this change. The downside is that you're basically starting from scratch from a neuromuscular standpoint. The upside is that you don't have to hassle with retraining and splitting the old callus as with the situation I've just described.

How long will it take? That depends on a lot of factors, but if you're as patient and persistent as you claim to be, then I'd say don't worry about how long it takes, just practice a lot of the right things diligently and consistently for the best results.

What those "right things" are is another discussion, which I'll allow others to answer if they wish.

Richard III · Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 10:22 am Post subject:

Andy Del · Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 11:37 am Post subject:

Actually, moving a mouthpiece position is quite a simple thing, but creating the habits to keep it there are quit complex and need a degree of patience and time.

If you move the mouthpiece, there is one thing which needs to be determined: does the change make things better or worse? If worse, then it is NOT a good idea to follow. Find a different position that does work. After all, the ability to hear, even for an amateur player, the sound informs us if something is better or worse.

If there are dental issues, then the question will be about the issue being fixed, rather than changing a playing setup that works...

cheers

Andy
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SaxoTrump · Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 12:18 pm Post subject:

Robert P · Heavyweight Member Joined: 28 Feb 2013 Posts: 2596

I made a position change years ago from an off-center placement to a pretty much dead-center placement but it also involved changing the way I interacted with the mp and the mechanics of how I do things, and also had my teeth altered - upper front incisors shortened to the same length as the teeth next to them - that by itself made a big difference.

I still find my horn tends to point to the left, which it did before I made the change, though I find I can play straight dead ahead more effectively now than I could when I first started this process.

Hard to say how long it took because I've continued making subtle changes over the years with better and better functionality. Also a mouthpiece change that made a difference. I played a Jet-Tone T1A for years that I used to like, switched first to a Schilke 14A4A for a little while until by lucky happenstance I stumbled onto a Yamaha Bobby Shew Lead which I like far better. Now the Jet-Tone doesn't even feel that great - I feel very restricted by it. Always open to something that works even better than the Shew but so far haven't found it.

As far as the effect, I can do everything better now than I could before I made the changes.
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