A plethora of questions :)

Shogo · Regular Member Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 34 Location: USA

1. What are some of the FUNDAMENTAL things I should go through everytime I practice? (I'm in 11th grade, not the most avid practicer.)

2. I have a lot of trouble getting low notes to have a good tone. I can play quietly or loudly with notes above g (the second line on the staff) without hearing much of an airy sound, but when I go below these notes, be it loud of soft, I often times get an airy tone. What can I do to fix this?

3. What exactly is mouthpeice buzzing and how would I do it?

Thanks
Shogo

Dimoak · Regular Member Joined: 06 Mar 2004 Posts: 53

I'll try to answer these as best as I can. You'd probably advised to get second opinions, however.

1.) Some of the things you should do prior to practicing your music include the following:
- "Horse-buzz" your lips. This is kind of hard to explain, but have you ever seen a horse make that gnargling noise, as if it's pissedoff or something? That's sort of what it is. Just lightly touch your lips and blow air through them to make them vibrate and produce this helicopter-like sound. I find that this helps loosen my lips up, kind of like a runner would stretch before beginning a warmup.

- Do some mouthpiece buzzing. I'll try to elaborate in the third question.

- Go through some standard on-staff notes. Play "low-middle-low". Move on to another note. "low-middle-low". I actually hate doing these, but they're supposed to help, so I guess you should.

- Go through a couple of scales. Start out with the Concert Bb scale (C-scale) as it has no accidentals. Play one from low to middle C, and then another to high C. I feel it's a good one to start out with since there are no accidentals. Once you're satisfied, play a different shorter scale with some accidentals. I rarely go through all this, mostly because I'm a sorry excuse for someone who TRIES to play the trumpet. But if you're preparing for a long performance, I think these are good ways to get ready. Scales probably are one of the more important preparation points.

2.) I think the reason you may have issues with the lower notes is because perhaps because your embouchure is getting too loose. I've never seen you play, but even if I did, it'd be wrong for me to make an assumption about exactly what might be off. You should work with a teacher for a few sessions so they could figure out what you might be doing wrong and offer a way to improve that.

3.) Mouth-piece buzzing, from what I know, is just what it sounds like. You basically remove your mouthpiece from the trumpet, and just buzz into it a bit, just like the way you would if it was connected to a horn. This is a good way to warmup; just about every trumpet player I know does as part of their warmups. You basically practice different pitches into your mouthpiece to get yourself warmedup. It's not as distracting to the rest of the band (if you're not alone practicing) and it helps you cleanup your pitch more efficiently. To me, the mouthpiece kind of sounds like a duck-call. I just buzz into with varying degrees of tightness to try and clean out my sound. If the "duck-call" sounds choppy, I just play around with my embouchure a bit until I can get a clean and consistent buzz. Then I switch to a different pitch. Hope this helped somewhat!

etownfwd · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2004 5:30 pm Post subject:

I will make one suggestion. Find a good private teacher with whom to study. It's best to get a second opinion from someone who can actually hear your playing. That way they can help diagnose, diffuse, and help fix your issues. best of luck.
-efwd

jcmacman · Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 11:23 am Post subject:

What size mouthpiece are you using?

John

Shogo · Regular Member Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 34 Location: USA

Actually I just made the switch from a 7c to a 3c since a good trumpet friend recommended this.

jcmacman · Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 10:52 am Post subject:

I start off playing soft long tone G's then go down in half steps through petals. I do this for about 1/2 hour then rest. Then I work on scales and Clarkes excersises. I started my son on long tones and after a few weeks, his tone improved alot and so did his ability to play the low notes. I also bought him a electronic tuners to practice with and that also helped him to hear the notes in tune.

I asked about your mouthpiece to see if it was shallow. I know players using shallow pieces and they sound real bad with low notes. A 3C is a good choice. I played a 5C for years and now play a Warburton 4M. Try to do all of your practicing soft and controlled. This is not easy to do, it will take alot of practice and patience. Remember to rest as much as you play.

Good luck

John

crzytptman · Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 8:07 am Post subject:

Teacher.

If you can't afford to take regular lessons, at least have a consultation every couple of months so someone can assess your progress and give some direction.

You can listen to music you want to play and players you want to play like, and you can figure out what you should be practicing. However, there are specific mechanical aspects, like your emboucher problem, that are best solved through live consultation.

Nate
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