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Buzzin' like a Bzzzzz.....Bee



 
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Huggy Bear
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Joined: 02 Mar 2006
Posts: 83
Location: Berea, OH

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:16 am    Post subject: Buzzin' like a Bzzzzz.....Bee Reply with quote

Hey there fellas....

Huggy's been working onthe James Stamp book because that's what Michael Sachs (my favorite classical player) said he practices. A few questions have come up, though. How do you get your lips to buzz when you do it alone? Mine just unroll and I end up spitting on myself....not very cool behavior for a fly pimp/informant. Also, buzzing on the mouthpiece it's hard to get the right notes.....how should I work on that?

Thanks much....

Love,
Huggy Daddy...
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janet842
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Location: Denver metro area

PostPosted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 10:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, this is all a guess since I can't see what you are doing ...

It sounds like you are not using any tension anywhere on your embouchure. Other problems may be that you are not holding your lips as if you were saying "M". You might be pulling into a smile position -- don't do that. You might not be tightening up your corners (don't pull back when you do that). You also might be trying to buzz with embouchure alone and not supporting with air.

So, did I hit anything or miss on all counts.
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Huggy Bear
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Location: Berea, OH

PostPosted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 11:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Janet,

Thanks for your help. The "M" thing really helped....so did the corners thing. I have a question, though. Huggy thought you weren't supposed to play with tension....especially in your lips. I've read people saying things like tension is bad, etc. Is this a good thing for Huggy to do for his trumpet playing? I also think I was blowing too hard.

Thanks, Janet....

Love,
Huggy
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Last edited by Huggy Bear on Fri Apr 28, 2006 11:25 am; edited 1 time in total
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Huggy Bear
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Joined: 02 Mar 2006
Posts: 83
Location: Berea, OH

PostPosted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

P.S. Janet,

This is what Michael Sachs (my favorite classical player) said he practices. How does he look like he's not working at all when he plays if he's getting a lot of tension in his lip? Huggy's just curious....

Thanks, again, for the love and help.

Love,
Huggy
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PacoTheTrumpeter
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Joined: 05 Sep 2005
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Location: New York, New York, USA

PostPosted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 11:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A certain degree of "tension" is necessary to perform any physical task. In trumpet playing, there is tension, or activeness, that achieves whatever our body must do to blow air and allow our lips to vibrate at the correct frequency, etc, or ultimately to produce the desired sound. Most players hold a substantial amount of unnecessary tension that undermines the goal of playing the trumpet and doesn't help. Typically this may include hunching of the shoulders, slumped neck, tensed abdomen, or jamming the trumpet into the face. This is something to be overcome through slow, results oriented practice. Don't become too fixated on what you are doing physically, but concentrate on the sound. The Stamp excercises should be executed fluidly, with ease, and a very focused sound, preferably with a very soft volume. As they become more complicated (like 3C) this becomes more and more difficult to do, which is why it is important to strive for ease and beauty from the start. You will know if you are using "bad" tension to play, because you won't be able to do the excercises as I described. You are playing correctly when you hear the sound you really want. Isn't this always true if you are really listening?
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Huggy Bear
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Joined: 02 Mar 2006
Posts: 83
Location: Berea, OH

PostPosted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 7:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Paco,

Thanks for the best explaination Huggy has gotten on the TH. Janet gave a GREAT diagnosis and you followed up wonderfully.

So, is getting better just concentrating on playing softly and fluidly with the right amout of tension? How does Huggy find the right amout of tension? No wonder Michaeel Sachs sounds so good from these excercises.

Thanks for the help....Fo' Shizzle, my nizzle!

Love,
Huggy
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1B
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Joined: 07 Mar 2002
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Location: oregon

PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I too had a difficult time lip buzzing. Bobby Shew told me to start the buzz by placing my tongue between my lips, then pull it back as you blow. This made all the difference for me.
1B
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janet842
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Location: Denver metro area

PostPosted: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry, busy weekend. -- Huggy, (and anyone else following the Stamp method), if you don't already have Roy Poper's book about the Stamp method, I recommend that you buy it.

The Stamp method is a progression of reduction of embouchure tension. You move from a closed embouchure when you are buzzing with lips alone to an open embouchure when playing on the trumpet (maintaining corner tension, of course). When you are buzzing with the mouthpiece, pull the mouthpiece off. When you do that, the buzz that is produced will optimally be an octave lower than the pitch generated while using the mouthpiece. The Stamp method moves you to a form of open embouchure playing.

And for any skeptics out there that think you can't hit high notes on an open embouchure, I laid off the trumpet for about 25 years. When I started my comeback I got stupid and decided to try out some different methods I read about on the internet and TH. My range topped out at a very inconsistent high C. Because of that experimentation, I also developed a double buzz. To cure that buzz, I went back fully to the Stamp method. After 4 months on Stamp my range is a nice G above high C that I am not killing myself to hit - no extra pressure, no passing out, etc. Still have to resolve the double buzz -- it's gone on the Bb and C but shows up on occasion on the piccolo trumpet - nasty little beast has a way of amplifying any problem!

Hope this helped.
Janet
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acebone
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Joined: 28 May 2006
Posts: 172
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 5:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Janet !

What is meant by an open embouchure ?
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Lex Grantham
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Joined: 12 Nov 2001
Posts: 345
Location: East Texas

PostPosted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 9:49 am    Post subject: Stamp Ideas Reply with quote

Since James Stamp suffered a heart attack when he was 50 years old, as he attempted to come back afterward, I think he wanted to find a way to help himself and others play trumpet with a greater ease. And I believe other brass players (horn, trombone, tuba) might also benefit from his teachings.

By developing his concepts for a "better" way, he surely hit upon (possibly) a more-relaxed approach to sound production without having to use more pressure and tension than is absolutely necessary for positive results.

I like the Stamps method, as I had bypass surgery about a year ago, and what I have experienced with Stamps so far has been very pleasant.

Sincerely,

Lex Grantham
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