Throat Tension & Playing Sharp

[CJceltics33]

I've always had tension in my throat. I've tried the tricks of lead pipe buzzing, thinking of swallowing an egg, etc. But I can't seem to shake this habit. It's causing me to play a little sharp--how can I stop this?

[Steve A]

Many people will just say, "relax - don't be so tense! It's not helping you!"

Personally, I've never found that advice helpful. IMO, if you're tense, it's likely compensating for something else that's not working very well, and taking away the tension will leave you with no sound, or no range, or something along those lines, which isn't going to work.

For me, starting to solve this problem meant improving the efficiency of my embouchure so that I could play more gently, and learning to use "support" and tongue arch more effectively to compliment the embouchure improvements. No amount of trying to relax made any difference, since I didn't know how to make a relaxed sound, and with the playing setup I was using, I needed much too much force to play at all to be able to relax in any meaningful way.

About the only place where I found the advice to relax to be useful was where the chops themselves are concerned - I did just simply, plainly get better results by trying to relax the centre of my chops to let them vibrate more easily. Everything else was more complicated.

[dstdenis]

It might be a situation where you're playing with equipment that's too open for you and your body is subconsciously trying to compensate by tightening your vocal chords and raising your tongue. A little bit of that is okay, but if things are still too open for you, eventually this tightening will choke off the air.

Phyllis Stork had an article about this on her old website (The War on Excessive Volume, which is still available in the web archive). In working with players who complained about how tight their throat felt, she often found that they had chosen mouthpieces with large cup volume, open throats and/or open backbores in an attempt to "open things up" and decrease resistance. These players didn't realize that their bodies were trying to compensate for the lack of resistance in the equipment by tightening their throat and raising their tongue, thereby choking off the air.

When she gave them a tighter mouthpiece to try, often they would say how much more open and free blowing it felt, not realizing that it was just the opposite: the tighter configuration gave them the resistance they needed so their vocal chords and tongue could relax.

I don't know for sure whether this is happening with you, but it's something I'd check if I were having this problem.
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[Billy B]

What you perceive as "throat tension" is most likely a symptom, not the cause.
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[CJceltics33]

[ALaschiver]

verbalize the syllable "ah"...gentle air..don't "muscle up"

[trumpetchops]

Take a big breath in and then let it out. Don't push it out, just let it go.

Now do the same thing letting the air go out through the trumpet. Not playing, just exhale through the trumpet.

Now, do the same thing and play whatever note comes out. You should have just played a note completely relaxed.

Now, don't think about it and play a scale from low C to High C. When you get to high C stop playing and stay exactly the way you are. Leave the trumpet at your mouth and just shut off the air. Feel where your body is. Are your shoulders up? Relax them. Is your stomach tight? relax it. Is your grip on the trumpet tight? Relax it.

Now breath in and just let the air go out and let whatever note come out that does.

If you were playing tight, you should feel the difference. If you don't notice anything, maybe it's not because you're playing tight.
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Joe Spitzer
Monroe Ct.

[trpt.hick]

Usually (99% of the time), throat tension is due to the front of the tongue being too high in the mouth while playing. If you say "Ahhh" in an operatic manner, you will find where the front portion of the tongue should be when playing all notes below F above high C. Above that, the front of the tongue will need to "curl" by pressing against the lower teeth.

Test yourself by sustaining a third-space C and feeling where the front of the tongue is. You may have to move the tongue forward a tad to see where it touches. If it is aligned with your top teeth, it is way too high for symphonic style playing, and will create a small (slightly choked) tone quality. If it is aligned with the lower teeth, same thing. . . but less of a problem.

Personally, I like to drop the front of my tongue into the pit of my chin after articulating, but not pressing the tongue into the flesh of my mouth. . . just like singing "Ahhh." It is possible for the front of the tongue to drop after articulating each note, even with very fast single-tonguing.

Throat tension is caused by the back of the tongue arching too high, but if the front of the tongue is low, the back will not go so high. Practice slurred arpeggios from low F# or G up into the staff, making sure the front of the tongue stays low. Continue higher in the same manner. It shouldn't take long for you to have a nice full, open sound up to high C or higher.

Yes, I know there are several types of "closed" embouchures that keep the front of the tongue always against the lower teeth and/or lower lip, but these embouchure systems are designed for specializing in the super high register. In most cases, the tone quality suffers greatly in the mid and low registers, making them incompatible with symphonic (classical) trumpet playing. There are a few performers, however, who have successfully combined open and closed embouchure techniques to form a seamless range from double pedal tones up to triple high Cs. . . Arturo Sandoval is the best example I know of. Herbert Clarke and Maurice Andre could also do this. So, I'm not dismissing the value of the closed embouchure systems.

I know some of you will argue that the tone is just fine in the middle and low registers when the tongue is fairly high in the front of the mouth, but I have to respectfully disagree. . .at least when comparing this tone to a real professional orchestral sound.

Dave Hickman

[Robert P]

There are many potential variables and hard to tell much from a written description. Have you tested this with a tuner? How's your sound overall? If your sound is open and solid and you're consistently sharp on everything, what about pulling the tuning slide out?
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[John Mohan]

This problem is usually caused by incorrect tongue arch. Either too much tongue arch, or more likely, the wrong part of the tongue being arched (the back of the tongue instead of the front of the tongue). If one's tongue is too far back in the mouth and the back area is arched up against the soft pallet (which itself is likely tensed downward against the back of the tongue), this causes the restriction many perceive as a "closing" of the throat (an act that is actually anatomically impossible - the throat has no muscle and the trachea cannot collapse - if it does, you die).

Say the word "sea" and sustain the "eee" sound - this represents good, up and forward tongue arch. Now say the German word "ich" (as in "Ich been ein Berliner"). This represents incorrect tongue arch, with the back of the tongue raised instead of the front. Proper front tongue arch acts like a nozzle on the end of a hose, causing the water to shoot out with great force and speed. Improper (rearward) tongue arch acts more like a pair of pliers squeezing the hose several inches before its end, causing the water stream to all but stop.

Learning to tongue in what is really the correct way to tongue a brass instrument - what many call "Dorsal Tonguing" and what Claude Gordon called "K-Tongue Modified" (KTM) by keeping the tip of the tongue down behind the bottom front teeth and articulating with the front-middle portion of the tongue striking in the area just behind the top teeth - keeps the tongue more forward in the mouth and helps prevent the problem the OP described from happening. This method of tonguing also allows one to develop more rapid tonguing, and keeps the tip out of the way of the airstream leading to much cleaner and more accurate tonguing in the upper register.

Another related issue the OP might be suffering from is muscle tension creeping into the muscles of the vocal chords, causing the player to grunt as he or she strains for higher notes. If a weightlifter grunts and strains as he is trying to lift a heavy weight over his head, it's not the right way to do it, but he'll probably still be able to lift that weight. But if a trumpet player grunts and strains while trying to play a high note, the air gets cut off and, well, it's over before it began.

Once developed, these habits are hard to break. But not impossible. First off, stay out of the range where the problem is happening, or you will only reinforce it. Concentrate on using proper tongue arch, keeping the tongue arch happening up and forward in the front of the mouth. Easy flexibilities in the range where the problem doesn't happen is probably the best way to build new, proper habits. Very, very patiently, slowly expand the range of the flexibility exercises up higher in the register. The flexibility exercises in Claude Gordon's book Systematic Approach to Daily Practice for Trumpet are the best type to use to help correct this problem in my opinion. I'm referring to the following exercises in the book:

Lesson Three Part 4
Lesson Four Part 3
Lesson Five Part 3
Lesson Six Part 3
Lesson Seven Part 3
Lesson Eight Part 3
Lesson Nine Part 3

I hope this is helpful to you. I had the exact same problem many years ago as a high school player. I couldn't slur to a G on top the staff without having the air get cut off by what was probably a combination of improper tongue arch and grunting with my vocal chords. It was exasperating! But by following the steps I've outlined above, I eliminated the problem within a matter of months and have never has such an issue since.

Best wishes,

John Mohan
Skype Lessons Available - Click on the e-mail button below if interested
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