mouthpiece buzzing as a warmup

[chuck in ny]

this has been effective and fun for me. your opinions either way.

[brassmusician]

have liked it in the past. These days, I find it tires out my lips too much, a bit like using the PETE device for a warmup.
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[chuck in ny]

well. i find it useful done for a short duration, and not forcing things in the upper register.
it's all a matter of dose. both the buzz and some pedal register get the lips working. i'm sure there are those who can expand on this.

[mfisher]

I think it's great to get everything loose and moving. I typically buzz some kind of long tone exercise, a couple sirens, and a song- no more than a minute of buzzing total. I do the same with my students, as it's also a good tool for practicing pitch matching and a bit of aural skills.

[Brad361]

I do that before every gig. More often than not, there’s no place to go warm up without disturbing either club patrons or private event guests (and appearing very unprofessional), easy buzzing works for me, combined with limiting the triple C’s until the second or third song.😉

Brad
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[zaferis]

On a limited basis. For me, just a way of getting or staying loose.
Additionally, I think that many who buzz a lot are buzzing with a tone that is not like what is done when you play the trumpet-because of the difference in resistance and trying to create a focussed tone. A good mouthpiece tone should be a bit wispy/airy.

IMO too much buzzing on the mouthpiece alone is practicing on something different - I need all the time I can manage practicing the trumpet not splitting that time with doing something that is marginally helpful and somewhat dissimilar.
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[kehaulani]

I use it at the beginning of my playing session primarily to get a good, consistent buzz going and to focus the sound. And that's it. not long, but concentrated.
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[Billy B]

If it works for you, fine. But I wouldn't advise it.
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[Dan in Sydney]

I've got a tip for you guys--
Get hold of a Bach mouthpiece receiver--can be had from mpc express for just a few bucks and keep it in your mouthpiece pouch. I use this with the mouthpiece to warm up my chops just for a few minutes. It adds that tiny bit of resistance and focus and just makes buzzing a bit more satifsfying pitch-wise. Sort of like one of the original metal berps.
Works for me, anyway.
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[Dark Knight]

I warm up with a tuba mp. to get the blood flowing, get used to using a lot of air, break in the embouchure tissues. Then, I will buzz one of the Clarke II exercises. Great what to get entered and pitch train, too.

DK
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[chuck in ny]

[gstump]

I did it in the car on the way to the theater. To add some resistance I cupped my hand around the end of the mouthpiece shank.

But buzzing too loudly or too much can be a chop buster. Don't ask me how I know this!
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[Craig Swartz]

Stamp certainly had no problems with mouthpiece alone.

I've been using the standard Stamp warm up for a few years now, which begins with mouthpiece alone. (Actually, lips alone first for a short bit) Having the same standard each day gives me some feedback as to how tight/loose I am from the previous sessions and where I need to concentrate to get me back to optimum. Using the BIM Stamp edition also includes CD for both Bb and C so you can work on bringing your pitch down as you ascend.

[DaveH]

I have found mouthpiece buzzing very useful and helpful.

It was a required part of my practice sessions when I took lessons years ago.

There's a little buzzing exercise at the bottom of the Introductory Notes page of the Schlossberg Daily Drills and Technical Studies book.

I have used that exercise for years.

[trumpet56]

[BPL]

The idea of buzzing scares the heck out of me! Especially as a warm up before a gig.

[Denny Schreffler]

[Denny Schreffler]

[kehaulani]

[Dave CCM/SSO]

Hello,

I'm a fan of mouthpiece buzzing. I start each day with a few minutes and I have my students buzz as well. I find that the simplicity of buzzing on the mouthpiece allows us to get things working correctly before we go to the horn. We can focus on the basics of making a sound without worrying about the horn at all.

I am personally looking for a free and easy buzz that sounds focused and clear. I stay in the middle register and extend down. I do very little buzzing in the upper register.

I like Dave Bilger's approach very much. He has a nice youtube video explaining his ideas: Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG-bM25GBps

I've also used the first 4 exercises of the "Buzzing Basics" on and off for the last 10 years or so. I have never done much past those first 4.

There are quite a few major pros that have found mouthpiece buzzing beneficial. Dave Bilger, Chris Martin, Vince Cichowicz, Phil Collins, and Bud Herseth are just a few that come to mind.

Best of luck!!

Dave
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Springfield Symphony Orchestra (OH)
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