Beginners/Leadpipes/Lip Vibrations - Thank You Nick!!!

[tworx1957]

I want to thank Nick for getting this thread started and give people the opportunity to throw in their ideas. I want to thank Nick for posting his thoughts.

I thought I would post some info to explain where all of this came from. One source was an article written by Dr Arthur H. Benade, a physicist and professor at Case Western University in Cleveland. The article appeared in the July 1973 Scientific American magazine. The article is written for physicists and is somewhat of a difficult read.

The article, The Physics of Brasses, explains what takes place in a brass instrument to produce the sound and includes details such as the function of the bell and how variations of the bell affect the sound of the instrument. The article goes much further but for my purposes I stayed focused on one particular statement that Benade makes in the article:

Quote:

"The reflected wave, upon returning to the mouthpiece, 'tells' the lips how and when they must reopen to admit the next puff of air in the sequence of puffs that sustain the tone after everything has settled down. Until the first reflections begin to come back, the lips are on their own. The air column has not yet expressed its preference for one or another of the frequencies with which it is able to collaborate. A superb player of the sort who has learned to buzz his lips in perfect pitch even when playing on a brass ring has little problem with a good trumpet. He buzzes the desired note and the air column is very happy to collaborate in its own good time. The collaboration cannot of course even begin until there has been time for at least one complete round trip of the initial sound to go down the air column and back..."

This is the basis for stating that,as trumpet players, we do not actually have to "make" our lips vibrate - it is a collaborative process between the air, the embouchure, with the physics of the instrument.

I am inviting anyone with an interest in this to check out the blog on my website (www.trumpetworx.com) to gather what others think of this concept and how people are using this information to help get their beginner trumpet students started off with a really great, relaxed, natural tone quality.

Please understand that it is not my intention to initiate a debate about the pros and cons of mouthpiece buzzing. My interest is exclusively related to starting beginners.

I do know several professional musicians in the Dallas area who use a leadpipe in their warm-up (in the car on the way to a rehearsal or a concert) and as a tool to combat what is referred to as "embouchure overuse" -- when we spend too much time playing high/loud and wake up the next day with lip stiffness, problems with response, or a general feeling of difficulty in playing.

Since the price of a leadpipe can be cost prohibitive, I was able to find a manufacturer who would provide me with high quality, finished leadpipes that I can sell for a very reasonable cost. These are also on my website.
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Benjamin Davis
Rockwall,TX
www.trumpetworx.com
PT OfficeWorx
469-500-8031

[Billy B]

Here I am teaching a student their first lesson on trumpet.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y0uuFa59brVvSCcdo49YT6OeDOSeEq_q/preview?fbclid=IwAR3398ByC5Pw8kyH0DK5V_Cs6gwkxX1e96_lNWP4cLsfSNzwYdmIWQmE7TI
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Bill Bergren

[Billy B]

https://www.facebook.com/michelle.glasscock/posts/10101093549749645?__xts__[0]=68.ARAPBxD2moNiPrN1uPvGqnNroVpO9iyhCLG5F_pX069IuzEdh2-L2HsW6Y__G8Wyd9Kc7VcdVVOgQ8H6TMecN5QVzrp1ZMri6PGdUamlFp-nUPPE-qqXULuK_0X11t-6JAgDhF5mdoPN3mWNE5IrrWfzxSI9tAIBQPWSfSm5Ia_AS9IZrCkmsNa0MOv3NQAwZa42O9PnUehau2F5P-N4OPzvRDMqHGDt34fjYrEezSLBYMnJaFT9av0x17RJ_7cdpfG__PnSyP7qdOBmKn7QZ6aN0Msc-MSTsibkuHFWmNvFEDVxP16b0OTZ-Axm6PRIiRSL4dDHLb9pnzcyShlAInDDT4a_Iq7Z-olPLxirIAuwvg&__tn__=-UC-RHH-R
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Bill Bergren

[bear30101]

Bill, I saw your video of the adult beginner and experimented with your approach with three sixth-grade beginners starting this fall. (Two trumpet, one trombone.)
The results have been excellent and these three reportedly left their school band mates immediately in the dust. (Each in a different school band program.) They are playing with ease, with good sounds and articulation and very good range. Thank you so much!
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searching

[Denny Schreffler]

Yes -- Bill Bergen has posted these videos before and the concept/result is solid.

I started a 10yo, with amazing results, on a Boba straw as Greg Spence mentions. This video of Greg's-- and the entire WindWorks course -- is super
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZRanehR-Jg

-Denny