Am I fighting the instrument or myself?

[JayKosta]

[novahype]

I forgot to add, when the mouthpiece slides I get a really fuzzy tone in the lower to mid register. It’s difficult to hit a C below the staff, but high register comes out fine.

[theslawdawg]

[Robert P]

Assuming it's working okay mechanically and is clean inside, the instrument behaves exactly the same way every time. I wouldn't characterize it as fighting the instrument, it's a matter of doing what's necessary to produce music with it.

You need to find out how to interact with it in such a way that it's as comfortable as possible and produces the results you want. A good teacher who's really tuned-in to embouchure issues can help, but the really subtle details you're going to have to discover. Try to be as tuned in as possible to what you're doing when things happen the way you want. There are a lot of factors involved, a lot of sensations to be aware of.
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[blbaumgarn]

There's good advice from several people here. Truthfully, when I did my first audition in my senior year I did it during football season and got my mouth dinged during a friday night football game. When I played the audition I had to fudge my position upward some to avoid pain. It went fine, the teacher was complimentary but said I had a serious embouchure problem that would take at least a year to correct and possibly I might consider changing to french horn. I really believed him. I did two more auditions at private schools and eventually got a late in the school year where several school mates went for music. My parents took me up, I played and then the three brass faculty that listened to me had me leave and they told my folks "we can't have him go to another school. Would he like to come here." I was thrilled when they had me return but then I told him about what the other teacher had said. He said it doesn't appear to be a problem now, and he had me play some again. Suddenly he said when you come up to preregister I want to meet you for a couple lessons and until then do this. Take about 5-10 minutes at the end of every practice, pick out an etude or study and play it at one dynamic level pushing alot of air through the horn. Don't overblow just fill the horn with sound and do it until you come back in a couple months and we will get together. Now, I did have to cheat my position with the mouthpiece for several weeks when playing football as I kept getting hit in the same spot. It was north of what worked for me before but I got by. When I returned to preregister and met with the teacher he said it works better now, doesn't it. I agreed and he said it basically corrected two things. One was mpc. position in relationship to embouchure. The other was relaxing pressure with the mouthpiece. Playing with a full volume made me press less and keep the air flowing. Find a "good" teacher. One that knows their stuff. Don't let someone put you in panic about something you can work your way out of and improve yourself without too much angst. I was fortunate at age 18 and I hope you are too.
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"There are two sides to a trumpeter's personality,
there is one that lives to lay waste to woodwinds and strings, leaving them lie blue and lifeless along a swath of destruction that is a
trumpeter's fury-then there is the dark side!" Irving Bush

[harryjamesworstnightmare]

Any progress updates from the OP? Have you found a good teacher to help you? Or did you find another solution?
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Brian James
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