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brassman8994 New Member
Joined: 29 May 2012 Posts: 9 Location: Denton, TX
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 3:54 pm Post subject: Free Buzzing |
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First off, I am a professional player and technician down in the great state of Texas. I am in the current "not playing for work because the world has shut down" situation, so it has afforded me the time to think outside of the box and work on my game like I used to back in the day at UNT. In re-establishing a bit of a routine I have realized just how much better my chops have become over the past 5 years or so while not spending much time at all practicing, or even warming up for that matter. As my family commitments have increased I have adapted by doing a lot of chop buzzing without the mouthpiece or free buzzing as some call it. I have noticed that it helps me in several ways: 1) it has really helped with centering my air stream. 2) helped re-center my aperture after a hard playing gig. 3) helped with flexibility and range (I can buzz 3 octaves now with no break in the sound).
Anyone else out there a proponent of 'free buzzing'? |
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Lionel Heavyweight Member
Joined: 25 Jul 2016 Posts: 783
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 4:39 pm Post subject: Re: Free Buzzing |
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brassman8994 wrote: | First off, I am a professional player and technician down in the great state of Texas. I am in the current "not playing for work because the world has shut down" situation, so it has afforded me the time to think outside of the box and work on my game like I used to back in the day at UNT. In re-establishing a bit of a routine I have realized just how much better my chops have become over the past 5 years or so while not spending much time at all practicing, or even warming up for that matter. As my family commitments have increased I have adapted by doing a lot of chop buzzing without the mouthpiece or free buzzing as some call it. I have noticed that it helps me in several ways: 1) it has really helped with centering my air stream. 2) helped re-center my aperture after a hard playing gig. 3) helped with flexibility and range (I can buzz 3 octaves now with no break in the sound).
Anyone else out there a proponent of 'free buzzing'? |
Most of the Reinhardt followers are free buzz proponents. I'm not bad at buzzing w/out mouthpiece myself. It makes a lot of sense to use in an exercise. As it feels very strenuous. If you can ever get a hold of him? Chris LaBarbera ska "Mr Hollywood" is both an advocate of the free buzz AND quite proficient at the exercise.
Chris is also a total beast on the trumpet.
Typically most trumpet players cut off around a concert pitch high C. Or a "high D for the B flat horn. However by diligent and persistent free buzz practice? It would seem to be another good way of breaking through that sound ceiling.
However these days I've become more of an advocate of isometrics. Such as the "pencil embouchure exercise". But as my Mom used to say,
"Six of one. A half dozen of the other". They both can really help. _________________ "Check me if I'm wrong Sandy but if I kill all the golfers they're gonna lock me up & throw away the key"!
Carl Spackler (aka Bill Murray, 1980). |
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Dayton Heavyweight Member
Joined: 24 Mar 2013 Posts: 1990 Location: USA
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:35 am Post subject: |
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I do the Stamp free buzzing exercises most days. I bin free buzzing with mouthpiece buzzing, pedal tones, lip bends, k tonguing...as helpful non-essentials. |
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abontrumpet Heavyweight Member
Joined: 08 May 2009 Posts: 1730
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 3:25 am Post subject: |
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Interesting that you mention improvement without spending much time practicing. I posted recently that the reason we practice is merely to strengthen a connection between what we have in our heads and how easily we can produce that on the trumpet the first time around. So it seems like most of the time you were playing that you were focused deeply and managed to strengthen that connection at a much deeper level which required less time commitment. Also sounds like you didn't have to work through too much to get to where you are today.
Free buzzing. Not necessarily a proponent but I think it can help strengthen the mind/lip connection that I describe above. You are basically mentally willing your lips to do something and whether or not the respond in the way that you want gives you physiological feedback. If you can get good at willing your lips to do something off the trumpet, it stands to reason that when you will your lips to do something on the trumpet that the connection will be closer to 1:1.
I think they are different things but using it as a tool of strengthening the mental synapses can be solid as you've seen.
Thanks for the thought provoking post. |
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JayKosta Heavyweight Member
Joined: 24 Dec 2018 Posts: 3275 Location: Endwell NY USA
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 5:25 am Post subject: Re: Free Buzzing |
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brassman8994 wrote: | ... As my family commitments have increased I have adapted by doing a lot of chop buzzing without the mouthpiece or free buzzing as some call it. ... |
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That's the key issue.
If there isn't adequate time for playing practice, then free buzzing, isometrics, etc. can be useful. Use any activity that exercises the embouchure muscles and uses precision control of those muscles in a manner similar to playing.
Jay _________________ Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'. |
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Jerry Freedman Heavyweight Member
Joined: 29 Jan 2002 Posts: 2476 Location: Burlington, Massachusetts
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 6:33 am Post subject: |
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Free buzzing isn't so much a name as a category. The free buzzing described in Reibhardt literature is not the same as what Pops McClaughlin videos and completely different from the free buzzing Caruso recommended for remedial reasons. I bet there are other versions but I am not familiar with them |
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