Whistle-shaped embouchure?

[kehaulani]

O.K., I found it. Double High C, that is. I remember using the exercises, back in the day, but ignoring the text (after reading it). I did the same with Maggio later, using the exercises but picking & choosing from the text.

But on re-reading Spaulding's text last night, I noticed that he promoted a jaw-forward, whistle-shaped embouchure. And I know that Maggio also calls for a whistle-shaped embouchure. So, it really got me thinking about this embouchure's validity. So, my question.

Do you know of any serious players who used a whistle-shaped embouchure and what is your take on that embouchure, also. Thanks.
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"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
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[Trumpetingbynurture]

Embouchure descriptions can be so hard to map on to real players with some exceptions. Does someone use a whistle-shaped formation? There are people that have talked about something like this, Adam Rapa for example.

David Hickman talks about 'blowing out a candle'.

Greg Spence's 'Ahhh-ooo" thing is the same basic idea as far as I can tell.

There are a lot of players that probably play with an embouchure shape that is similar, but they wouldn't ever think about their lips in that fashion.

As with so many things, there are lots of roads to the same destination. Certainly the 'whistle' idea is really just a starting point.

Most players I would guess don't do anything quite so simple as play a 'whistle' embouchure or a 'curl' embouchure or ... whatever. They probably play with more of a particular thing but there is also a lot of fine tuning of any of the basic embouchure ideas.

If it works, and it sounds right, then go with it! But also don't become too fixated on it, either. At some point you'll have to let go of the idea and play the instrument how your ears dictate.

But if you're worried you're going down the wrong pathway or something, I wouldn't be concerned. The 'pucker' is a part of almost every player's embouchure. You may need to adjust things as you progress

[JayKosta]

I think a pure 'whistle lips configuration' would be rare. But some might begin with whistle, and then while trying to maintain the whistle - ADD tension using the word 'pee' .

The lip position and tension for playing doesn't usually come from a single simple muscle activation. The position and tension result from multiple 'competing' muscle tension.

Jay
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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'.

[GeorgeB]

kehaulani, check out Chris Martin's embouchure.

George
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GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet

[nieuwguyski]

I'd suggest checking out Jess Smiley's "Balanced Embouchure" book.

While it wasn't a break-through for me personally, I appreciate the fact that his book has exercises that go from one extreme (lips rolled out, and then try to play high) to the other (lips rolled in, and then try to play low).

No mention of jaw position, which I heartily agree with (I injured my TM joint trying to play high notes at an artificially high horn angle necessitated by a crazy stage setup).

But the goal of Smiley's system is simply to find the particular balance point between rolled-out and rolled-in that works for a particular player.

I loaned my copy of the book to a friend who had bought into the rolled-out embouchure concept and, when he experienced fundamental chop failure in his 50s, was prepared to give up trumpet.

He's still playing and has played lead trumpet in big bands since for the first time in his life.
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J. Notso Nieuwguyski

[kehaulani]

I appreciate the comments, but I've been working out of Jeff (sic) Smiley's book for, probably, a decade. I'm not curious about alternate embouchures to Spaulding and Maggio's whistle-type embouchure. Just curious if anyone is using, or knows of someone, who has used it.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[deleted_user_02066fd]

I was at Berklee from 78-82 and there was a faculty member who had used Spaulding's book. I forget his name. He didn't teach trumpet but directed ensembles and taught a few other classes.
He told me that he lost range as a result of using this method. Apparently he had been a lead player and he ended up abandoning the Spaulding approach.

[kehaulani]

He forgot a fundamental technique in forming the pucker embouchure - sucking on a Li Hing Mui cracked seed first.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[deleted_user_02066fd]

[JayKosta]

[kehaulani]

[quote="JayKosta"]