Preventing cheek puffing

jicetp · Heavyweight Member Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 987

Hi

My neighbour 7yo is learning the trumpet, and I noticed that she puffs her cheeks to the point that she distorts her embouchure.
I asked her what her teacher would say but she doesnt know.

What can I advise her to get rid of that exagerated puff ?

Thanks

JiCe

stuartissimo · Posted: Tue May 03, 2022 11:02 pm Post subject:

Why not let her teacher handle it? It's nice that you want to help her learn the trumpet, but having 'multiple teachers' at that age probably isn't helping her. If you really feel she's not getting proper instructions, then perhaps you could offer to teach her instead...otherwise, personally I'd probably stay out of it.
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steve0930 · Veteran Member Joined: 07 May 2018 Posts: 191

Obviously Stuart's reply is spot on the money for this Young Player (wish I'd started at 7!) And nice you are being a helpful Neighbour.

But for anyone else just starting out who feels there is too much "heat in the cheek" learn from my mistake - Because for a LOT longer than I needed to, and despite some ad hoc Teacher lessons - I, my cheeks, laboured under the illusion that the Trumpet was about blowing air - (A good teacher could have corrected me lesson 1, - "Steve, The Air Is Already There" )

I posted on the very subject a couple of years back and didn't get any concrete tips to help. So here is mine now - with your lips practise blowing a stream of air so you can feel it on your nose - then do it so you can feel in on your chin - then pick up the horn. Then carry on experimenting.

cheers and stay safe Steve in Helsinki
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kalijah · Posted: Wed May 04, 2022 5:05 am Post subject:

steve0930 · Veteran Member Joined: 07 May 2018 Posts: 191

Hi Darryl

kalijah · Posted: Wed May 04, 2022 7:02 am Post subject:

Some reasonable control of the muscles will prevent puffing.. There are simple excercises that can encourage that control. Puffing the cheeks, or not, can become a habit.

There are reasons that the air FLOW is less when playing than when simply blowing into the ambient air. Encouraging a similar flow when playing can be problematic for sure.

Billy B · Posted: Wed May 04, 2022 10:49 am Post subject:

Spit a grain of rice off the tip of the tongue. Now go play the trumpet the same way.
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jicetp · Heavyweight Member Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 987

Thanks for the answers so far.

JiCe

dbacon · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Nov 2001 Posts: 8592

Benson · Regular Member Joined: 14 Feb 2017 Posts: 35

Beginning band director here, and I've seen some cheek puffing. I like some of the remedies suggested, but remember, this is a kid we're taking about. The fix needs to be understandable and immediate. This is my method, and it works.

I start all of my students with the leadpipe, a mouthpiece, and a puh attack (but that's another topic). If they're puffing, they aren't engaging the muscles around the mouth and cheeks. This is known by all of us, but is obviously foreign to a beginner. They need to feel the muscles of the face engage.

As they're blowing the pipe I take my thumb and stop the air. This makes everything worse - cheeks out to the ears! But because there is something to blow against they can start to feel how the cheeks can be engaged. Use whatever language you need to help them engage those muscles. They ALWAYS figure it out. Then, pull your thumb off. They will play the leadpipe without puffing. It may take 2 or 3 times, but this usually fixes it in under 5 minutes.

20 years of beginners, it works for me, and more importantly, my students. Good luck!
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crose · Veteran Member Joined: 01 Sep 2010 Posts: 188

My response is exactly the same as the poster above.

Has worked for me for years too. If they forget you can also do the same by plugging the end of mouthpiece.

I always emphasize to remember how it feels. You can't see you face when you are playing (without a mirrow) but you can remember a feeling.

JayKosta · Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 4:40 am Post subject: stop cheek puffing

edit: Gently pull the corners of your lips back towards your rear teeth, and then while maintaining the 'pull-back' -

Squeeze the corners of your lips towards the center, and keep your lips pointed up & down towards each other.
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Billy B · Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 6:03 am Post subject:

Billy B · Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 6:03 am Post subject: Re: stop cheek puffing

kalijah · Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 6:22 am Post subject:

Billy B · Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 7:36 am Post subject:

"That's ok as long as you are having the student simply blow air through the lips. If you REQUIRE a buzz for anything but the full instrument you are setting them up for habits of excessive effort and inefficiency."

Quite the opposite. Blowing air through the lead pipe/mouthpiece will produce a pitch of approximately Eb as the lips vibrate in sympathy with the standing wave. Blowing air without a sound requires undue tension to keep the lips from vibrating.
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kalijah · Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 7:48 am Post subject:

kehaulani · Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 9:24 am Post subject:

Billy B · Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 9:38 am Post subject:

Billy B · Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 9:39 am Post subject: