Please help, I have a tight throat

nasnysom · New Member Joined: 03 Dec 2002 Posts: 1

I've been playing for about seven years now, but ever since I started, I had a REALLY bad habit of tensing up my throat whenever I tried to play high.

When I try to play up in the high register, my throat tightens up and not much air comes out. And this isn't like double C high, this is like G high. I know, it sounds pathetic, but its true. As a result it's almost impossible for me to play the lead part.

Even though I consider myself a good musician/singer, and I'm real good on the piano, this bad habit really restricts me from getting the most of my trumpet.

Does anybody know any techniques to cure this "tight-throat" syndrome?

pedaltonekid · Heavyweight Member Joined: 15 Nov 2001 Posts: 1711

Work on your breathing. Something as simple as breathing in and out through a 1" OD/1/2" ID flexible plastic tube can help or get a breath builder. Also work on playing comfortable notes with a nice open throat and gradually increase the range for which you can do this.
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Zaphod · Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2002 1:47 pm Post subject:

It ins't that hard: think about the air "flowing" from your lungs through your lips. Remove all obstacles in between.

Try to
- lift your chin (slightly push it forward, do NOT pull it back)
- bring your tongue up and forward (say "sea")
- don't pull your shoulders up, stay relaxed(!)
- don't think about pressure in your lungs, think about airstream velocity at your lips

"listen" to your body: you know (subconsciously) where you stop the airstream
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drunkiq · Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2002 8:42 pm Post subject:

yawn - this is how your throat should fell when playing up there....

-marc

Trevor_A · New Member Joined: 27 Nov 2002 Posts: 9

My teacher told me Vizzutti thinks like a cat when he ascends. Think "hiss" when you go higher ("Cat" Anderson, that's how I remember it). This could help relieve some of the tension.
Also, this is easier said than done, just "relax and blow fast air into the horn while the embouchure is set." I don't like to think compressing, but rather blowing.
Think an "oh" syllable when you play and rarely go to the "ee (or hiss)" syllable.
My teacher told me as well that my jaw was so closed that it was creating back pressure and closing off my throat. Try keeping your teeth a pencil's diameter apart and close your embouchure over your set teeth. This should help open the throat as well.
I hope this helps.
Trevor

drunkiq · Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2002 10:41 pm Post subject:

good point trevor - I think it was pops that said you can check the tooth gap by placing erasers between your teeth on the sides...

Emb_Enh · Veteran Member Joined: 29 Oct 2002 Posts: 455

Throat Closing?....

Here is something which works for a lot of people.....

Throat closing is usually due to excess tension in the system ...try this...think
"H O T - A I R" whilst blowing.

IT'S HOW YOU DEAL WITH THE MENTAL IMAGERY/PHYSICAL CHANGES REQUIRED, TO ACHIEVE YOUR END GOAL!

SO...THINK ....YAWN......THINK.........."H O T - A I R" ......

1.PLAY A LOW C ........MEZZOFORTE for 6 beats…slowly
2.AND AGAIN
3.AND AGAIN
4.NOW PLAY IT (WORTH ONE BEAT) AND SLUR MOVING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN YOUR BODY (NO LIP/JAW ENGAGEMENT) UP TO THE "D" ONE NOTE HIGHER AND HOLD FOR TWO BEATS.

IF THE NOTES DON'T COME EASILY DO THE SLUR AGAIN...

5.REPEAT PROCESS #4 PLAYING C,D,,,,,DON'T PLAY TOO LOUD THOUGH,... KEEP THE TONE CENTERED AND FOCUSSED AT ALL TIMES + MPC. PRESSURE DOWN!
6.NOW START AT # 1 [thru #5] AGAIN AND PLAY 8VA ....[third space C]

........NOW HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND....

THE '8VA' C-D [third space] NEEDS TO FEEL LIKE IT IS....
''NO MORE DIFFICULT'' (LIP/JAW/THROAT- WISE)
THAN THE LOW C YOU STARTED ON!!!!

If your C-D [third space] is harder to produce and causing more strain than the low C-D you should'nt be moving on from this register at all until it is mastered.

Now use different notes that are applicable to YOUR problem in this area,
[if you have one!]

Be relaxed -don't raise your shoulders and / or tense yourself as you take in the air. Make sure also that you play with good posture shoulders down, back straight, elbows out. To repeat myself, a simpler feeling of an open throat is as when you yawn..go on give it a try and think about the throat feeling!

Why not try the "breath builder"..it's a sort of ping pong ball in a cylinder affair, designed to let you blow with variable resistance and very effectual in curing that closed throat feeling. There are many devices on the market which may help to alleviate this problem.

It's how you approach a physical problem that matters, not necessarily what you do alleviate the problem. So many times I hear trumpet players telling others that a particular exercise will cure a specific problem, only to have someone else say the opposite.

You MUST realise that there is NO ONE MAGIC EXERCISE that will cure any particular physical problem. Only playing techniques when applied in a musical way will "free up" your subconcious mind allowing an adjustment.
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