Why do we spend so much time and energy teaching the technical side of trumpet playing instead of the musical application of the trumpet? We, as musicians, write and lecture on every possible issue related to the technique of trumpet playing. Thousands of dollars are spent monthly on “the perfect mouthpiece”. Fortunes are spent annually in the search for the perfect trumpet. Unfortunately little attention is ever given to the real issue when striving to become a better player. This one factor is more important to fine trumpet playing than anything else and that element is “sound”. You may refer to it as tone, sound, quality, fatness, edge, center, fullness, focus, resonance, body or timbre. It is that recognizable and elusive quality often described by individuals names i.e. Maynard’s sound (when he reaches the top notes in his early recordings of MacArthur Park) or Bud Herseth’s tone whenever he plays a note. We know it, we recognize it, we try to emulate it but it always seems to be just out of reach for most of us. I have begun this article with an interesting slant on many issues of trumpet playing but I will focus on just one at this time- the correct embouchure.
Many years ago I did extensive research on tone quality and lip efficiency related to the playing of a trumpet. My studio, at that time, was outfitted with the latest and most cutting edge sound analyzing equipment our university could supply me. My research total lab contained only one out-dated oscilloscope! We were inseparable. Each day I would patiently wait for the tubes to warm up so that I could begin my research. My studies would be described as exercises in bio feed back. My simple tool would indicate on its screen the amount of overtones generated by a player. The higher the overtones, the higher the peeks on the screen which was very simple and very telling. As I adjusted my lip, air, tongue position, mouthpiece pressure, angle of the horn etc. I notated the changes indicated by the oscilloscope. Now that I think about it, I’m sure my time could have been better spent than watching an outdated screen. Now that you have some background of my simple observations, I’ll try to explain what this has to do with finding the correct embouchure.
How We First Begin to Ruin Trumpet Players
Most players approach the correct embouchure from the traditional point of view- “place the mouthpiece in the center of your lip”. That’s a reasonable beginning. This “ideal” position can be effected by several issues such as scar tissue, dental facial structure, abnormal tooth separation or angle, jaw position, etc. But for a start, centering up and down as well as left and right works for me. Most instructors will then advise the student to buzz on the mouthpiece and this is where my preaching begins. Beginning students usually produce a very tight, pinched buzzing sound which when performed on the mouthpiece and horn will produce the same pinched, tight sound. This is where most students and their instructor go wrong. The student is told to “put more air through the mouthpiece” which in most cases will improve the sound. At that point, the young player has been taught to think technical, not musical.
1. The student had a bad sound.
2. The teacher said to put more air through the mouthpiece.
3. The student then put more air through the mouthpiece and the sound improved.
4. The student now has learned that to get a better sound, all he/she needs to do is put more air through the mouthpiece.
At this point the student is now on his/her way to the magical land of THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF TRUMPET PLAYING– never to return to the musical side.
If the object for all trumpet players is to produce an acceptable sound, and basically that’s the only thing we do, why do we spend so little time thinking about it? The sound is our product. That is what we produce. You might apply it to jazz or classical music, but the sound is all that we produce. If we have an acceptable sound, what difference does it make what mouthpiece or horn we play on? Can a different mouthpiece make your life easier? It might, but will it accomplish this goal without sacrificing your sound?
Concentrate on the product not the procedure
Your best sound will be located in the middle register of your instrument. The highest notes will suffer as well as your lowest notes so first begin in the middle range.
1. Play and sustain a second line G with the biggest tone you can produce. Notice I didn’t say the loudest. Play about a forte volume.
2. Take a bigger breath and repeat the same note and volume.
Did it improve? Please note that you should be concentrating more on the “sound” than on the technique to get that sound.
3. Take a big breath and repeat the same note and volume. This time relax your lips just a little and sustain the same air flow.
Did the tone become fatter or airier?
Are you concentrating on the sound or the technique?
4. Take a big breath and repeat the same note and volume. While sustaining the note, experiment with a looser embouchure, a tight embouchure and everything in between.
At what point do you get the biggest, fattest, tone?
Are you concentrating on the sound or the technique?
5. Take a big breath and repeat the same note and volume and this time slowly raise and lower your jaw.
At what point do you get the biggest, fattest, tone?
Are you concentrating on the sound or the technique?
6. Take a big breath and repeat the same note and volume and this time slowly raise and lower your bell without changing your jaw position.
At what point do you get the biggest, fattest, tone?
Are you concentrating on the sound or the technique?
7. Take a big breath and repeat the same note and volume and this time slowly arch and flatten your tongue without changing your jaw position, mouthpiece pressure, angle of the bell and lip tension.
At what point do you get the biggest, fattest, tone?
Are you concentrating on the sound or the technique?
Of course you’re not concentrating on the “sound” and that’s what’s wrong with the technical side of playing the trumpet!
The best illustrations I can give you are experiences I had while taking lessons from Arnold Jacobs and Don Jacoby many years ago. I had been waiting outside Mr. Jacob’s studio for some time and when he asked me to enter and play for him, I began with a very timid and uncertain series of notes. He stopped me and asked if I had ever played in dance band to which I replied yes. He then described a situation I was very comfortable with. He said “play the tune Stardust as if you were in a ball room filled with people”. I instantly understood what he was after and I took a deep breath and sent Star Dust throughout the Chicago downtown area. Did he say take a deeper breath? No. Did he say play louder? No. What he did, and what he was best known for is solving a problem by coming in through the back door. To get the best out of me, he stepped back from the technical and focused on the product, the sound.
While taking a lesson with Don Jacoby, he asked me to play some high notes which I have never been fond of doing. After I made a few feeble attempts to impress him, he told me not to think of high notes as being higher, but to think of them being farther. If a high C is across the room, a double high C would be somewhere on the city limits of Dallas. This was another example of a great teacher trying to get my thinking away from the area from the lips to the bell and concentrate in the area beyond the bell, “the sound”.
Keep the sound and everything else will follow!
After you have established the sound you like in the middle range, begin to slowly widen your scope by trying to keep the same sound at all volumes. One note, all volumes. This may seem too easy but you will find that keeping the same fat, full, well rounded sound at soft as well as loud volumes is a major accomplishment. Start with your best sound on one note and then gradually widen your field. If you are consistent with your sound, everything else will fall into place for in order for your sound to remain rich and full, all the different components must be working together. Do not focus on the elements, focus only on “the sound”.
Helpful Check list
1. Start with one note that sounds great. Extend your range gradually from this first note. Work slowly from the middle and increase outward.
2. Keep your sound in all dynamic ranges. This will take constant attention.
3. It is more difficult to keep your best sound when playing fast and/or technical passages.
4. Concentrate on your sound in all playing situations. Don’t get careless when tired or playing with poor musicians.
5. Begin your tone listening from your first buzz of the day.
6. Try to keep the same sound while playing under different acoustical conditions.
7. When you loose your sound, and you will from time to time, get back to the basics.
8. If you have trouble hearing your sound while playing in a loud setting (next to a drummer or in a loud rock band) put in one ear plug and you will again be able to hear yourself. I found this out last week while playing in a polka band.
Remember-
“Keep the sound and everything else will follow”
Hi, Bruce.
The sound based/breathing approach never worked well for me, until I had a lesson with Doug Elliott, who analyzed my embouchure and had me do some conscious experimentation with my embouchure. Once I had gotten my embouchure issues worked out, I could go back to “song and wind” and start to improve. While I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying, I think it works best once a player has either consciously or unconsciously gotten his or her embouchure, breathing, and tonguing coordinated (not necessarily in that order).
Athletes seem to take a similar approach to what I’m thinking of here. They have coaches who analyze their physical motion of performing while they concentrate on their goal (putting the ball in the basket, or whatever). When something isn’t working correctly, they remove it from the equation and work only on that particular physical aspect before putting it back into the context of their competition. To me, I see both the musical aspect of performing and the physical aspect to be two sides of the same coin.
At any rate, a very interesting post. Thanks for making it available!
Dave
Thank you for your comments and because of the length of my posting, it is very difficult to explain fully all aspects of the concept. The bottom line would be, 1. Start with one note to get “all” of the components lined up and working efficiently, 2. Begin to expand this correct sound into the upper and lower ranges.
I have had some remarkable success with students who are patient enough to build on the concept. I will re-read your references to the athletes and I enjoyed your explanation. Stop back again and the very best to you and your.
Bruce Chidester
Hi again, Bruce.
As you say, it’s tough to be complete in such a brief discussion. At risk of running out of space in your comments section, I’ll try to explain my difference of opinion here a little more completely. Perhaps the following video will help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9RAMDYyTVo
I don’t see how a sound-based approach would have helped that particular student overcome his range cap or his embouchure break (it hadn’t before I had the opportunity to work with him). As traditional brass pedagogy de-emphasizes any discussion of embouchure technique in favor of focusing on the sound (as you suggest here), most teachers aren’t equipped to help students with similar issues (he is a tubist, but the same issues can and do happen on all the brass, including trumpet).
I’m glad you mentioned Arnold Jacobs in your post, because I think his pedagogy provides a good example to describe my teaching philosophy. Reading through the books about Jacobs and his Song & Wind concepts, it almost seems as different chapters are describing a different teacher. He clearly catered his instruction to suit the individual student. He was also “crazy like a fox” in that he had a knack for telling a student how to play while convincing the student that he wasn’t telling them how to play. We tend to remember what he said, not what he did, and then teach only what he said. Jacobs certainly didn’t feel that analysis of technique was bad, just that it needed to be done at a certain place and time and then we should move on when it’s appropriate.
We might argue that once a student’s embouchure is functioning reasonably well that analysis doesn’t have as much value as focusing on the product, rather than procedure. I have two thoughts about this. First, there are often still some very simple things that players can adjust with their embouchure (or breathing, tonguing, etc.) that can have very profound effects on their playing. However, if we don’t look for them we certainly won’t find them. If analysis is hindering a student’s development either the analysis is wrong to start with or the student has a focus problem (not putting their attention where it needs to be for whatever they are trying to do). Secondly, most musicians these days also teach, whether or not that is their main focus. Even if a student is lucky enough to have a well functioning embouchure from the get go, if we don’t teach our students how and why to use analysis they will not have the background to help their future students.
I suppose I should also make a disclaimer here that I happen to find the mechanical side of brass technique extremely interesting, particularly how the embouchure functions. Perhaps these research interests bias my teaching philosophy somewhat, so everyone should form their own opinions based on all available evidence. I’d like to invite you to look through some more of the videos I’ve posted on YouTube or maybe on my own blog if you’re curious.
Thanks!
Dave