WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW IN ORDER TO IMPROVE YOUR TONE QUALITY (PART #4) Over Adjusting When You Play

One of the most common offense to the trumpet occurs when a player over compensates when playing notes. When I speak of overcompensating I’m directing my criticism to mainly the embouchure area.

When most players attempt to reach a high note, the mindset is usually “give it your all” and when doing so, the player exerts too much energy to attain their top note. This became clear to me a few years ago when I watched one of our best trumpet players playing a show in town. I was amazed at how effortlessly he maneuvered among his notes; seemingly unconcerned with each passage. This observation was a mind blower for most of my playing has been a more aggressive approach and that is the reason I decided to analyze my approach to playing.

We all have been told to first get a good sound and then extend that sound into the upper and lower range of our instrument. Now stop and think about that statement. “Keep the good tone in all ranges”. That is not as easy as it sounds for as we progress upward to higher notes, most players sound tends to get smaller and tighter causing problems when we get to our top note. Part of the problem as I stated in our last post is that most players play with too small an aperture and too tight an embouchure.

So… How can we be sure that we are not over compensating as we traverse our musical universe? One way is to first listen more intently in our sound. And the best way to do this is to play chromatically through the complete range of our ability.

Assignment

1. Install the program Audacity on your computer

If you have another recording program OF QUALITY so be it. If you still do not have this program on your computer, what are you waiting for? I have mentioned the benefits of a stable recording program for several years now and my suggestions are not because I have any interest (financial) in this program, I feel that every musician should be able to not only hear their playing but should also be able to SEE their sound. So…again….get the program and put it into your computer.

2. Attach the best microphone you can afford to your computer.

If you really would like to expand you possibilities in recording I would recommend the setup our oldest son suggested to me (and he knows).
• Two Sure SM57 microphones
• One Tascam US 1641 Audio/Midi Interface

With this relatively inexpensive equipment you will be able to do everything I do when breaking down each element in playing the trumpet and in turn, learning more about how we produce good and bad sound.

3. Record yourself as you play a chromatic scale from low F# slowly up to F# at the top of the staff.
When I say “slowly” I mean a metronome tempo pf about 60 beats per minute. Play back your recording and listen to it several times. Does your tone remain consistent or does it diminish as you reach the top note? What we are trying to do is sustain the same sound on every note.

You may ask, “What is so special about playing a slurred, chromatic scale? The importance is this- when playing notes only a half-step apart, there should be no change in your embouchure. If you play a major scale, the amount of change has doubled between notes and if you play arpeggios, the change usually is much more dramatic.

Now repeat your chromatic scale but in this case, consciously make NO change at all between each note. If you are like I was, you have to override the natural habit of over adjusting and this is not easy. The habit of too much change is natural to all of us and beginning to rethink this concept is not easy. Play the scale very slowly and think of every note as you ascend. Force yourself to sustain the same feel and position as you go up. The reason we have different sounds in different registers is the fact that we make changes which are not needed. Once you have grasped this concept and start to begin to relearn your playing habits, you will hear a difference in your sound as well as an increase in your upper register. It changed the way I play and, as James Brown would have said “I feel GOOD”.

Final check list for a focused sound

• Firm corners
• Relaxed center in embouchure
• 90 degree angle with your horn and face
• Air flows directly from the lungs through the throat, mouth , mouthpiece and horn
• Aperture of lips is open to allow air to pass through easily
• Practice slurring a chromatic scale slowly to keep the sound consistent throughout the complete range of your ability.
• Record yourself often with your recording program in order to face the reality of your playing.
• Your tone should at all times have a “ring” to it which indicates a focused sound.

This finally completes my concept of a focused sound and what started out as a onetime post ended up as a few more than I had anticipated but when you think of the importance of a good sound, a little extra writing and a little extra reading is justified.