Tootsall

TAF... here is something for you to at least try out. When the toilet paper is at the end of the roll you have a nice, open cardboard tube... right? (OK, if you don't want to think of toilet paper.. it's Christmas.... use a short length of the tube that the wrapping paper comes on) Here's what you do.... stick one end of that tube into your mouth, wrap your lips around it and breath deeply, in and out. Do this for a few cycles.

Now ask yourself.... do you breath like that when you play trumpet? Well, you SHOULD.

Another mental image for you.... early in the morning when you first wake up your body is entirely relaxed. When you speak or sing you do so in a looowww, Johnny Cash-like voice. Why? Your throat is nice and relaxed. Play like that. Do your playing exercises and etudes like that...

Remember... throat open, relaxed. Breath from your GUT, not your "lungs". That means let your belly expand down below your belt rather than having your shoulders rise.

One online article that REALLY helped me (I'm nowhere near your age.... thankfully) is this one: http://www.markvancleave.com/mvcresintonation.html . It might be the best thing that guy ever wrote. Don't take his words "literally" but rather THINK about what he's saying. Get your body in tune with the horn and the horn IN TUNE with the band and the work load drops right off and your endurance increases dramatically.

Manny Laureano

You described being able to open your mouth about an inch.

When you yawn, do you maintain that that is the case or do you subconsciously open your mouth wide as most people do? What I'm getting at is whether there is a disconnect from how your body works away from the trumpet and when you pick up the horn.

ML

Billy B

Go take lessons through Citrus Community College. Unbelievably cheap. Bob Slack and Charly Davis both teach there.

TrumpetsAreFun

Huh? I meant when i'm playing you're supposed to have ur teeth separated..

Manny Laureano

TAF,

I'm going to beg off this one, because a) obviously there has to be separation of the teeth, so, I don't understand the point of bringing that up and b) the "weak mouth" description makes no sense to me without seeing what you're doing. I've just never heard of this description to describe what you're talking about or what your band director is talking about.

Wish I could see and hear you because I have the sense that your concern is a real simple thing to deal with but we're getting stuck on a lot of terminology that's unhelpful. I don't wish to make it worse.

ML