PeteH

Hi Manny & All. What a nice forum. Short background: I'm a comeback player (trumpet major @ NU 18 yrs ago) and recently began studying jazz improv. I only (have time to) play 4-5 hours/week.

For the longest time I was one of those who thought Monette's stuff was all myth & magic & no substance. I recently became a believer after trying out some of his mouthpieces! Truly amazing difference: the ease and evenness (of tone) going from the middle to upper register simply blew me away. I also found it instantly easier to skip around intervals (like in Bousquet #3) My range didn't increase, but was easier. So I settled on the B4S and love it.

No problems the 1st week, but the dreaded double-buzz (rasp) has crept in - only on the middle B-flat, B & C. It's persisted through today (2nd week w/ the mouthpiece). The only other thing I can tell you is that its worse on my benge than my bach (which is a heavier horn).

Any suggestions are appreciated!

PhatmonB6

First of all Welcome to the TM...good to see you here. . Get ready for alot of valuable information that will get you on track.

__________________
Bach Strad 180S37
Monette B2

Well, if I could play like Wynton (Marsalis), I wouldn't play like Wynton.
Chet Baker

Manny Laureano

Dear Pete,

Welcome to TM... I hope you enjoy the folks around here as much as I have.

The duble buzz that people experience comes mostly from abdominal tension that manifests itself as a confusion in the oral cavity where the tongue thinks one thing and the lips another. The starvation from lack of wind support is the final nail in the coffin.

Breath normally when you play, keep the chest from collapsing when you exhale and let the abs expand and contract just as they do when you breathe normally, like a bellows. There's no need for any kind of stiffness anywhere. The most important thing is that you need to be conscious of what sort of sound you want. You must create the sound on each and every note. Take nothing for granted . Think of that when you play those scales. Each and every note.

ML

Manny Laureano

dear Pete,

I really should avoid writing early in the morning.

In the above post I wrote that you should keep your chest from collapsing and as I drove in to work this morning I thought about what I wrote and thought "What was I thinking?". That could be very easily misconstrued as some very bad advice. What I was meaning to say was that as you exhale, maintain a relaxed yet erect upper body, so, don't allow your whole upper body to cave in or collapse. Of course, the chest has to collapse as you get rid of the air. I just want you to exhale from a good posture standpoint, as though you were standing. Yes, your shoulders will rise very slightly when you breathe in, your chest will expand. As you exhale your shoulders will drop very slightly and your chest will "collapse" a bit. All of this is natural to a full breath. No hocus pocus.


Think of it this way: you know that nice arch that is created in the lower back when you sit properly? Well, it should stay the same when you exhale. practice this while you're at the keyboard right now. Sit tall, chin down, and breathe in and out fully but naturally. When you blow into your horn you need to hear those clear-sounding notes and produce them, each and every one from this good body use.

I hope I haven't made it worse!

Good body mechanics and good sound in your head before you play each and every note.

ML

B15M

The avatar thing is a little confusing

Solar Bell

It is????

Why??

-cw-

__________________
Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan

Manny Laureano

Oh, that's a very recent picture of Mr. Vacchiano, maybe less than a year before he passed away.

ML

PeteH

Thx very, very much, Manny. No you didn't make it worse! Pls don't take this the wrong way, but I was going to temorarily ignore the 1st comment about the chest collapsing and see if the other suggestions worked - but now I think I get what you are saying, after the 2nd post: basically to maintain good posture, right?

Reg: "You must create the sound on each and every note. Take nothing for granted . Think of that when you play those scales. Each and every note. "

This was very helpful and resulted in some immediate improvement (it significantly lessened, and I was usually able to quickly eliminate it). I think I have been concetrating on sound much less than I did years ago. I'm alot more focused on which notes to play (pretty neccessary for a beginner to improv/jazz theory, etc.)

The monette did brighten my sound at first and I sort of accepted it as trade-off for the benefits it provided. This could be another reason my mind wandered away from my sound. The more I play it though, its darkening and getting closer to what I had pre-monette.

Regards, Pete