| I had the exact same thing happen to me when I was a sophomore in high school. Play for 10 minutes, down went the mouthpiece. Sometimes right off the top lip.
It baffled my trumpet teacher and every trumpet player he knew in Chicago and he knew everybody, from the the CSO on down.
He gave me very similar exercises you have been given and they worked, but you would never imagine what was at the root of the problem. I had just moved up to an Olds Recording model, you know, the "balanced" one. It turns out that horn was absolutely wrong for me and because of its unusual placement of the valves, after a short time, I was allowing the horn to tilt down which ended up tilting mouthpiece downward and sliding off my top lip. The tilting was so slight no one could see it and I wasn't aware I was doing it at all. The exercises worked, but one day in a lesson, I asked if I could try the teachers Selmer K-Modified. Instantly. the slipping stopped entirely!!
The result was the Recording went in trade for a new K-Modified. My playing took off immediately and the slipping never happened again.
Many folks love those Olds Recording horns and for good reason, but I absolutely hate them and every time I try one, I play it for 10 seconds and hand it right back. It is still awkward for me to hold and I think they are just plain ugly, no matter how nice they actually do sound. I suppose I'll catch it for saying that but that's they way I feel about them.
Anyway, do what Manny has told you. It has already begun helping you and it certainly put me on the right track, too. .
Good luck and keep practicing.
Rich Tomasek |