| Re: When you can't practice??
I also buzz the mouthpiece in the car. Don't care what others think. I have used Jim Thompson's book and CD for a couple of years now. The CD is great in the car because it forces you to buzz "in tune". This is way better than just buzzing all over the place. James Stamp said that buzzing the mouthpiece along with the piano (for pitch recognition) helped you to center the pitch without allowing the instrument to help. If you can buzz the note right in the center with the mouthpiece alone, when you add the trumpet the note is still centered. And the trumpet starts to really ring. Acoustics at work. This is very good for all around playing. It opens up and relaxes the sound, plus you tend to miss less frequently as you are playing the notes right in the center rather than letting the horn kind of "get you close".
by the way, I really don't like to buzz my lips alone (without mouthpiece). I have always felt it made me terribly tight. You may be different, though.
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