Jude

Hi - I asked a similiar question recently and got all kinds of responses. So that people don't have to retype everything, you could look at the Newbie tone thread.

Since there was so much material I copied it out and organized it a bit - this is basically just a list of key words, to help you focus on where you think you might want to focus your attention and questions:

Psychological:


If you're going to make a mistake make it a good loud one!

use a good OVERYLY strong attack,

Relax. Play some of your time just for fun.


Listening:
concentrate on sound

Forget the tuner and just concentrate on making a round, full sound with your buzz.
It is not just your lips and air that need training - your ears also need it.

Go back to the bathroom and practice there for 15 minutes, doing long tones and Clarke exercises at low volume. Focus on hearing a good tone and you will. Play into a corner of your other room(s) to help you hear feedback of the sound coming out the bell.

More long tones. Forget exercises with fingering and do lots of long, slow tones. Listen!
It is not just your lips and air that need training - your ears also need it.

listen to recordings


Physical:

air, support, and air flow
enough air
Good steady air is very important.
Check your posture.


Technique:

Try some lip bends to bend the note down a half step then back up to pitch, many times this will help you center your tone as well as relax your embouchure

Start off on low C, and try your best to get a solid tone. Buzz: C, D, E, F, G, F, G, F, G, F, E, D, C. Then go on to B: B, C#, D#, E, F#, E, F#, E, F#, E, D#, C#, B, etc. down to F#. Then play the second line G. Try to play a glissando slowly up to G above the staff from the second line G, and then slowly back down all the way to pedal C. Use a piano or keyboard (if you have it) to check your pitch.

by trying to push my range higher, the notes below start to sound better.

Work with just the mouthpiece


More long tones. Forget exercises with fingering and do lots of long, slow tones. Listen!

Other:

If you can try some different instruments and see if you still sound bad.



Also: from the Nick Drozdoff lessons (the warm-up): a long, ppppppp chromatic scale - it teaches the lips to vibrate in response to very little air, so when you use more you get a better response.



HTH