cornetguy

I find when I buzz (whether with the buzz aid or not) my lower lip rolls out more and when i move back to the trumpet it messes me up. When I play so i get the best sound, intonation adn flexability, and force myself to stay that way i cant get any buzz out. is this somethign to worry about or just bag buzzing as somthing that works for most people but not for me.

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tpter1

CG- I think it's important to ask yourself in this case why you do buzzing, before you decide to drop it from your routine. The primary reasons (for me) are for tone production, pitch control, consistency across registers. I wouldn't give up ship just yet.

It may well be something simply mechanical with the buzz aid that causes this. Be sure (if you have one of the newer BERPS you can do this) to set the resistance to match your horn. Also be sure that you are placing the mouthpiece on the chops the same way as when you are playing. (If you are favoring your upper lip more when buzzing, this may be the problem).

Buzzing can amplify what's going on, so this may be happening on the horn as well, but not to the degree that it does when buzzing.

Try this: Begin buzzing in a register that is comfortable to middle (somewhere between 2nd line G and 3rd space C) where the embouchre must be focused and just buzz some long tones there. Then begin to glissando up and back 1/2 step then down and back by 1/2 step (so for example, G to G# to G *rest* then G Gb G *rest*). Slight crescendo to the upper/lower note. Increase your interval to whole step, m3, M3, P4.

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cornetguy

i have an ancient buzz aid that is from 1983 when it was made in a basement with a drill press. but it works and i am too cheap to buy a new one even though Mario tries to get me every time he sees me.

found i was rolling in and playing too low when did that. When I get the buzz right the mouthpiece goes higher and the lower lip roll is the same as when I play. It does happen on the horn, but doesnt shut down the way it does on buzzing, but the sound does become less good, and intonation and accuracy goes down the drain.

do the buzzing for intonation, airflow and have been working on some of the things in the buzzing book to get rid of the hiccups.

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sinfoniantrumpeter

if buzzing messes you up, don't do it...

mahaberio

I disagree. Buzzing is nothing but beneficial if done correctly. Something a lot of people neglect to do with buzzing (especially with the Thompson book) is read the text. It seems very basic but it explains how to buzz in an efficient manner. It is also important to play as much as you buzz when you're practicing; the Thompson book is set up wonderfully this way. A lot of people say that buzzing sets them back a bit before they start to feel the benefits but ultimately find it beneficial.

sinfoniantrumpeter

Again--if buzzing is hurting your playing, don't do it. There are no professional buzzers.....it is a means to an end. There are plenty of pros who buzz little to none.

Lawler Bb

Hey man, he stated his opinion and you stated yours. Let it go at that. I happen to think that buzzing is beneficial too, but do whatever you need to do to improve. If it's not helping to buzz, do something else!

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Eric Sperry

Manny Laureano

dear Cornetguy,

What occurs to me is that your subconscious mind has created a divide between buzzing and trumpet playing or so it would seem.

Let's go with the premise that a good buzz is what is amplified through the instrument and creates the trumpet sound we all know and love.

If you are correct in assessing that your embouchure changes when you buzz (the rolling out you mentioned) and that that is NOT something you do when you play the horn, I have to asume you're reacting to the inherent resistances that the trumpet offers.

It may also be entirely possible that you do this rolling out when you play as well but only really notice it when you use the mouthpiece alone. I have to believe there's a little of that at play because, all things being equal, there's really no reason the embouchure should change that drastically when you use only the mouthpiece.

I'm going to guess that you are creating an "impedance", to borrow a phrase. I'm going to guess that when you set up to play and begin a tone, that there's a pre-buzz formation you engage in with the lips. It's like Buzz the lips, then buzz the mouthpiece. My suggestion is that you forget about the buzzing of the lips on a conscious level and focus more on creating a full-sounding buzz in all registers when buzzing the mouthpiece. Melodies that have a wide range are great for this (Maria, The National Anthem, Stardust). Use all the dynamics associated with those tunes. In other words, they should be musical performances complete with appropriate phrasing, vibrato , and colorations of sound.

The key is to be very active in maintaining a complete and full-sounding buzz throughout all registers. Buzz a note in each register and hear what you sound like. Is it full and reedy in the low register or ghosty and dispersed? Is your upper register vital, full, and energetic or more like a mosquito sound? That's what mean. If it changes from register to register, well, there's your problem.

Look at the mouthpiece as the instrument and the trumpet as a glorified amplifier of the mouthpiece. The trumpet has enough impedance of it's own; don't add to it with external pressures and tightnesses more than what's already there.

Let the mouthpiece buzz, don't try to make it buzz.

Be well,

ML

sinfoniantrumpeter

I also happen to think it's beneficial. But, buzzing incorrectly can also cause you a lot of problems. It would be much better never to buzz than to screw up your playing.

NickD

I used to have a book out which was based on lip buzzing. I have changed some things in the way I play, but I still stand by lip buzzing. Rather than make a long post here, I have re-posted a sound file I made on this subject a couple of years ago. It is an audio demo of how I trained myself to do lip buzzing. What was important to me was making sure that my lip buzzing formation was not too different from the way I play. I call it a Peel Away Exercise. I'll leave this file up for a few days. It is downloadable. I'll need to take it down in a few days as Mp3unsigned.com may not like this file. Here's the link:

Mouthpiece Peel Away Exercise
http://www.mp3unsigned.com/showmp3.asp?mp3id=33751

I hope this helps. It works for me, fwiiw.

Nick

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