TrumpetScreamer

How can you tell if you are using to much pressure when playing the trumpet, specifically in the upper register? Because I have been told that everyone has to use some amount of pressure, the key is to not use to much. I have heard that after your done playing and you look in the mirror if the ring on your lip is red then you used the right amount, but if it is white then you used to much. Is this true? Is their a proven method to determine if you are using to much?

Thanks!

Vulgano Brother

Everybody uses pressure.

Everybody.

If your lips get bruised, then you've used too much. (Been there, done that trying to do the Brandenburg 2 four times in a day, and had a nasty experience playing Telemann's Psalm 111 a zillion times at a rehearsal.)

A carefull warm-down can help, bringing blood back into the lips. Aspirin helps too, but there is no visual way to see if you've pressed too much. It is all by feel. I hope you find the magical limit!

Have fun!

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ADDER

Id' love some info on this too. I've only been playing for about 3 months now and have no idea how hard I should be pushing the horn onto my lips... Just lateley the notes above c are starting to really rasp and sound terrible and I find myself pushing the horn really hard agains my lips and it's quite uncomfortable... Could it be a wrong M/P? I'm using a 7c at the moment but have tried a 3c and that was worse..

Or is it just down to techniqe that will come later?
Sorry to hijack this threead but didn't want to start another when the subject was similar.

Cheers
Geoff

Olds Ambassador.

rowuk

I think this is a loaded question.

In any case, my measure of too much pressure is when your range just stops after a particular note. For instance, a player that is strong to F above high C, but can't even squeeze the G or Ab out. That means that the pressure is keeping the lips from vibrating.

IF you are doing everything right, your range doesn't stop, it just starts getting thinner and thinner until it doesn't sound like a trumpet note anymore.

The mirror is useless as is the color of your lips.

If we play seriously, we will use exessive pressure from time to time - as the exception, not the rule!

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

carteru93

I used to get my mouthpiece stuck in my trumpet all the time, thats how I knew I was using too much pressure. Ever since I revamped my embouchure to use much less pressure, I haven't gotten it stuck once and my endurance is greatly improved.

Another way to know is if you have a red circular mouthpiece mark on your lips a long time after you play.

rowuk

I think you have confused some things. If you played with sooooo much pressure that your mouthpiece got stuck, you rearranged your teeth at the same time. The mouthpiece gets stuck because of dirt and twisting it in too tightly or sharp blows not from playing pressure.

The red ring can be visible even without pressure

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

carteru93

Not that you're wrong, I agree, but I have not got my mouthpiece stuck since I redesigned my embouchure and used less pressure, that's the only thing i changed.

Also, I'm talking about a ring around your lips a LONG time after you play, such as an hour.

MJ

If it sounds awesome your amount of pressure is probably right on.

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A.N.A. Mendez

I agree....Cheers "to much pressure"!

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rowuk

Still wrong. Check this from our own solarbell:

http://www.trumpetmaster.com/vb/f131...tml#post267280 (Mouthpiece ring - too much pressure?)

I have plenty of colleagues with the same deal - it ain't pressure

Do a search here with the word "hickey". Plenty of similar info available.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.