Bach 1 1/4C Man

My mouthpiece placement is not in the center of my lip it is to the right it is ok on the bottom as far as being proper but on the top lip I play in to the tissue a little bit I have a good tone which has gotten me into to Orchestras this year and also I have from a low f sharp to high G4 and A4 for my range. I have good slurring. My tonging is the problem it is very inconsistent. MY teacher recommends I have a mouthpiece placement change this will be my ninth year playing I will be a senior next year I have played 1st trumpet in District Honor Band and I did play first in Elementary Honor Band but I didn’t play off to the right side then. I have made it to the final All State Band Audition. So it only happens when I go to my lesson after Marching Band Practice. So I will see him in two week I will show him the difference with out Marching Band so He can see that maybe this can be overcame I think I can instead of an embouchure change.

Any advice from experience players will be greatly appreciated

Thanks

__________________
Orchestra:
Bb: Bach Stradivarius 43* (Gold PLated)
C: Bach Stradivarius 229S (H pipe)
Pic: Yamaha 9830 Custom
Bach Megatone 1-1/4C
Jazz:
Bb: Conn Vintage One (1BR)
Flugel: Kanstul 1525 (Signature)
Bach Megatone 1-1/4C
Warbuton FL 1

dizforprez

It is hard to help with something like this since we here are unable to see what your placement looks like. Obviously things don’t have to be 100 %centered or exactly even up or down wise either, but if you are playing ‘in the red’ then I think you should think about a change.

who is your teacher by the way?

Manny Laureano

In my experience I have never heard of embouchure placement as a "cure" for articulation concerns.

Here are my 2 cents:

Articulation is part of the human condition. That is, we don't do anything different when we articulate than when we speak. Therefore, assuming you have normal, standard speech patterns, you can articulate as well as anyone.

Say the folllowing:

"Time to talk turkey to turtles in tan tutus".

Easy, right? That's because it's just speaking which you do hundreds of times a day. The good news is that tonguing , as applied to brass playing, comes from the same motions. Where the tongue strikes for talking is precisely the same place as when you speak. The difference is that you're exhaling with more energy and a sense of wind than when you just speak. Same process, different application.

Try this, now:

Pretend you're blowing out a match that's only about a foot in front of your face in a nice, relaxed way, not a hurricane force wind. After you've done that, say the WORD tutu (as above) as you blow out the match. It should sound almost like a whisper because you shouldn't activate the vocal cords.

Next step: say "tutututututututu..." as you blow out the match. You should have accomplished a relaxed, consistent articulation.

Bottom line: inconsistent articulation comes from an inconsistent approach. Using speech as your guide, articulate in a consistent manner and you'll be as clear as anyone else.

Good luck,

ML

Anonymous

Listen to Mr. Laureano... That is one of the best pieces of trumpet advice I have ever read on an internet forum. And it was FREE! That was great to read. Thanks Alot!