trmpt_plyr

Does playing with different embouchures cause embouchure damage, or prevent you from playing on the trumpet at all? One of my embouchures is the prefered one: in the middl. My other one is with an overbite and on the bottom right side of my mouth. I've been playing both ways for some time now, and nothing seems wrong. It feels kind of funny when I switch too suddenly, though. And some time = nearly a month.

__________________
Hooray for Trumpet Players Everywhere!

4wdtrumpet

Dave Douglas plays with a solid embrochure and an effected embrouchure (out the side of his mouth) but they don't overlap... do they have different sounds? What's the purpose of each?

__________________
- BG

Markie

Does playing with different embouchures cause embouchure damage, or prevent you from playing on the trumpet at all?
---------------------
No, or at least, not for me.
For a long time I played (and still to a certain extent) with two different embrochures. I have an embrochure for the normal range and when I play in the stratophere I'd use another embrochure (rolled in). Here's the downside to playing like this. If I wish to go from very high in the register down to the normal range, I have to stop somewhere, (usually around B above the staff) and adjust my lips. This means I have to cause a break in the flow of my playing. I use both embrochures well but after talking to rowuk, I'm working on using just one embrochure and it is working. I can go from really high in the register to normal and not have to stop and readjust.
I do resort to the other embrochure (rolled in) when fatigue sets in but, that's just part of the learning process.
I don't know how true it is but I've heard Arturo Sandoval uses two different embrochures, one for the stratospheric notes and one for the normal register.

hichez

Well just choose your perfered one I can tell you that it doesn't do damage if you keep the same embrochue

__________________

erd402

I do the same thing. I've always played to the side of my mouth but I've gradually been moving towards the center, but I still play to the side during jazz band. I don't really do it on purpose it just kind of goes there once we start playing. I think it gives it just a little bit more of a jazzy sound.

trumpetnick

My opinion:

Using two different embouchures won't hurt you physically, but may prevent you from achieving certain level of consistency, unless we are speaking about extreme high register specific "stuff" like those taught by NickD as low gear-high gear.

__________________
Spada Bach B flat 72, leadpipe 2L/DWMM1.5C
Spada Bach C 256, leadpipe 2LQ/DWMM1.5C
1956 Olds Ambassador Cornet
Spada Custom Piccolo

If you don't know where you are going, you 'll end up someplace else

Pedal C

I would say it would cause more confusion than damage. I've seen a few people maintain something like the High Gear/Low Gear thing, but I've never seen anyone intentionally move it side to side. If both play the same, pick one and go with it. If one is better than the other, use that one and forget the other. You'll never progress if you're always messing with the chops. Do the same thing for a few months, a couple hours a day, and see what happens. It'll be better than going both ways all the time.

__________________
"The oboe's A is to make sure we still play it 1 and 2" - Bud Herseth

"One way or another, every patient stops bleeding." - Scrubs

rowuk

additional techniques just increase the amount of practice time necessary. Various embouchures increase time DRAMATICALLY.

Most players don't have enough time anyway (>4 hours/day), so why cripple the effort with the little time that we do spend?

As far as I am concerned, NickDs high gear low gear is reserved for the extremely dedicated and advanced player that woulf not ask this question in an open forum in the first place.

My take is to just get an adequate daily routine and let you embouchure naturally develop instead of messing your chops up by sliding things around.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Sofus

Although you don´t say this, some readers take
it for granted that you use one embouchure for
low-medium high notes and the other for the
highest notes.

If this assumption is correct, then it still must be
the most practical not to change embouchure.
Being able to use your entire range from high to
low must be an advantage, and many trumpeters
can do exactly that.

If the assumption is not correct, what can possibly
be the reason for having two embouchures?
You don´t say anything about how you discovered
that you can play in these two ways, and maybe
you could even find a third and fourth way to play,
but what would be the point?
Doesn´t "Keep It Simple, Soldier" sound wiser?

__________________
" There are no secrets to trumpetplaying - except Practice Your Head Off - and that´s no secret! "

Bud Herseth 1977 in Hamar, Norway


********************

Mouthpiece and Solidarity

frankmike

I can only pull one and a half hours during week days and 4 to 6 on week ends, but not every. How can I substitute lack of practice. I do spend a lot of time in the car so when in the car I listen to some Jazz and buzz my lips, but thats not enough