TrumpetsAreFun

Hey Manny, I was thinking about buzzing in the mouthpiece... I buzz on the mouthpiece and it doesn't make any buzzing sounds but when i put my mouthpiece into my trumpet it makes sound. (Still blowing into the mouthpiece but not buzzing) You said the trumpet is an amplifier for the mouthpiece, but i can still make sounds on my trumpet when i dont "buzz" on my mouthpiece. Do you know why?

BPinard

Sorry for jumping in before Manny.

There is probably less resistance against your airstream when your mouthpiece isn't in your trumpet. When you put your mouthpiece into your trumpet, (and increase the resistance to your airstream) you're able to vibrate your lips.

Sorry if my post doesn't make much sense, it's late.

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[tpt: Yamaha Xeno Custom]
[mpc: Monette B6]

Manny Laureano

That's exactly right. Your horn provides resistance that helps create a buzz, ineffecient as it may be at this point. When you are able to create a buzz based on a pitch that's in your head it serves to make playing less of a meat-based "fishing expedition". Try buzzing a melody instead of a meaningless buzzing noise. Go for pitch!

ML

trumpet blower88

When we played at the BoA Concert Festival in Indianapolis 2 years ago, we had one of the speakers tell us to try this, and it amazed me.

So give this a try if you want to:

*Set your lips with out the mouth piece and just start to blow air, you'll find that it is very difficult to make you lips buzz. So then don't try as hard, just keep a stedy airstream don't focus on the buzz.

*Now, move your mouthpiece up to your lips and set it on your lips without stoping the air flow. You'll find that its much easier to make a buzz though the mouthpiece that it was just your lips. But you are still useing alot more effort to make a sound on the mouthpiece than through the horn, so back off a litle bit and just blow a steady airflow though the mouthpiece, not focusing on a buzz (remember that you should still have your lips set though)

*Finaly, move the horn up and put it on the mouthpiece without stoping the air. Even though you arn't trying to buzz a sound will come out, it will probably be one of the sweetest most relaxed sounds you've ever played.

I do this with some of my students. I teach mostly elementry school kids who are first learning, what happens to them is that they try to hard to actaully buzz on the mouthpiece and though the horn. This also makes them use a litle too much pressur as well, although thats a differant topic. You just have to remember that buzzing though the mouthpiece takes alot more effort/strength then playing though the horn, it all goes back to what BPinard and Manny said, its because theres more resistence in the horn that on just the mouthpiece of free buzzing.

Hope this helps!
-David

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-David Jacques

Manny Laureano

Since I'm one of those that subscribes to an inherent value in mouthpiece buzzing when it's done in a purposeful way, I'll just say one more thing.

Mouthpiece buzzing is a useful tool when the player can use it to learn to blow in a relaxed way. Correct buzzing should always have a specific pitch or set of pitches played in a musical context. I like to hear a nice full vibrato when I hear a buzzed mothpiece. Turn it into a prehistoric musical instrument.

I'm not, however, a big free-buzzing guy simply because the rim is not there to isolate the parts of the lips that buzz in a musical context on the trumpet. For me, free-buzzing is like whistling: if you're going to do it, do it because it's another way of making a musical noise like whistling a tune not because it's part of some magical cure for brass-playing ills.

So, relax and make a full, beautiful sounding buzz if you feel so inclined.

ML

TrumpetsAreFun

Thanks alot for that Manny, I'll go buzz Hot Crust Buns

JackD

So Manny, do use buzzing as a warm up to get yourself thinking about "singing" through the trumpet? Or do you think it has inherent other values too?

One of my old teachers encouraged me to start free buzzing, which I had never even tried before, and then he built up my embouchure from there - placing the mouthpiece on the buzz, and then the trumpet on the mouthpiece. So for him, it was like the foundation of the vibration side of playing.

I never do it anymore, though.

Interesting stuff.

Manny Laureano

Jack,

I like the buzzing as a way to play without the horn. I try to keep the sound as even as the sound of the trumpet. Occasionaly, I'll use the mouthpiece to help plug a few holes if the sound is going to air. It usually fixes that within moments.

The key is to have a very full sound that could pass for an instrument sound. It should sound like a cross between the human voice and a trumpet.

ML

JackD

Aha, gotcha.