Tammerman175

Hey everyone, hope you can help me with these;
Question one:
I've recently switched to the maggio system, well.... not all that recently. About a month ago, we'll say. I am having a problem hitting an A at the top of the staff with an "E" tongue arch. When I get up there I have to go high (high C-ish)with the "ich" arch and come back down to the A, still using the "ich". I don't know if this is because of question three or not...
Has anyone else had this problem?

Question two:
When I play, using the "amount of pressure required to seal my lips to the mouthpiece" (otherwise air pops out of the sides of my mouth, or embouchure), and have been playing for a couple minutes (this is after I warm up), my lips are turning purple. Not too purple, just enough to get noticed.
Should I start on the zero pressure thing? Or is there something else I am doing that I should stop?

Question three:
Before asking this question, I should tell you that the reason I switched to the maggio system. It was because I used to use too much mouthpiece pressure. I knew I was using pressure, but I continued to do it for a while anyways (really stupid of me ).
I started noticing a change in my lips. They were starting to swell, not while I played, but over the years (only been playing for five years) they were swelling.
Is this because of my playing the trumpet? Or is it just because of the pressure?

Thanks for your help in advance

-Alex

stchasking

Your profile says you are 15 years old. Is that correct?
I hope you have a teacher guiding you through this process.
An A above the staff shouldn't require much tongue level air speed. I will suggest the Maggio embouchure set but play softly to develop the corners and muscle memory.
The soft practice has been working for me.
Where do you live so we can find you a Maggio teacher?

__________________
"I was performing professionally at age 17 and have never had a real job." Allen Vizzutti

http://cdbaby.com/cd/mcking

Tammerman175

Ridge Meadows. It's in canada, like half an hour or so away from vancouver.
I'll try the soft practicing and see if that helps.
And I am fifteen.

stchasking

double post, sorry.

__________________
"I was performing professionally at age 17 and have never had a real job." Allen Vizzutti

http://cdbaby.com/cd/mcking

stchasking

If you are really serious contact Allan Vizzutti at the University of Washington. A drive to Seattle and an hour or more with him or one of his advanced students may be a real eye and ear opener.

I forgot to mention that I do long tones. I use the Walter White suggestion of playing more than one note to make it interesting. I play all the major scales a PPP as I can for one octave.
I'll start on middle C and play that scale until my corners are tired. Then I rest and play D flat one octave until my corners are tired. Continue to G. Then I go back to middle C and go down to low G flat. Some day I am going to expand to the minor keys and blues scales.
I eventually run two octaves up to E above high C. I can go up to G above high C but I can't repeat so I avoid the temptation and stop at E above high C.

CD Baby: WALTER WHITE: Walter White Long-tone Accompaniment

"Walter White's long-tone accompaniment CD is an indispensible tool in helping to attain the sweet spot on the trumpet. I have used it faithfully on the road for years as a more interesting way to get centred with my horn. When used intelligently, it reinforces the most basic concepts of playing trumpet; rhythmic breathing, consistent air flow, and resonant sound"-- Jens Lindemann--Canadian Brass/UCLA/www.trumpetsolo.com

__________________
"I was performing professionally at age 17 and have never had a real job." Allen Vizzutti

http://cdbaby.com/cd/mcking

Tammerman175

I think he's actually coming to vancouver to play with a band for the festival sometime.
Thanks for the help, I'll definitely look into that.

I actually just went there a month or so ago to see the great arturo sandoval in action at suncadia. Just seeing him play was an eye opener, that's how I heard of the maggio system.

RobertSlotte

Does Vizzutti use the Maggio system?

rowuk

Don't mind me for grinning.
I think DIY embouchure is about as useful as a screen hatch on a submarine.

I also think that "embouchure changes" are measured in minimum units of 6 months when properly supervised. DIY changes are measured in days to destruction.

I also think that trying to analyse over the internet what you are doing right or wrong will only succeed in messing things up more.

I think you are in the middle of a big mistake that will only get more confusing without "in-person" attention.

You will not have an "E" arch until you have an octave more range. You can't take a set of calipers and calibrate your mouth.

My advice is to forget DIY embouchure methods, get into a decent program of long tones, slurs, intelligent body use and most all of your "problems" will go away.

EMBOUCHURE CHANGES ARE THE EASIEST WAY TO REMOVE ALL OF THE FUN FROM TRUMPET PLAYING. THE CHANCES FOR SUCCESS ARE PRACTICALLY NON-EXISTANT FOR THE DIYSELFER OR CASUAL PLAYER. JUST SAY NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Tammerman175

wow. I did not expect that.
But the problem was that I was playing with nothing but pressure, that's why I made the switch. And that's why I'm going to keep trying with this.

Vulgano Brother

I'll chime in with Robin--If there is /was a system that really worked, we would all be using it. My best advice would to be to play the the notes you can as long tones, and gradually reduce the pressure until it starts to sound bad. At this point do whatever your chops need to do (except apply more pressure) to improve the sound.

Great training at no cost.

Have fun!

__________________
www.letsbuildhope.org