(Trumpet)(2009)

Hey guys!
Of late, I have been noticing that my tuning slide is gradually moving in closer and closer. Right now, it is only half as far out as it was a couple of months ago. Does this signify a more relaxed embouchure? In other words, is this a good thing?

rowuk

It can mean many different things - good and bad.
Pushing the tuning slide in can cause you not to support enough thus keeping the pitch down, or, if you have tackled some of the tension issues, it could mean that you are more relaxed.
Your tuning slide will never be a measure of how you are playing. Just put it where you are in tune and have the least amount of work.
Body use is a life long endeavor. Forget anything that you think that you have read about a relaxed embouchure - your body need to be relaxed - I know of no professional reference to a relaxed embouchure.
Nobody can remotely judge your playing so make sure you are getting lessons from ears that you can trust!

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Tootsall

How far was it out before? Now? Most trumpets are built so that a tuning slide adjustment of about 3/8" (+/-) is considered a "normal range" (there can be exceptions). When asking the type of question you asked it is generally quite helpful to provide detail... including your playing/skill level. What rowuk says is true; as you gain experience and learn to support your sound without tension you will find that the tuning slide tends to work it's way "in" to where you are most comfortable, where the tuning is most "on", and where you play and sound best. If the slide is too far in (ie, jammed up tight against the ends of the leadpipe), then something is wrong.

Eclipsehornplayer

Could also mean he's playing in colder and colder weather!

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Eclipse MHY Bb Trumpet with interchangable leadpipes
Bach 229 25A C Trumpet
Getzen Capri Bb Cornet
GR & Monette mouthpieces

gtromble

Rowuk is right that no one can know the right answer just hearing about this online. But I'll give you a similar story. For years I played with a lot of tension - very high on the pitch -- everyone I took a lesson from noticed this -- but it is how things worked for me. My tuning slide would usually be out 1/2 to 5/8 inch. In the past year my playing has changed dramatically for the better, and continues to improve, as I got rid of the tension problem. Now my tuning slide is out around 1/4 inch. FWIW.

GT

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Galen Tromble
Silver Spring, MD

B15M

I think the slide position can be affected by a lot of things but you haven't changed anything with the trumpet or mouthpiece so it has to be in you.

I used to play with the slide way out. One day at a lesson my teacher took my trumpet away from me and pushed the slide way in and said "Stop playing high on the pitch!"
I went home and worked for a long time on getting the slide in. I changed my embouchure and jaw position and tried breathing differently and tried relaxing. It did come in and sometimes goes back out and I don't know why. Before I leave for a lesson I make sure it's pulled in though.

I think for me the slide goes out when I'm tired and I choke off to compensate. Smaller place for the air to go through means faster air which means higher pitch. I try to tune the trumpet with a tuning fork before I play every day so I have a starting point.

Just a side note, why would they make the trumpet so you can pull the slide way out if your not supposed to do it?

(Trumpet)(2009)

Well, I would say before it was a bit more than 1/2 inch, and now, with a gradual change over a period of about 2 months, it is a bit more than 1/4 inch. This is my estimation, (I didn't actually get out a ruler and measure). I have been playing Trumpet for almost 2 years now, and before that I played Saxophone for a year and 1/2, then I played Trombone and Tuba for a good 6 or 7 months, then I started on Trumpet and I haven't looked back since.

I am in the Wind Ensemble at my High School and my range is high B. My range used to be comfortably to a high C, but that was before my embouchure change. About 2 months ago, with the help of my teacher, I began to correct my roll-in embouchure. My top lip rolled in excessively and I was also using to much pressure to compensate for this. Then I started free-buzzing and I simply applied that embouchure to my playing. My tone and consistancy have improved.My range, while my overall tone is better, is not quite what it was, but that is a temporary sacrifice I am willing to accept for the purpose of good tone.

(Trumpet)(2009)

That's an interesting question.....hmmm.

rowuk

The answers are quite simple
1) a long slide doesn't leak air or water easily
2) the long slide design is old and allows in many cases, tuning your trumpet to concert A instead of Bb
3) there are a lot of players with extreme tension issues and bad breath support
4) a long tuning slide is cheaper to build mechanically stable and reliable than a short one
5) There are a variety of standard tuning frequencies from A=435Hz to A= 446 Hz throughout the world.
6) intonation changes with air pressure and altitude.

To get back to the original post: generally, when you start getting lessons and your breath support starts developing, you pull the slide OUT. Once your breathing is at an advanced state and you start addressing body issues, you can sometimes push the slide IN. The position of your slide is not a measure of playing expertise!

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

B15M

I don't agree