DCB

Hey Manny,
1st thing I want to say is thanks for this forum and your willingness to answer our questions.

I have another Monette mouthpiece (B15LD) and was wondering how long it takes to get used to it? I have had many different size Monette's over the years but they never seem to work out for me. I was reading one of your post about the dreaded double buzz and that seems to be one of the big ones for me while playing a Monette. Is there some things I can do to make the switch a little easier?

A little info on me...I started playing in junior high school and never really took it seriously (I regret now). I stopped playing for a number of years and then started back. I have been, for the past 6 years or so, a small mouthpiece player. Most of my playing is done in out church band and we play some great, and hard, music. I play mainly lead (on parts where there are a lot of high notes, 2nd on the other music). The other trumpet player is a retired Navy band player and he is a great reader and general player... just not the chops for the upper stuff. If you need any more info let me know.

Thanks for your time and thoughts!

__________________
dcb <><
John 14:6
Kanstul/ Najoom French Besson
Holton Collegiate
Conn 80A
Amati flugelhorn

Manny Laureano

Dear DCB,

I would say that if you're experiencing the double buzzes that you need to play with a greater degree of abdominal looseness as you exhale (re-read the things I've already written) and notice to what degree you over-relax the embouchure. A stable mouthpiece requires a greater degree of consistency and stability from the player in order to get the maximum he shelled out good money for.

Good luck,

ML

DCB

The double buzz does not happen often but it does pop up.
I did a search and could not find any more info... can someone lead me in the right direction?
Thanks

__________________
dcb <><
John 14:6
Kanstul/ Najoom French Besson
Holton Collegiate
Conn 80A
Amati flugelhorn

Manny Laureano

dear DCB,

I found one that I hope is helpful. It was from a fellow who had a friend who was having problems:



"Kevin,

I will assume he's playing on a Monette mouthpiece.

Playing lower on the pitch is part of the mysterious acclimation process that takes some people longer than others to get the most out of those mouthpieces.

Player lower on the pitch requires two things:

1) a proper vowel

and

2) a proper concept of support.


The Vowel

The vowel is what carries the sound to the ear and will, relative to the instrument quality, render the color. If you play with a an "Ah", "Oo" (rhymes with "Boo!"), or an "Oh" vowel through the compass of your range, you will start the process of playing lower on the pitch. If you tend to switch to an "EE" aproach, you will change the stability of the embouchure and that's the last thing you want to do when you play Monette equipment. The horns and the mouthpieces are heavier and more stable and the player needs to become more like that.

My suggestion to your friend is to play easy, one octave chromatic scales while maintaining whichever lower vowel he can. If he does so in a stiff, inflexible way, he's going to get double-buzzes and become discouraged. Don't freeze the embouchure; just pretend to be a singer vocalizing on a solfege vowel all the way up and down the scale. Then, you go to the next half step higher and so on. Go to the first page of Arban chromatic studies.


Proper support

Proper support is motion not stiffness as too many people believe and some, unfortunately, teach.

The vowel has to work in conjunction with a nice steady airflow that is supported by a steady movement inward of the abdomen. It's like a slow-motion sneeze (a good, hearty sneeze not a stifled one).
Take a big, full breath and allow the belly and chest to expand naturally and fully. Now, release the breath and freeze your belly into that expanded position as you blow out. As you get to the end of the breath, you'll feel a lot of pressure around the throat and neck area.

Not good.

Now, repeat that procedure except that this time your going to tuck in your abdomen concurrent with the release. As you expel the breath, imagine trying to make your navel touch your spine! Now, the feeling around the neck comes much later.

So, that's it, Kevin. Tell him "lower vowel and proper support" and make sure he reads this text I prepared here. If all else fails, aim for the lower half of the mouthpiece cup but all the time!

Now, in case the Vowel Police are getting a rope ready, simmer down and let me clarify something:

Do I acknowledge that biomechanics demands that the EE vowel is used in trumpet playing? Well, of course I do.

Do way too many people inititiate this kind of activity too low in the range and in an artificial, contrived way? Indeed, they do.

Are we talking about helping a player who clearly is interested in orchestral playing as opposed to playing lead in a big band and are those two different approaches? Again, yes.

The EE vowel is a natural occurrance that accompanies one into the higher register. To initiate it in some arbitrary part of the register that someone else decided it should begin is to exaggerate that natural process. I say, keep the lower vowels in play until absolutely necessary. If you're using EE and you're not yet out of the staff you're going to be in trouble if you have to play the 2nd Brandenburg. I believe everyone has a different threshhold for what is needed to play in the upper register. "


ML