MatthewVanitas

Just joined to ask one quick question that's been bothering me.

In "From Here to Eternity", Montgomery Clift (playing the part of a military bugler), plays a few licks on a detached bugle mouthpiece.

Is he just making noise with his mouth and using the mouthpiece as a prop, or is he actually playing the mouthpiece by itself? Is that just a gimmick, or can it be good practice or entertainment?

Here's the video footage:
YouTube - Montgomery Clift

stchasking

Mathew,

Many of us buzz the mouthpiece for warm up. As you search this site you will find that some buzz in the car on the way to work or on the way to gigs.

This is something that has to be done correctly in order for it to do some good.
I'll leave the description of buzzing to other people on this site.

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RG111

The story as I heard it is that Manny Klein was doing the mouthpiece playing. Since he was a Schlossberg student I find this believable.
Roy Griffin

MatthewVanitas

Good deal, I dug up some past threads about "buzzing". So, it's like practicing embrochure on just the mouthpiece?

In buzzing, are you changing the note by changing your embrochure, or are you "singing" into the mouthpiece like you would a kazoo?


Part of the reason this came up: I was working on an article about travel-size instruments for a forum. I can cover strings, woodwinds, and percussion fine, but was coming up totally short on brass.

I understand (after reading this forum) that pocket trumpets are pretty hit-or-miss until you get to the models that cost the same as a big trumpet. Not sure if a cornet is small enough to be "travel" size.

If you were a backpacker, and wanted to bring a brass-type instrument, would you bring along a mouthpiece to "buzz" along with a guitar player in the park, or some other brass instrument, or would you just give up and bring a pennywhistle instead?

Maybe a length of plastic or hose to use w/ mouthpiece as a natural trumpet, ala the Hosaphone?

veery715

Most pocket trumpets are pretty mediocre, but if you are playing along with a guitar at a campfire, who's gonna care? The mouthpiece alone really wouldn't do, unless the combo includes a jew's harp and a humanatone.

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siarr

Hi, Matthew,

I often take only my mouthpiece on trips, and I try to buzz each day to keep my chops in shape. Once I was in Los Angeles with my family. We were at the park of the La Brea Tar Pits, and we came across three old guys on a bench playing harmonicas. They even had a small battery-powered amp, and they were playing old songs from the 40s, etc. Always on the lookout for a playing opportunity, I asked them if I could "sit in" on mouthpiece. We played "Mack the Knife" and other oldies, and I got a really good workout! In fact, there are method books that feature special exercises for building flexibility and range by buzzing the mouthpiece. For example, James Thompson, former principal trumpet with Atlanya and Montreal symphonies, has a book called "The Buzzing Book," where you buzz the exercise along with a CD accompaniment.

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rowuk

Matt,
if you are only gone a day or 2, the mouthpiece alone can keep your chops in shape. If you are gone longer, a pocket trumpet does wonders.

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trumpheadly

I used to travel with a "silent mute". It was quiet but it sure felt like blowing through a sponge.

tom turner

Sure! This technique has worked for years and years . . . though it is mainly a novelty act.

To do it, hold the mouthpiece in either hand so the shank blows into your folded fingers. Add just enough resistance to the free-blowing airstream coming out of your mouthpiece to give it the real resistance of your trumpet and you can control it pretty well!

HERE IS A DEMONSTRATION OF THIS TECHNIQUE PERFORMED LIVE . . .

I performed this on a Dixieland gig years ago, outdoors, on the tune "China Boy." We were not using mics, and you will see that the mouthpiece solo is pretty danged loud. The band was not expecting it, but I love clowning around and making gigs fun for the crowd and musicians alike!

I think you'll enjoy it.

zSHARE - 01 track 1.wma

Enjoy!

Tom