MarkMin

I'm sure this is a common problem, and I have read through a number of posts about similar things. I'm a 'comeback' player, been back at it for about 16 months after a near 30 year break. Always had reasonable (nothing spectacular) range: could get to about Eb above high C. Even when I first picked up a trumpet again, I could reasonably easily hang around above the staff.

Now I admit, I don't practice as much as I should to be a proper player, but I try to put in at least an hour a day, probably two on weekends. I've had a teacher, but I work a high pressure job and I can't always get to him.

Problem is twofold:
(1) I've developed a kind of double-buzz across my lips: it feels like a wave or ripple running across my lips, esp. the right side of my top lip. Sometimes it produces a series of overtones (a bit like Ron Miles on the Monette video -- but not in control!), but mostly it's not discernible to the listener. Extremely distracting to me however. Makes no difference which mouthpiece I use; makes no difference how I move the mouthpiece around or adjust embouchure. It's almost like I have an extra flap of skin across my lips. It's not always there, but just comes on ... never experienced anything like it.

(2) I used to have a fairly big, full tone with reasonable endurance, dynamics (loud to soft), and, as I said, reasonable range. Now it's gone not so much airy as choked; I'm having difficulty getting above G above the staff, have little dynamic control, and basically feel like I've got no breath. I can't believe I have suddenly lost fitness; some bad habit(s) must have crept in somewhere, or I've just lost it.

Anyone got any thoughts on either of these to tide me over while I wait to find time to get back to my teacher?

BTW: Olds Recording. Monette B2 mouthpiece. Doesn't seem to make any difference when I switch to another trumpet/mouthpiece combo.

Always start with long soft tones. Some early Arban, Clarke.

Could be, I suppose, that I'm just a bad trumpeter now, but it's weird that I have gone backwards all of a sudden.

Best

MarkMin

To clarify: I think the two problems are unrelated ... I've had the lip ripple for a long time before starting to feel choked.

best

MarkMin

More clarification: by overtones I mean that I will get a faint multiphonic note ... say an octave or fifth above the true note. It's like doing Mongolian throat singing ... might be a good skill to have if I could control it, but I can't. As I say, it's not there all the time, and has only started in the last few months. Why now?

rowuk

It just sounds like your practice habits are not doing the job. Do a search on "circle of breath". That has normally helped many other players with signs like yours.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Vulgano Brother

The ripple bothers me the most, because it isn't a normal kind of trumpet thing. Go to your doctor, have your blood pressure checked, make some life-style checks (abnormal drinking levels, etc.)--when we are tuned-in to some muscle groups (like playing trumpet) they can give us signs that show up in normal folk only after some real serious damage has been done. As much as I like and admire this forum and the help offered, you will do yourself (and us) a favor by checking out the possibility of some serious stuff wrong with your body! If you get a clean bill of health we can all look forward to many years of your participation at TM!

The other part, multiphonics, et al is something I feel more confident with. As Rowuk pointed out, relaxed breathing can be a huge help, as well as a more relaxed embouchure approach. It may be that you are over-compensating by using more "north-south" pressing of the lips together. You might want to relax a bit more,applying tension at the corners; pulling them towards your eye-teeth and letting your air do more of the work.

Keep plugging away, and keep us posted.

Have fun, too!

__________________
www.letsbuildhope.org

MarkMin

Thank you both for your replies. I *will* investigate the health issue -- in fact, I wondered if I might have microscopically put my jaw or neck out.

And I am feeling as though my embouchure may have tightened up -- I get some soreness around the edges of my mouth after playing for some time, which hardly ever used to happen.

I will get back to you.

Best

MarkMin

Just to follow up:
I found out I was allergic to some medicine I've been taking for my eyes: amongst other things, this made my eyes very sore and irritated; one of the side effects listed is "swelling of the lips". I wasn't conscious that my lips were swollen, but once i stopped using the medicine, I started to lose the ripple problem ... AND I started to regain my tone and range. Small things ...

Sofus

I think this is some very interresting and important info!
Giving advice is always hard, and true knowledge about
why things happen is not always every mans possesion.
This, however, gives an example of why double buzzing
can happen!

I had a double buzz about 6 months ago,
and I just couldn´t find any reason for it,
nor could I do much about it.
It went away by itself after some time . . .

__________________
" There are no secrets to trumpetplaying - except Practice Your Head Off - and that´s no secret! "

Bud Herseth 1977 in Hamar, Norway


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Mouthpiece and Solidarity

Vulgano Brother

Did you check to see if it was caused by mixing beer with Schnapps?

__________________
www.letsbuildhope.org

Sofus

Actually, Yes!
That is, I had a lot of that to see
if things got worse, but they didn´t . . .

__________________
" There are no secrets to trumpetplaying - except Practice Your Head Off - and that´s no secret! "

Bud Herseth 1977 in Hamar, Norway


********************

Mouthpiece and Solidarity