Playing Da Trumpet

Many people do not realize the instrument of the trumpet is the most difficult to master. I know this first hand because I began playing trumpet in the sixth grade band. Playing the trumpet, or any brass instrument, requires that you have an embrochure. An embrochure, although it sounds like a fancy word, is just a term to describe a hermetic seal between your lips and the mouthpiece. It is essential in playing a brass instrument to have an air tight seal between the lips and the metal mouthpiece. This is a bit of an anomaly because in order to produces a sound on the trumpet you must blow air and buzz the lips. The muscles that result from an airtight placement of the mouthpiece on the lips are what become the embrochure. Endurance or stamina in playing a brass instrument, or rather the ability to play for extended periods of time, is a product of musculature. These muscles directly around the lips (or chops) are what must grow strong to be able to hold that airtight seal. An airtight seal will not be produced without an “active” embrochure. That means an individual must “form” an embrochure in some way. In the art of playing trumpet they are a multitude of embrochure approaches, and that is what makes playing the trumpet difficult. Depending upon the make up of your facial muscles, the jaw, the alignment of teeth, and the shape of the inner oral cavity and tongue, each approach will be different. It is best not to get caught up in the red tape of which to use by figuring it out quickly what your approach will be. Examples such as the “smile” (pulling the corners of the mouth upward in a smile), and pulling the chin downward are two common techniques. I use neither. The easiest way to come to your correct embrochure is to find the easiest way to create a fairly flat and uniform “shelf” upon which to place the mouthpiece. This could take a few tries in the mirror. Doing this will help isolate the various muscles in the “chops” and allow you to gain control over them. In this way playing the trumpet is akin to being very expressive in acting, because many of the facial muscles could and should be used. First try making silly faces in the mirror. Smile, frown, wiggle your ears, and raise your eyebrows. The better you get at moving these muscles in various directions and how quickly will determine how good of a trumpet player you will become. I did not learn this in college. My embrochure basically relates to the “pucker,” because I have an overbite. That means the angle of the mouthpiece is tilted downward slightly, because the bottom jaw and teeth are further in than the upper teeth. There is nothing wrong with this. Few people have perfectly aligned upper and lower teeth. Depending on the relationship of the top to bottom teeth, your angle will result. If you have a lower bite, then the mouthpiece will angle up somewhat. When I form my embrochure I am doing two things. I am pushing both the top and bottom lips out in a pucker and pulling the muscles on top of the mouth up and the muscles on the bottom of the mouth down. This creates a flat muscular plane upon which the lips sit. Pushing the lips out creates substance or a thick body for which the mouthpiece to rest. Over time the mouthpiece will find its place on these chops, and it is possible that slight creases will form to accommodate the edges of the mouthpiece. Most professional trumpet players (like Miles Davis) have permanent calluses formed on their lips. This is normal. What is not normal is the method taught while I was in high school, which was the Doc Severinsen method of “no pressure.” How will you ever create an airtight seal without some degree of pressure? This confused me to no end in trying to learn how to play the horn. Stamina is the underlying strength of these muscles. The more quickly you isolate the appropriate muscles, begin to use them, and develop strength in them is how quickly you will gain endurance, or the ability to play for extended periods of time.
Before ending this entry I will name the other muscles groups that are used in playing the trumpet. The entire weight of the horn should be held in the LEFT hand. If that means having the pinky ring on the leadpipe removed, then do it. ( I did this when I discovered all through college I left my pinky in this ring giving me a sloppy third valve) Never again! Hold the horn in the left hand and bring it up to the chops and hold it there with force. That means the muscles in your left hand should be strong. Don’t let the horn “rest” in the cradle of your left hand. Hold it firmly. You be the boss of the horn. If you are going to be pushing on it, it needs to be held firmly. A relative amount of pressure should be pushed into the chops or lips. You should be able to feel the mouthpiece well. Act like you are kissing your best beau. Get in contact with the mouthpiece. Caress it. Move the muscles in your face and lips. The idea that the embrochure is some stationary concrete block is absurd. It should be malleable, flexible, and strong. To achieve certain styles in playing you must manipulate the embrochure. No one ever told me this either. You can not execute a lip trill unless… Well I will take that back. There are some trumpet players that can do this by only moving the position of the tongue to create vowel sounds within the oral cavity. The stream of air is constant, but they vary the pitch by going from an open vowel sound to a closed one. “Ah” is open, because the tongue is low and flat in the mouth. “Ee” is closed because the tongue is high and flat. The way you control the “amount” of air going into the horn is by creating the vowel sounds with your tongue. The speed or velocity of the air should be constant. I can’t do this, but with the aid of the chops am getting closer to creating a good lip trill. To finger the valves the pinky should never be in the ring on the lead pipe. You have three fingers for three valves. The right elbow should be held approximately 45 degrees below the height of the valves like a good military salute. It should be able to move freely up and down as the valves are pushed. To use only the fingers to move the valves with the hand held stationary is also ludicrioius. The finger muscles are freed if they are allowed to extend all the way down to the elbow. The wrist on the other hand should be held firmly straight and level with the arm and hand. A limp wrist will not provide the muscular power needed to slam the valves down quickly enough to produce precise note beginnings. The lungs and the diaphragm are the remaining set of muscles that must be used. Like the facial embrochure the diaphragm itself has an embrocure. They are the muscles in your abdomen you would tense to take a punch in the belly. The muscles surrounding the diaphragm must be strong to pressurize the air moving through the lungs to the mouthpiece. It is crucial this air is plentiful requiring strong lungs and moving quickly and evenly produced by pressurization with the diaphragm. Strengthening these muscles is just like going to the gym to do ab work. There are a variety of opinions on how to use these muscles, and I will approach that next time. Peace out and enjoy working on the craft of playing the trumpet.