Spread Chops
ByRaBiNk
my chops are really spread from marching band... i play lead so i have a lot of
ruthless pounding in the middle register... it is very difficult for me to get
a focused sound now and my tone is only getting worse day to day... i was
wondering what i can do to alleviate this problem... any exercises or tips that
i can work on to getting my apeture small and focused and not blown apart... i
have also noticed because my chops are so spread that i have a lot of sloppy
attacks...
any help would be much appreciated... thanks!
Dan Cloutier
One word: Schlossberg.
----------------------
The crow is a hardy creature, fire-proof in every feature.
Beware, beware the crow! --Ted hughes
SKEW999
a) lip buzzing-do a little of this before you play
b) the caruso 6-magic notes study...you can see the exericise on this
page...the one that helped me is called "six notes," it is the first one.
http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/artist/friedrich/seminar/caruso.html
c) cimera exercises..for this, u basically start on low c and play up to middle
c...the play from low d to 4th line d...then from low e to 4th space e...then
from low f to 5th line 5...etc. as high as you can go. Use the "c" key
signature for all of this. The trick is that the mouthpiece must be on your
lips the whole time, u nose breathe, and you play these at a pppppppp
volume...as soft as you can, so the notes just barely speak.
later,
joe
the bach loyalist
www.thebachloyalist.freeservers.com
TrmpTrim
build slowly. This is hard since you strengthen fast and wanna blow high.
Resist the temptation and yes I totally agree....Schlosshburg...:)
Jon Trimble
Wayne Trager
> Jon Trimble
I hear a lot of good information here, but also some misinformation.
The scales Skew999 talks about really aren't "Cimera" scales, and
they shouldn't be played as a longsetting exercise.
Jon - is pretty much on target. Skew999's suggestions will close the
setting, and Schlossberg, or Colin flexibilities played at mediun
volume levels with little amounts of pressure, and resting as much as
you play, will definately re- focus your chops, increase range and
endurance.
You might find some useful information on this page, "How Does IT
Work?"
Check out the entire site when you're there. I have made many
changes.
Sncerely,
Wayne
http://communities.msn.com/TragerTrumpetTalk&naventryid=136
jazz...@hotmail.com
week. It'll fix ya right up.
It also helps to get out of marching band as quickly as possible, but
that's fodder for another thread. ;)
HTH
-- jeff
--
--
Jeff Helgesen
http://www.shout.net/~jmh/
Bryan Fields
>
> It also helps to get out of marching band as quickly as possible, but
> that's fodder for another thread. ;)
>
>
Donovan Bankhead
My tip is from my website.
Using too much pressure is just part of a viscious circle. Generally, we
use too much pressure because other aspects of our playing are inadequate.
Usually those areas are proper breath support and embouchure development.
Bob Odneal once told me why we use pressure: Because it works, to a degree.
He went on to explain that the lips are like a Glazed donut (ala Homer
Simpson "Hmm...donuts") that is squished between two pieces of plate glass.
What happens to our beloved donut? The hole in the center becomes smaller
because the dough has been flattened. The donut gets flattened outward as
well as the hole getting smaller.
Our lips are the same way. They are flexible fleshy material being
"squished" between a brass mouthpiece and your teeth (two very hard
surfaces). The aperture (the hole between our lips that occurs when we blow
through our embouchure) becomes smaller as more pressure is added. The
problem with using this extra pressure is that it damages our lips and
causes cuts, swelling, bruises, and even in some cases loose teeth!
So, what is the answer you ask? We must learn to control the aperature via
the muscles surrounding the lips and face rather then controlling the
aperature via our biceps :) This is done by utilizing the corners of the
mouth to tighten and make the aperature smaller. I've found that "pinching"
the lips together doesn't work well as the sound tends to get smaller and
harder to control. The corners method allows the blood to flow through the
lips by letting us use less pressure. Notice how I said "let us use less
pressure". Properly using our corner muscles alone will not automatically
reduce mouthpiece pressure. We must add one more ingredient: Air flow.
Air flow has been argued to be the most important aspect of trumpet playing,
and I would agree. If you have a mediocre/bad embouchure, but great air
support, then you will be an okay player. If you have a terrific embouchure
and lousy air support, you will be a lousy player. The hard part is that it
is hard to have a terrific embouchure and lousy air support, the two tend to
go hand in hand :) My idea of our breath support system is that it is one
in which the lungs function only to draw in as much air as possible as
quickly as possible and to expel that same breath as quickly as possible.
So, when I breath I allow the lower stomach to expand, then when I play, I
suck it in like I'm trying to appear skinny :) This is has some links to
the Bobby Shew "wedge" breath, but without all of the extra tension. Not to
say that the wedge breath doesn't work, but for general playing, it isn't
neccessary (IMHO).
Once these things are properly in place, we are ready to reduce the
pressure. This is done just by making a conscious effort to reduce the
pressure on our chops. Often times it is now realized that when playing
with proper air support and aperature control we don't _need_ all of that
pressure. We only need enough to keep the air from escaping from around the
mouthpiece.
The exercises I use are exercises that I believe work for me. You may find
that they also work for you. Or, you may find that they definitely do not
work for you. Just read them, try them, and if they don't work, don't use
'em! :)
One of the exercises I do is one that helps to teach you how to play the
upper register with control. Those of you who always get the feeling that
you are "blowing your lips open" or that you can't get your aperture focused
may find this exercise to be very beneficial. Basically, it's an exercise
that I got from Bob Odneal. It is basically an expanding scale exercise that
you play very, very quietly, like a whisper. However, you must play it with
a clear, focused sound. The scales I use for this are from a version of the
"Bill Adam Routine". You can get them here. Also, I've made a soundfile of
me rushing through them. It's just to give you an idea of what they should
sound like. I should warn you, I recorded it after a _very_ long day of
playing and teaching, so the quality is not the best. It should be good
enough to give you an idea of how it's supposed to go. At the end I play
something at a forte level so that you can get an idea of the dynamics.
--
Donovan Bankhead
Don...@trumpetplayer.net
http://www.trumpetplayer.net/
Wayne Trager
>>> hey...
my chops are really spread from marching band... i play lead so i have
a lot of ruthless pounding in the middle register... it is very
difficult for me to get a focused sound now and my tone is only
getting worse day to day...<<<
I hear this quite often from my HS students. I'm not a marching band
fanatic, and I abhor some of things that these so called "drill
instructors" ask of the marching band participants for the overall
effect of the show. i.e. - marching backwards with your head twisted
to the left, and your horn pointed to the sky. Be that as it may, I
find it neccessary to remind my students that you can't blame
"marching band" for your ills as a trumpet player. As a freelance
player for some time, I've been asked to play in many different
venues. The only venue that I've seen actually destroy trumpet
players has been the circus. In other words, it's not the marching
band that has spread your chops. It's playing mindlessly, and not
playing with forsight. If you blast, and play "hard" so that you can
be heard on the field, then you will altimately suffer the
consequences. I know this sounds harsh to many of you, and I know
that I'm inviting flames, BUT whatever happened to "personal
responsibility"?
I know of 3 students this week that have personally injured their
lips. One case looks pretty bad, and the other 2 are still
questionable. When I asked them how and why, I usually get this
response:" But If I don't play out, the director won't hear the lead
part. The other players don't know their music, so somebody has to
play out strong to carry the section". Just remember this: Being a
martyr has its consequences.
Sincerely,
Wayne
http://communities.msn.com/TragerTrumpetTalk
Greg Evans
> The only venue that I've seen actually destroy trumpet
> players has been the circus.
I'm curious...what is it specifically about circus playing that makes it so
destructive?
jazz...@hotmail.com
> I'm curious...what is it specifically about circus playing that makes it so
> destructive?
That's easy. Too much clowning around.
Michael Manthey
of a vicious cycle. (2) Proper use of the air is the key - be it legit /
jazz / lead playing - (I hate the labels) - good trpt playing is good
trpt playing.
Read Bobby Shews web site, the clinic page, GREAT !!! Check out Bob
Findleys web site & get his book. It is GREAT !!! If you can get a
copy of the Don ''Jake'' Jacoby book, also GREAT !!!
It's not just taking air in, in a relaxed manner, but ... letting it
out & through the horn in a relaxed manner. And ... what you are
playing will determine the speed of ''&'' the volume of air needed, and
proper practice will help you balance the combination.
~iii<0
Wayne Trager
Good question! About 9 years ago I was asked to play a circus gig. I
was warned by my father to be very careful. He knew of several
players destroyed by the gig. I reasoned that it was a one shot deal
and that was it. Well, did I learn quickly. I was playing above the
staff without one moment to take the trumpet off. There were no rests,
and the playing was constant. You are usually a solo part with no
other trumpeters present. If you drop out, so does the part you play.
Once the circus performance is over, it starts all over again in ten
minutes, and usually this is done 3-4 times. It is the extreme test
of endurance. It's like "survivor" for trumpet players. I know of 4
trumpet players who are no longer playing trumpet because of the
circus. One of them ruptured a nerve in his face, and can no longer
play at all. I only know of 2 trumpet players that were successful
circus players, and did this for a living for several years. It takes
tremendous endurance - "steel chops". When I finished my first and
only circus job, I vowed to never do that again. I couldn't play for
3 days after. It was the toughest job I ever had, and don't recomend
it to anyone.
Sincerely,
Wayne
http://communities.msn.com/TragerTrumpetTalk
William Graham
<jazz...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9o87qm$g4m$1...@roundup.shout.net...
Mr. Wideman
Masters in performance working on a B.S. in Education to teach (a
semester of marching was required for the degree). He was second chair
out of 50 or so...the guy in 1st chair was Dave Smith (He played lead in
dominic Spera's band <same time Mark Van Cleave was playing lead in Dave
Baker's band if I recall> and ended up playing with Future Corps for
awhile).
He was strictly a legit player (fantastic, by the way) who hated
marching band but quietly confessed on the way home (we rode together
since we lived in the same appt building) his range, endurance and
projection had increased unexpectedly and that he owed it to the
workhourse playing required by marching! He said he would never admit
that to his teacher Bill Adam or any of his future band students :)
Pops
When we play loudly the lips vibrate with a big amplitude. Sometimes we
allow this to be bigger than it should be and the sound loses its
focus/center/driving force.
There are some simple exercises that will fix this in a week or 2.
Lip Buzz 15 minutes a day.
This allows the lips a chance to learn how to create their own corners
instead of just stopping the buzz where the mouthpiece touches the
sides. When I buzz a high c my buzz is less than half the width of my
mouthpiece diameter. When you play that note and allow the mouthpiece to
make your corners then you lose focus and need too much mouthpiece
pressure.
Put a pencil between your lips and push the lips together. The lips
should hold the pencil straight out for 3-4 minutes a day. The muscles
that really start burning are the ones you use to play high. This is
different for everyone. We are all built differently and the muscles
attach at slightly different angles. This also builds muscle and makes
you aware of the focused embouchure.
Work on soft playing. So soft that you almost can NOT hear it. That will
help you learn to control a small lip aperture for playing high with a
good solid center.
I like Clarke Technical Studies # 1. Just the part from low c to low f#
down and up over and over. You want to almost not be able to hear it but
still have each note speak.
Project the notes where they belong.
Low G rolls out of the bell,
Low C goes out 5 feet,
Second line G goes out 8 feet,
3rd space C goes out 12 feet,
G on top of the staff goes out 20 feet,
High C goes out 40 feet,
G above high C goes out 80 feet.
Relax the stomach muscles. Tension only hurts the sound. Tensing the
stomach muscles does NOT create a smaller body cavity or pressurize the
lungs.
Bringing the abs in toward the spine and contracting the muscles around
the girdle does create a smaller body cavity. That moves your guts
(intestines, liver ect) and since the pelvic bones won't let them go
down; they have to go up. That makes the part of your chest cavity
available for your lungs smaller. And that places the air in the lungs
under pressure.
Pull the stomach in farther for each higher note.
Lip set point.
Take line 1 of page 125 in the Arban. It is a C Major scale with every
other note jumping down to low G.
If you start on the Low G the middle c is hard for some players. If you
set (and play) a middle c first and then start the high notes are easy.
I make my students do a 2 octave C scale. They set and play a G on top
of the staff and withOUT resetting they start the exercise.
It is easy to compress the lips to play a half an octave higher than
your set point. It is easy to learn to relax and (drop the jaw) to get
to a full low g.
The G on top of the Staff should ALWAYS be you starting point. That way
you have a base from which to judge where every note is in relation to
your starting aperture/tension level.
Information about my trumpet & embouchure books.
http://www.BbTrumpet.com
Best wishes
Clint 'Pops' McLaughlin
Stuart Collidge
> This allows the lips a chance to learn how to create their own corners
> instead of just stopping the buzz where the mouthpiece touches the
> sides. When I buzz a high c my buzz is less than half the width of my
> mouthpiece diameter. When you play that note and allow the mouthpiece to
> make your corners then you lose focus and need too much mouthpiece
> pressure.
Pops,
I have been doing lip buzzing for a while, but still have not got the hang
of "creating corners". Am I missing something obvious?
Stuart
Soarlip
and then trying stuff out! What has worked pretty good for me has been to take
most of what has already been said, apply it, but also in terms of volume etc,
I like too think that I'm playing at about 85%.....If I see ff, I play f, f -
mf, and so on.... if your sound is focused with good air support, you should be
able to play without spreading. Takes a little concentration - Rick