< Brass embouchure >

< Brass embouchure >

While performing on a brass instrument, the sound is produced by the player buzzing his or her lips into a mouthpiece. Pitches are changed in part through altering the amount of muscular contraction in the lip formation. The performer's use of the air, tightening of cheek and jaw muscles, as well as tongue manipulation can affect how the embouchure works.

The one essential thing in all brass playing is buzzing the mouthpiece--if you can't do it, you can't produce a sound. Most people have probably already done the thing it takes to produce a good buzz. The sound that kids produce as they imitate a tugboat's or motorcycle's sound is basically what a person needs to do if they want to be able to play a brass instrument. To produce this same type of sound, first, act like you are blowing out a candle. Don't puff out your cheeks as you blow, but keep them tight and use your throat muscles to push the air. That does not mean that you should tighten up your throat and thereby cut off the air. Keep your teeth apart and throat open so the air flow is not restricted. Then, as you continue to blow air, start to press your lips together but leave a small space in the very middle of your lips so the air can escape. Don't worry if all you hear is air at first, it takes a little bit of time to get this down. If that is the case though, press your lips a little closer together but still maintain the space in the center of your lips.

Once you have gotten a good buzz with your lips, it is time to place the mouthpiece on your lips. Hold the mouthpiece by its shank as close to the end as possible. This helps to prevent you from using pressure whenever you buzz. You should try to use as little pressure as possible when you play because damage to the lips can be done through the use of pressure. When you place the mouthpiece on your lips, try to place it as close to the center of your lips as possible with about 2/3 of your top lip and 1/3 of your bottom lip on the mouthpiece. Make sure that wherever you place the mouthpiece, that it feels comfortable to you. The way that you position the mouthpiece on your lips is called your embouchere. Your embouchere is as vital to your trumpet playing as buzzing is. A strong embouchere will help you out a whole lot in the future whenever you play for extended periods of time. I'll discuss later in further detail on how to strengthen your embouchere. Once you have established the placement of the mouthpiece, you are ready to buzz into the mouthpiece. Now, all you have to do is focus your buzzing techniques into the mouthpiece. Work on getting a buzz that has a clear tone and is not constricted. The main key to buzzing is to keep everything relaxed and not tense so the air can flow freely. The following sound clip demonstrates first a buzz with just the lips, and then on the mouthpiece.

Buzzing

Buzzing is a key element to brass instrument playing because it helps to improve a player's tone and overall performance. All it involves is playing the same note four times in a row as whole Try to hit a pitch that is easy for you to hit. As you hit that note consistently, it is time to start trying to hit others. To produce a higher note, focus your air more downward into the mouthpiece and blow more air. To hit a lower note, relax your embouchere and flip your lower lip into the mouthpiece and, again, blow more air.