Brass health

[SophumperMMX]

Hey DCP members,

This is my first forum ever so I thought I would ask the members a question that I've wanted answered for quite some time: "How do brass players (especially lead trumpet and mello) keep their chops from havoc during the season. I know the usual thing people say is march better and use less pressure, but I am intrigued to know what you all do.

I marched a year of drum corps (Carolina Crown) and I found myself with scars on my chops after playing lead. It was very frustrating to see my lip stuck to my mouthpiece after ensemble every night.

Thanks for any info y'all can share,

SC

[Dave]

Geez...how much pressure are you using? That sounds like an extreme case. In general, backing off and letting your air do the work is a good rule whether you're marching or sitting still, it just takes a bit more working to make such relaxation an automatic thing on the move, especially in the high-intensity setting of drum corps. Other wise things: get yourself a can of DCT or something like that to keep your lips from getting sunburned, and if they get a split, put a little vitamin E on them; you can get a jar of gel capsules at any health food store. DON'T put it on before going outside, or you'll burn the hell out of your lips. Drink lots of water (this goes year-round) and just take care of yourself.

[SophumperMMX]

Thanks for your reply Dave

I went through about 2 tubs of DCT through the season. That stuff does wonders... Also, a friend mentioned the vitamin E trick for an overnight remedy.

Presure has been the bane of my career for a while and I have been needing to fix work on that.....

SC

[Bbwhat?]

I've been marching and playing for 45+ years. I play lead trumpet, but also first soprano with a small drum corps. Sometimes, I'm the only lead that shows up and I have no problems.

Many times people will swear that you need lots of air and the truth is; you don't. It is more important how you use your air. Playing in the upper register is unique and someone that cannot play for hours in that manner truly has no idea what it takes.

You are playing lead now, so obviously, you have some talent in this area already, but maybe need some ideas for improvement in how you do it. Maybe some of my ideas will help.

You need to experiment to see what works for you. There are many methods to try and some personal variation will work for you, but it is not instantaneous or easy. There is no magic bullet; "do this, and you'll be hitting double C's all night."

Lastly, but just as important is equipment. It must be a good fit to how you play to get the best results. Many people assume that the horn/mouthpiece plays only a small part in the ability to play lead. In my opinion, they are dead wrong.

You need to find the SMALLEST mouthpiece you can comfortably play on. Notice I did NOT say the shallowest. Many people work too hard trying to use a mouthpiece that is just too large for them. A shallow mouthpiece might help your range and endurance, but usually makes everything else harder, so it is not a "cheater" solution. One way or another the hard work is always there...no free ride.

The fact that you end up using a lot of pressure indicates that you need to strengthen your chops and find appropriate equipment. There are all sorts of methods to strengthen the muscles of the mouth. Try that right away and do it a lot.

Next experiment with tongue arching, and with minor changes to your embouchure to see if one of the methods you see on the internet may work for you. Speeding up the air stream with a tongue arch does work, but there is so much more you can do with a little research on your part to see what has worked for others and just try it. Most lead players are only too happy to help.

There's another method which seems to work miracles for some, but it escapes me, and it's called Tongue Controlled Embouchure or TCE.

Many people that use a lot of pressure when they play are working against forces that keep their lips buzzing. You may be someone that needs a certain amount of resistance, more than some, to keep your lips buzzing. I don't recommend a small bore horn, but I do recommend a medium to large bore horn with a tight backbore on your mouthpiece, along with the smaller rim diameter and a comfortable depth cup. (I like the Curry 600 series for lead work).

I would also avoid mouthpiece rims that have a sharp bite or high crown such as a Bach. Marching and playing lead on a Bach, even with a wide rim, is almost like playing a meat slicer. Although for classical playing in a concert setting Bach mouthpieces are fine and produce a wonderful tone and easy articulation.

These are just some of my ideas to give you a direction. For you, and maybe some others, you may find just what you need in what I've said. For some, that agree with none of it, it will be total bs and I'm sure they'll say so. But listen to all ideas, that seem reasonable and improvement may not be immediate, but if something works for you, you almost certainly will sense it right away and that's the way you want to go.

The longer you play at a time, you will inevitably end up using pressure to compensate for tired chops. Even after you have success learning how to play lead without much pressure. If it's a paying gig, you may have no choice, but if it's not, then stop before you hurt yourself. Take a break and use some ice, if it's available, to reduce swelling - for just a little while, though.

Hope this helps and good luck to you.

Edited July 9, 2011 by Bbwhat?

[SophumperMMX]

There's another method which seems to work miracles for some, but it escapes me, and it's called Tongue Controlled Embouchure or TCE.

I think I somewhat know of the method you mentioned: Jerome Callet "Superchops" method? I tried it and it's very strange but I can see how it would work. I know people who can paste a Dub C over a 250 piece marching band with it...

Edited July 10, 2011 by SophumperMMX

[Cadets98]

What exactly were the scars from? Was it from fever blisters or cold sores? Because I can give you a lot of feedback on that. If it is just simply using too much pressure, well....I think you have already gotten some good feedback on that...I honestly have never heard of someone scarring themselves only due to pressure. I used to get fever blisters all the time when I marched and eventually found some solutions. I'm willing to share them if that's the real problem.

[GeneralTsoChicken]

Far be it from me to diagnose problems over DCP.

However, I think you can really benefit from some serious buzzing that doesn't involve pressure.

You and the James Thompson buzzing book should meet, become friends, lovers, and spend each day together.

Until your embouchure supports itself without that pressure, you will have a blowout come down the line. Take it from someone who has been there, it isn't fun, and will come out of nowhere.

[MattWtrs]

My two cents:

Balance your playing. Oftentimes, playing in corps is always about louder and higher, and thats cool- its what we do. The problem with this is that when you consistently do that for 3 months without sitting down and playing at an easy "concert" pianissimo or low in the staff, you can lose a lot of flexibility and delude yourself into thinking that drum corps playing is normal.

I would simply suggest taking 5-10 minutes during dinner break or 4th meal and do some low, easy long tones and lip slurs, making sure to focus on EASE of playing.

[SonataForumusic.com]

You all have nice suggestions, quite valid. As a professional with a bachelor's degree in trumpet performance from Peabody Conservatory of Music, where I studied with Wayne Cameron, "the teacher's teacher", I have the following to suggest.

When playing any brass instrument, you should learn what's called Cameron's Law, named after Wayne Cameron who discovered these fundamentals of playing, developed, coined and taught them:

Before you put the mouthpiece on your lips...

1. Set your embouchure firm
2. Pucker towards the Center
3. Flat Chin

Then make sure you...

1. Breathe from the Bottom
2. Blow from the Bottom
3. Arch your tongue' date=' say "eee"[*']Think Forward

Those are the fundamentals of all brass playing. It often takes years even for highly talented trumpet players to understand the subtleties and correct applications of these points and to know how it feels when they are all working together so that they create the feeling of "effortlessness" throughout all registers of the instrument. Note how I said that. The main idea is that you are working mentally and physically, yet with such efficiency that you can work under an umbrella of relaxation. Your facial muscles and tongue are working while the rest of your body is relaxed so you can breathe without hindrance. Learn these lessons from an athletic runner: when they are nervous (ie. stage fright), they shake out their arms and legs to get themselves ready to go; when they run, they stay as relaxed as they can so that they can take deep breaths. You can't tighten all the muscles in your body and then expect to move or breathe with ease. Similarly, don't tighten your stomach muscles when you play or else you won't breathe well.

Normal playing means working on endurance. Normal playing involves playing music at regular indoor dynamics and mostly within the tessatura of the instrument. For normal playing, you should not exercise with doing sit-ups or other stomach-muscle-developing workouts, because you need your stomach muscles to be as relaxed as possible to allow yourself the greatest flexibility and endurance.

Playing the lead part in jazz groups and playing in marching band high and loud is by no means considered "normal playing" on the trumpet. In these cases, you need more power than flexibility. (In weight-lifting terms, you would be a heavyweight lifter rather than a thin long-distance runner.) You should do sit-ups and develop your stomach muscles, but know that while playing, you should still be as relaxed as you can below your face.

There are many tips and tricks that can help you with playing better which would be covered in a trumpet lesson at a music conservatory. Perhaps later I'll list a few of these for you. But implementing the fundamentals will be a revelation in itself for you.

EDIT: Alright, MattWtrs inspired me to go on. Just like a runner, you always need to pace yourself. Notice what you're doing. Notice how and how frequently you are playing. You need at least 24 hours of no playing in order for your muscles and mind to recover from a tiring playing session, whether it is a 3-hour rehearsal or a Jazz concert. If you are playing every day, then it is absolutely imperative that you maintain a healthy lifestyle, drink plenty of water, eat lots of nutrient-rich food and rest when you are mentally or physically tired. (And if those ninnies cracking a whip at your back don't like it, they can play lead trumpet every day themselves and THEN we'll see who's laughing.) So pace yourself, because this applies to every trumpet player. If you've had a long night playing high and/or loud, then the following day you should most likely not play at all. But if you must, then stretch your face muscles and consciously relax them at least 10 minutes before opening your trumpet case, then warm up carefully.

EDIT 2: I'll be quick, here. The most common mistake you will make when playing the trumpet is that you will start "squeezing" instead of blowing. If you find yourself getting choked-up or that you suddenly have back-pressure (ie, it feels like you're blowing against a wall... or mentally, banging your head against it), then you are doing two things wrong: you have started "squeezing" from your stomach and throat rather than blowing, and your tongue arch has collapsed inside your mouth. For a quick fix until you can get your bearings, take a deep relaxed breath that expands your stomach, say "eee" or "sss" in your mouth, and THINK FORWARD, which means focusing your pucker, air stream and mind directly forward.

EDIT 3: I play on a Bach 10 1/2 E mouthpiece for all trumpet gigs including either Piccolo or Bb/C/D/Eb trumpets. Cornet needs a conical mouthpiece like french horn if you want a warm cornet tone. Same goes with flugelhorn, I guess. Those two instruments are conical shaped anyway, but the trumpet is cylindrical. If you want a softer rim, try a Stork mouthpiece. However, I only recommend getting a mouthpiece with a shallow / small cup. It's actually the bottom of the mouthpiece cup that is important, because that's the part of the cup that your air stream is hitting when it passes your lips, especially when playing in the upper register. If you want to see this for yourself, you can hold your palm up to your face and blow gently on it, and then the second time blow on it using an "eee" or "sss" tongue arch. You will notice the air stream aiming down, and the same thing happens when you play the trumpet.

Edited July 17, 2011 by SonataForumusic.com

[FHdork]

Outstanding post and advice. This is the best advice I have EVER read on DCP...it applies to all brass...not just trumpet.

Well done, Sonataforumusic.com