will92 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I used to play trumpet in my corps, and used to REALLY tilt my head back. I now play baritone, and it has got better but my head still isnt streight. I no it sounds spazzy, but i wondered if anyone could help me out??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Is it possible you have an overbite? Have one too and noticed a few years ago I tilt my head back a bit too. Just works better that way for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow_7 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Overbite. And yes, it's more prevalent on upper brass than lower brass. I have/had one and when I put trumpet or trombone on the card in sixth grade, the director put me on trombone because of my teeth. You can push your bottom jaw forward when you play to partially compensate, but it can be awkward playing like that. It also depends on the shape of your head. Which can be really awkward if you wear a shako. You can bend the plume forward to make it stay upright. It gets better with age as the pressure of playing adjusts the position of the teeth over time. I wore braces half as long as my brother did. And I had more of an overbite. When I was in HS, playing upper brass had me looking down my nose to see the drum major. Now I can almost wear a shako and play trumpet and not look too much like a band nerd. Although Euphonium / Trombone are still my main, even if the instruments haven't seen the light of day for a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will92 Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Ive tried pushing my teeth forward but the tone isnt the same. Someone also said relaxing my shoulders more, would this work?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazymello Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Relax your shoulders, and put your teeth even. Will it feel weird? Yes, but get used to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DcFr3aK Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 What I have done with past students to give them that actual sensation of keeping their teeth aligned top to bottom is to look at the creese on your index finger at the first joint. Have them bite, or just place their teeth on that creese and that is the proper distance their teeth should be while playing, and it helps them with the over bite issue. To be honest, it's really not the big of an issue as long as it's not keeping you from blowing freely through your instrument. I had a friend back in high school who had a severe over bite. He took his mouthpiece to a music store and they bent the cup and the shaft so that when he played, the horn was level and he didn't have to lean back. The only problem with that is that it changes the flow of air and vibration flowing through the mouthpiece into the horn. Hope this helps! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to pm me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow_7 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 The other half is being a downstream player. If you can switch to upstream, that'll level out your head. But that's a pretty big adjustment to make. And doesn't work on the lower horns too well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hboyce Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 If your horn is pointing in the right direction your head doesn't matter. My embouchure is set pointing down and to the left. It was never an issue for me or my instructors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBbabe Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Overbite. And yes, it's more prevalent on upper brass than lower brass. I have/had one and when I put trumpet or trombone on the card in sixth grade, the director put me on trombone because of my teeth. You can push your bottom jaw forward when you play to partially compensate, but it can be awkward playing like that. It also depends on the shape of your head. Which can be really awkward if you wear a shako. You can bend the plume forward to make it stay upright. It gets better with age as the pressure of playing adjusts the position of the teeth over time. I wore braces half as long as my brother did. And I had more of an overbite. When I was in HS, playing upper brass had me looking down my nose to see the drum major. Now I can almost wear a shako and play trumpet and not look too much like a band nerd. Although Euphonium / Trombone are still my main, even if the instruments haven't seen the light of day for a few years. I just posted that same theory to another forum (TH) asking if my range suffers because of my overbite. I did not get a response, but I can tell from the posters here that it is definitely part of my (pressure) range issue. I am experimenting with my alignment of the lower jaw to relieve some of the pressure I use while playing. And of course, I am always get the comments of the head tilt while wearing a shako. I did play the baritone for a while and did not have any problems, but since I play the mellophone now, I have to deal with that problem. I am sure that conquer it with time and patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penn State Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 This is what Dr Bundy (director of athletic bands and associate director of bands at Penn State) teaches Blue Band brass players. The horn and mouthpiece should be aligned properly with the embouchure. Since the natural playing position is in a downward direction the head should be tilted back till the bell of the instrument is parallel to the ground. The head tilt is minimal in the average person. Headware such as caps and shakos can be tilted slightly forward to have the headdress properly aligned with the rest of the uniform. It shouldn't take long to adjust and be able to go directly to the 'field playing position'. hope this insight is as helpful as it is informative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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