Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • December 2012
28
instrument. As teachers, we usually answer this by
using the trigger of telling the student to use more
air. Initially this can have great results. However, it
can also set a student up for future struggles. The
body tries to stay in balance. We use the amount of
air to balance against the amount of tension it takes to
play a certain note. If we increase the amount of air,
we overcome the tension and the note gets better. It’s
just a matter of time, however, before the tension gets
stronger. We then continue the cycle by continuing to
increase the air. Unfortunately, there is an inevitable
point where the student can no longer overcome the
tension and they just lock down. That is why we need
to teach our students to trigger the correct response
against the resistance.
I use blowing exercises to teach the body to not fight
itself when working against the resistance. Exercises
like blowing a dollar bill against the wall, blowing up
balloons, blowing out candles, or blowing pinwheels
or baby mobiles, work well to help the body feel the
correct response for releasing the air. The key to these
exercises is not how much force you can use, but how
easily you can use the air to get the job done.
I also use a straw and pinwheel attached to the
instrument while playing. The straw fits through the
embouchure into the oral cavity. It samples the air as
we are playing. The leaking air
disrupts the balance between the
air and embouchure. Usually,
we can barely play. It helps us
to learn to use more air without
extra tension. As a result of
playing with the straw, when
we remove the straw we have
extra air. We can also see how
the body is using the air. For
example, the pinwheel should
accelerate going into the upper
register. The pinwheel should keep spinning when we
articulate. The pinwheel gives both a visual and an
aural trigger to achieve the correct response as we play.
The other element of the equation is the resistance.
The embouchure should be the only thing creating
the resistance. The resistance increases as we ascend
into the upper register and decreases as we descend
into the lower register. The air has to be buoyant
against this changing resistance and needs to be able
to respond to the different registers of a piece of music.
This is why we often have problems with flexibility. I
am a big believer in free buzzing. Most teachers are
very opinionated as to the validity of free buzzing. Free
buzzing will strengthen the embouchure muscles. It is
NOT the same as playing the trumpet. And that is OK!
It is harder than playing the trumpet (lifting weights).
It will increase endurance. If you do too much at first,
it will make you stiff (lifting weights). You should start
with only a minute a day and gradually build up over
a period of months. We are basically small muscle
athletes. All of the same rules apply to the embouchure
muscles as you would apply to any workout routine.
There are two basic types of embouchures:
embouchures formed by the muscles (free buzz) and
embouchures formed by the mouthpiece (pressure).
When teaching beginners, the easiest way to start a
student is by having him/her say the letters “M&M”,
as in the candy. The student then says “M&M” with
a coffee stir straw between the lips. This helps set up
the correct aperture and embouchure. The student
then should hold the “M” and blow. As he/she does
this, I slide the mouthpiece through the straw to the
lips. Next, as the student continues to blow, I gently
pull the straw from the mouthpiece. Most students
are successful with just a little coaching. If you do
this approach concurrently with free buzzing, you
will maximize the student’s chances for success.
(See photos on the next page.)
Trumpet Fundamentals
Straw and pinwheel