Forming the embouchure
Before the embouchure is formed, and the instrument is played, be sure to hold your trombone properly. Make certain that your head is in natural alignment with your spine, and that your head in a natural position. The lead pipe of your instrument should be perpendicular to your mouth. If you play baritone or euphonium, and depending on your height, you may need a block that helps hold your instrument up in the right position.
Step 1: Set the Corners of the Mouth
Make the corners of your mouth firmed exactly like they are on an expressionless face (not smiling and not frowning). The corners should not be too firm or too lose. When playing, these corners should not move or become tense when moving between pitches.
Make the corners of your mouth firmed exactly like they are on an expressionless face (not smiling and not frowning). The corners should not be too firm or too lose. When playing, these corners should not move or become tense when moving between pitches.
Step 2: Setting the Mouthpiece
The mouthpiece should be centered on the lips with one half on the upper lip and one half on the lower lip.
The mouthpiece should be centered on the lips with one half on the upper lip and one half on the lower lip.
Step 3: Do Not Use Too Much Mouthpiece Pressure
Mouthpiece pressure against the lips is meant to focus the vibration of the lips into a tone. Too much pressure will result in reduced range and endurance. Your tone may also become strained and edgy.
Mouthpiece pressure against the lips is meant to focus the vibration of the lips into a tone. Too much pressure will result in reduced range and endurance. Your tone may also become strained and edgy.
Ideal ToneIf you follow the steps listed above, the result should be what you hear in the sound clip to the right.
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Embouchure trouble shooting
Are you having problems creating a good tone? If so, compare your tone to the tones that you hear in the sound clips below. These are the sounds of common embouchure problems and information on how to fix what is going wrong.
what it sounds like |
What is happening |
How to fix it |
Tight, Thin, Pinched Sound
The Cause of Your Problem:
When tonguing, the tongue is blocking the air stream. The embouchure is formed too tightly. |
To fix this, keep the openness in the mouth by lowering the tongue. Think about saying 'O.'
Focus attention on allowing air into instrument by loosening the tension in the lips. |
Fuzzy Sound
The Cause of Your Problem:
The aperture (the lip opening) is too large perhaps due to mouthpiece excessive pressure against the lips. |
To fix this, practice on the mouthpiece alone. Hold the mouthpiece lightly and avoid pressure. Work for an efficient buzz.
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Sharpness in the Upper Register
The Cause of Your Problem:
Too much tension in embouchure and/or breathing mechanism. |
To fix this, practice lower, than transfer that easy singing approach to the higher notes.
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Flat, Flabby Sound in Low Register
The Cause of Your Problem:
You are not using enough air and your embouchure is not formed with enough firmness. |
To fix this, practice higher notes and then transfer the feeling to the lower notes.
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Popping Lip Slurs
The Cause of Your Problem:
You are placing the pitches with the breath as opposed to singing with the lips. The glissing between notes is too slow. |
To fix this, avoid movement outside mouthpiece.
Avoid drastic air pressure changes between notes. Keep the air flowing smoothly. Practice on the mouthpiece alone. Move quickly between notes. |
Egging Notes
The Cause of Your Problem:
There is too much movement going on in the lips, jaw or throat at the beginning or end of a note. |
To fix this, play a long note and take a mental picture of the good tone in the middle of the note. Keep the embouchure in that position as you tongue.
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Difficulty with Upper Register
The Cause of Your Problem:
The mouthpiece is too low on your mouth. |
To fix this, move the mouthpiece up on your mouth.
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Difficulty with the Low Register
The Cause of Your Problem:
The mouthpiece is too high on your mouth. |
To fix this, move the mouthpiece down on your mouth.
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Other explanations of
embouchure formation
In the resource book "A Complete Guide to Brass" by Scott Whitener, the embouchure formation process is explained like this:
1. Bring the jaw forward so that the upper and lower teeth are more or less aligned. A small space should be between the teeth for the air stream to pass through. 2. Take a piece of paper and hold it about a foot and a half from the lips. Blow a stream of air at the paper while saying "tu" ("too"), causing the paper to fold back. Keep the "u" ("oo") going while continuing to blow, until the air runs out. This will give the right feeling of blowing the air forward while forming an embouchure. Pronouncing "tu" brings the lips into a slightly pursed formation that creates a cushion for the mouthpiece to rest on and helps the embouchure vibrate when air is blown. Be sure that the lips adhere to the sides of the teeth. |
3. Place the mouthpiece (no instrument yet) in the best position for the embouchure to vibrate freely in a controlled way. The mouthpiece rim should be centered horizontally on the embouchure. Some people, however, need to play off-center due to the way their teeth are formed inside their mouth. As for the vertical placement of the mouthpiece, for trombone and euphonium, students should start with slightly more upper lip on the mouthpiece than lower lip. The lower lip should serve as the "seat" of the mouthpiece on the embouchure and should have just enough pressure on it to create an air seal.
4. Inhale by opening the sides of the embouchure (the corners of the mouth). Blow the air out while pronouncing "tu." Keep the "u" going while blowing strong. A sound should happen. If sound does not happen, take a finger and close part of the end of the shank (the tube at the end of the mouthpiece). This should cause the lips to vibrate.
4. Inhale by opening the sides of the embouchure (the corners of the mouth). Blow the air out while pronouncing "tu." Keep the "u" going while blowing strong. A sound should happen. If sound does not happen, take a finger and close part of the end of the shank (the tube at the end of the mouthpiece). This should cause the lips to vibrate.
Brandon Jones
Air Force Band Member "The embouchure should be flexible, not tight. Say 'M' with the lips and 'Q' to bring the corners in. There should be enough tension to hold a coin. No smiling. The space between the teeth should be a thumbs-width. If a fuzzy tone is produced, the lips are too far apart. If a pinched tone is produced, the lips are too tight." "The mouthpiece placement for euphonium should be 70% upper lip, 30% lower lip. The upper lip has muscle, the lower lip has cartilage." -Information taken from a 2014 clinic |
This step-by-step process can be found in the resource book "Wind Talk for Brass" by Mark C. Ely and Amy E. Van Deuren. This is the abbreviated version:
1. Put your lips together lightly as if saying "um." 2. Bring the corners of the mouth back slightly and firm them in a downward direction. The trombone and euphonium embouchures are more relaxed when compared to the trumpet and horn embouchure. 3. Lower the jaw slightly to separate teeth. 4. Align the upper and lower teeth as much as possible without feeling uncomfortable. |
5. Without the mouthpiece and while maintaining firm mouth corners and proper teeth alignment, blow a steady stream of air out of the mouth, letting the lips separate (do not try to buzz). The lips should separate naturally in the center.
6. Repeat step 5, but this time moisten the lips slightly and hold them together a little more firmly. This increased resistance should cause the lips to vibrate or buzz. This buzz should happen in the center of the mouth.
7. Without buzzing, form the embouchure as stated above and bring the mouthpiece to the lips with half of the mouthpiece on the upper lip and half on the lower lip. Some players prefer 2/3 of the mouthpiece on the upper lip and 1/3 on the lower lip. Exhale air and create the vibration or buzz.
6. Repeat step 5, but this time moisten the lips slightly and hold them together a little more firmly. This increased resistance should cause the lips to vibrate or buzz. This buzz should happen in the center of the mouth.
7. Without buzzing, form the embouchure as stated above and bring the mouthpiece to the lips with half of the mouthpiece on the upper lip and half on the lower lip. Some players prefer 2/3 of the mouthpiece on the upper lip and 1/3 on the lower lip. Exhale air and create the vibration or buzz.
From the article "Beginning Trombonists With Good Basic Skills" by Charles Vernon and Gail Wilson:
The trombone embouchure is easily formed by saying the letter M and bring the lips together. The corners of the mouth should be firm and in a slight frown, pointing downward... Students should not be allowed to puff their cheeks as this can adversely affect the embouchure.
The trombone embouchure is easily formed by saying the letter M and bring the lips together. The corners of the mouth should be firm and in a slight frown, pointing downward... Students should not be allowed to puff their cheeks as this can adversely affect the embouchure.
From the article "Teaching the Trombone" by Floyd C. Ostlie:
The lip formation is like that used to say "Mmmm". The mouthpiece is placed approximately at the center if the lips, vertically and horizontally. In some case the teeth formations might not allow this, and another place should be found. In the beginning, the student should play mf, wherever he produces the best tone; he must not blow too loudly. He should practice from 45- 60 minutes per day for the first three months. It is important that he be watched to check any bad habits. ...The cheek and lip muscles should be rather firm. The airstream is directed between the lips into the mouthpiece.
The lip formation is like that used to say "Mmmm". The mouthpiece is placed approximately at the center if the lips, vertically and horizontally. In some case the teeth formations might not allow this, and another place should be found. In the beginning, the student should play mf, wherever he produces the best tone; he must not blow too loudly. He should practice from 45- 60 minutes per day for the first three months. It is important that he be watched to check any bad habits. ...The cheek and lip muscles should be rather firm. The airstream is directed between the lips into the mouthpiece.
This website was created by Philip Bossenberger, a student at The American Band College of Sam Houston State University.