Forming the embouchure
Before the embouchure is formed, and the instrument is played, be sure to hold your trumpet 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
Step 1: Check Yourself for Free-Flowing Air
Breathe in as if you are sighing or yawning. If you hear a hissing sound, this means that your air flow is restricted. When breathing correctly, you should be able to feel a cold spot on the back of your throat.
Breathe in as if you are sighing or yawning. If you hear a hissing sound, this means that your air flow is restricted. When breathing correctly, you should be able to feel a cold spot on the back of your throat.
Step 2: Form the Lips
Say the word "banana." When your lips come together on the consonant 'B' to say this word, they come together naturally. Not too tight and not too limp. When you play trumpet, the lips need to come together, and stay together, with this feeling. Say this word several times to get the feel for this.
Say the word "banana." When your lips come together on the consonant 'B' to say this word, they come together naturally. Not too tight and not too limp. When you play trumpet, the lips need to come together, and stay together, with this feeling. Say this word several times to get the feel for this.
Step 3: Sigh Through the 'B'
While holding the lips together in this 'B' formation, breathe deep and let the air out (as if you were sighing) through the lip formation (the 'B'). Make sure that the air stream is free-flowing when you do this. There should not be any tension in the throat.
While holding the lips together in this 'B' formation, breathe deep and let the air out (as if you were sighing) through the lip formation (the 'B'). Make sure that the air stream is free-flowing when you do this. There should not be any tension in the throat.
Step 4: Place the Mouthpiece
Maintain the 'B' lip formation and place the mouthpiece on the lips. Look in a mirror and make sure that the mouthpiece is centered, side-to-side and top-to-bottom.
Maintain the 'B' lip formation and place the mouthpiece on the lips. Look in a mirror and make sure that the mouthpiece is centered, side-to-side and top-to-bottom.
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 likeNo Tone, Rushing Air
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what is going wrongThe Cause of Your Problem:
When you are not producing a tone, here are possible reasons why: 1) Your lips may not be together enough. 2) You may have too much of a pucker formation ("oo") in your lips. 3) Your lips and mouthpiece might be too dry. 4) You are not using enough air. |
how to fix itTo fix this,
1) Reform your embouchure using the steps listed above. 2) Reform your embouchure and do not have a pucker formation ("oo") with your lips. 3) Lick your lips and the inside of the mouthpiece. This helps with creating a vibration. 4) Take a deeper breath and move the air out faster. |
Airy Tone
The Cause of Your Problem:
An airy tone on trumpet is caused when the lips are not together enough. You may also be using too much of a pucker formation with your embouchure. |
To fix this,
Reform the embouchure using the steps listed above. Have less of a pucker formation ("oo") with your lips. |
Tight, Thin Tone
The Cause of Your Problem:
A tight, thin tone happens when you have too much tension in your embouchure: 1) Your lips may be tense and in a pursed formation. 2) You might be using too much of a pucker ("oo") formation. 3) Your throat might be tight, or closed. |
To fix this,
1) Relax and reform the embouchure using the steps listed above. 2) Have less of a pucker formation ("oo") with your lips. 3) To relax and open the throat, think about yawning. When you yawn, your throat opens up. Try to have this feeling as your play trumpet. |
Completely Stopped Tone
The Cause of Your Problem:
You are not producing a tone because: 1) Your lips may be tense and in a pursed formation. 2) Your are pressing the instrument into your lips too much. 3) Your throat is closed off. |
To fix this,
1) Relax and reform the embouchure using the steps listed above. 2) Relax your left hand hand. Do not put your pinky into the hook. 3) To relax and open the throat, think about yawning. When you yawn, your throat opens up. Try to have this feeling as your play trumpet. |
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 trumpet, students should start with 50% upper lip and 50% 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.
Randy Adams
Sam Houston State University Professor of Trumpet "To set up the embouchure, form an 'M' with the lips pressed lightly on the teeth. Blow air through them as if to cool off a bowl of hot soup. As you keep the lips held on the teeth and the corners of the mouth firm (and also set on the teeth along with the cheek muscles and chin muscles), gradually bring the lips together until they start to respond to the flow of air moving through them. By keeping the muscles firm but open the air is allowed to flow forward providing plenty of fuel for the buzzing motor (the embouchure) while the embouchure retains the needed tension for producing higher frequency vibrations." "Watch to be sure that the lips do not move forward as they buzz- don't allow the wet, inside part of the lips start to roll out causing the buzz to the wet, inside part of the lips." |
The following 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 trumpet embouchure is firmer than other brass embouchures (except horns). 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 center of the lips. 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 center of the lips. Exhale air and create the vibration or buzz.
From the book "The Teaching of Instrumental Music" by Richard J. Colwell and Thomas Goolsby, the trumpet embouchure is explained like this:
Place the lips in the position for vocalizing the syllable "em." Then place the instrument onto the relaxed lips and vocalize "pooh." Tighten the corners of the mouth to help with the buzzing. |
If this does not provide immediate results, you should practice buzzing without the instrument, either on the
mouthpiece alone or without the mouthpiece (free-buzzing). While free-buzzing, put your hand in front of the mouth to determine where the air is going. If the air is pointed down, extend your chin forward slightly until this is corrected.
The corners of the mouth are tightened and pressed against the teeth. The chin should remain flat. The center of the lips tighten just enough to provide a fleshy cushion that vibrates when the air stream passes through it.
mouthpiece alone or without the mouthpiece (free-buzzing). While free-buzzing, put your hand in front of the mouth to determine where the air is going. If the air is pointed down, extend your chin forward slightly until this is corrected.
The corners of the mouth are tightened and pressed against the teeth. The chin should remain flat. The center of the lips tighten just enough to provide a fleshy cushion that vibrates when the air stream passes through it.
From the book "Starting Out Right" by John Si Millican, the trumpet embouchure is explained like this:
1. Lips together. Say "em" to keep the top and bottom lips aligned. 2. Flat chin. Point the chin towards the ground, forming an inverted 'U' shape at the bottom of the chin. 3. Firm corners. Keep the corners of the mouth near the canine teeth- avoid a "smile" embouchure. |
4. Flat cheeks.
5. Teeth apart. About the same space between the top and bottom teeth as the width of the shank of the mouthpiece.
6. Wet the lips.
7. Add the mouthpiece and expel the air.
5. Teeth apart. About the same space between the top and bottom teeth as the width of the shank of the mouthpiece.
6. Wet the lips.
7. Add the mouthpiece and expel the air.
From the article "Embouchure Control and Development" by William Cramer:
Ideally, it would seem that the best embouchure formation is one which allows for changes in muscular tension with no other movement which would alter tone quality or placement of the mouthpiece.
Ideally, it would seem that the best embouchure formation is one which allows for changes in muscular tension with no other movement which would alter tone quality or placement of the mouthpiece.
From the article "Diagnosing Embouchure Problems" by Lewis H. Strouse:
To achieve a suitable embouchure setting ask the player to close his lips naturally as if inhaling through a soda straw. When a player imagines holding a straw between the lips, he will automatically form the brass players face, traditionally described as pursed lips with a pointed or flat chin.
To achieve a suitable embouchure setting ask the player to close his lips naturally as if inhaling through a soda straw. When a player imagines holding a straw between the lips, he will automatically form the brass players face, traditionally described as pursed lips with a pointed or flat chin.
This website was created by Philip Bossenberger, a student at The American Band College of Sam Houston State University.