Forming the embouchure
Before the embouchure is formed, and the instrument is played, be sure to hold your tuba properly. Depending on your height, you may need a tuba rest, or a block/stand that hold your tuba up at the appropriate height. 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: Prepare Your Air
Become aware of your breathing. To play tuba, you need to move a large quantity of air. To allow this air into the body, you need to relax your stomach and diaphragm muscles. Practice blowing fast air at the palm of your hand.
Become aware of your breathing. To play tuba, you need to move a large quantity of air. To allow this air into the body, you need to relax your stomach and diaphragm muscles. Practice blowing fast air at the palm of your hand.
Step 2: Place the Tongue
To get the correct tongue placement, say the vowel sound 'OH.' This causes the tongue to lay down flat at the bottom of the mouth. This helps keep the air flow unrestricted.
To get the correct tongue placement, say the vowel sound 'OH.' This causes the tongue to lay down flat at the bottom of the mouth. This helps keep the air flow unrestricted.
Step 3: Form the Lips
Keep tongue in the 'OH' position while you form your lips as if you were saying 'OO.' Put a straw or pen between your lips (about 1/8" in diameter) and bring your lips around it. This will put the corners of the lips where they should be. Take the tube/pen out, but maintain the lip formation. Remember this saying: OH-OO-Squeeze the Tube.
Keep tongue in the 'OH' position while you form your lips as if you were saying 'OO.' Put a straw or pen between your lips (about 1/8" in diameter) and bring your lips around it. This will put the corners of the lips where they should be. Take the tube/pen out, but maintain the lip formation. Remember this saying: OH-OO-Squeeze the Tube.
Step 4: Place the Mouthpiece
Place one half of the mouthpiece on the upper lip and one half on the lower lip.
Place one half of the mouthpiece on the upper lip and one half on the lower lip.
Step 5: Breathe and Play
Take a deep breath, re-form the embouchure (OH-OO-Squeeze the Tube) and blow the air as rapidly as possible.
The tone that will result will more than likely be a 2nd line 'Bb' or an 'F' below the staff.
Take a deep breath, re-form the embouchure (OH-OO-Squeeze the Tube) and blow the air as rapidly as possible.
The tone that will result will more than likely be a 2nd line 'Bb' or an 'F' below the staff.
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 |
Rushing Air
The Cause of Your Problem:
Your embouchure is not formed tightly enough. Your lips are too spread. Your air stream may also be restricted due to a closed throat or a high tongue. |
To fix this, re-form the embouchure using the steps listed above. Focus on opening your throat by saying "OH" inside your mouth. This should also help keep the tongue down.
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Tight, Thin Tone
The Cause of Your Problem:
Your embouchure is formed too tightly. Your lips may be pinched. There is not enough air passing between your lips. |
To fix this, loosen your grip on the "tube."
Remember to breathe deep and push the air out fast. |
Gargled Tone
The Cause of Your Problem:
Your embouchure is not formed tightly enough. Your lips may also be folding over your teeth. |
To fix this, grip the "tube" more firmly.
Reform your embouchure using the steps listed above. You can even use an embouchure ring to check your lip position. |
Intense Air
The Cause of Your Problem:
Your lips are pinched complete together. This keeps air from flowing between the lips. |
To fix this, re-form the embouchure using this steps listed above. Loosen up your grip on the "tube."
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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 tuba, 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.
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. 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 tuba embouchure is explained like this:
The embouchure for the tuba is similar to that for all brass. However, the placement of the mouthpiece is less critical for the tuba because less pressure is needed. The player needs to experiment until they find the correct placement for them. |
The upper and lower teeth should be farther apart. A wider portion of the lips vibrates, so more air must be projected to cause the lips to vibrate.
The embouchure can be strengthened and developed more quickly if one buzzes on the mouthpiece often.
The embouchure can be strengthened and developed more quickly if one buzzes on the mouthpiece often.
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 "Toward Better Tuba Players" by David Kuehn:
Puffed Cheeks do not help control a tone-not even on tuba and certainly not in the low register. The corners of the mouth should be firm (the word "tight" is often misleading)... Under no circumstance should a player pull the corners of his mouth back to set for a particular pitch. In fact, one will often find it helpful to let the corners come in toward the mouthpiece (the corners still remain firm in that position). The vertical opening between the teeth must be enough that a full sound is possible... Another common problem is that of locking of the jaw when the embouchure becomes fatigued. The firmness in this situation is shifted from the corners of the mouth to the jaw and, consequently, much trouble results in controlling the tone, particularly when it involves the low register. The jaw must remain free enough to drop open gradually, as the student plays toward the extreme low notes.
Puffed Cheeks do not help control a tone-not even on tuba and certainly not in the low register. The corners of the mouth should be firm (the word "tight" is often misleading)... Under no circumstance should a player pull the corners of his mouth back to set for a particular pitch. In fact, one will often find it helpful to let the corners come in toward the mouthpiece (the corners still remain firm in that position). The vertical opening between the teeth must be enough that a full sound is possible... Another common problem is that of locking of the jaw when the embouchure becomes fatigued. The firmness in this situation is shifted from the corners of the mouth to the jaw and, consequently, much trouble results in controlling the tone, particularly when it involves the low register. The jaw must remain free enough to drop open gradually, as the student plays toward the extreme low notes.
This website was created by Philip Bossenberger, a student at The American Band College of Sam Houston State University.