The Trumpet Pedagogy Project

When I encounter students whose air is the source of problems, the problems nearly always result from muscles that should not be engaged. The player who holds in the air before exhaling; the player who deliberately firms the stomach before ascending to high C; and the player who tenses the muscles of the back and chest trying to take in a large breath are all working at cross-purposes to their own playing. The trumpet requires that the inhale be as close to non-trumpet life and as free of tension as possible.

Trumpet players have to concern themselves with two aspects of air: volume (amount) and speed. Scientific studies have proven that brass instruments of all types require more air to play loudly than softly and faster air to play high than to play low. Telling a student to use more air will therefore result in the sound getting louder but has nothing to do with producing a higher note (see “Mouthpiece Pressure,” below, for clarification). In classical trumpet playing, the speed of the air (which does influence range) is regulated not by the force with which we attempt to expel it from our lungs but by the way we shape the tongue, the roof of the mouth, and the embouchure as air passes from our lungs to the instrument.

Because air is invisible, the concept of “air support” can spark a great deal of confusion. Every fall I ask the future band directors in my High Brass Techniques class to write out a definition of this term, and then I read the definitions aloud–they are never the same! Many people think that air support involves the diaphragm, but the notion of “supporting from the diaphragm” is outright impossible, since the diaphragm relaxes involuntarily as a person exhales and no amount of squeezing in the abdominal area can prevent it from doing this. For these reasons, I avoid referring to air support when I teach.

In essence, an efficient embouchure represents a balance between these sets of muscles, whereby the inward motion of the orbicularis oris works against the outward motion of the other facial muscles to lock the corners of the mouth into place (what brass players refer to as “firming the corners”). Trumpet players struggling with an embouchure deficiency almost always utilize one of these forces to the exclusion of the other, which is clearly in evidence as they ascend in range. A trumpet player whose orbicularis oris is stronger than the other muscles will pull the corners inward and s/he ascends beyond a comfortable range. A trumpet player who “smiles” when s/he plays has facial muscles whose pull is stronger than that of the orbicularis oris.

Although the motion of the player’s corners is one of the most obvious physical symptoms of an inefficient embouchure, this is a case where fixing the symptom will not address the underlying cause. The muscles have learned to work out of balance for a reason; simply strengthening one muscle or the other will not address this reason and can in fact seriously harm a player’s development. Above all, the lip tissue needs to be relaxed and supple when the player performs; it is the muscles surrounding the lips that act to flatten or tense them. Many of the training aids that claim to strengthen a player’s embouchure by strengthening the lips themselves will actually work against the player’s ability to let the lips respond naturally to the air, and should be avoided.

More often, the source of a player’s embouchure problems has to do with dental structure. When a trumpet player has a substantial overbite or underbite, it can affect the ability of the mouthpiece to rest upon a flat surface. The same thing is true of crooked teeth, which may make it difficult for the player to place the mouthpiece in the center of the mouth. In general, the mouthpiece should rest on a portion of the embouchure that is basically centralized and basically flat. In other words, the mouthpiece should sit as close to the middle of the mouth as possible, in terms of both its lateral and vertical placement, and the jaw should be brought forward if necessary. Practicing in the pedal register can help with jaw placement; moving the actual mouthpiece itself is a traumatic adjustment for most players because it will require the embouchure to learn to rebalance itself. For this reason I prefer to ask a student to change his or her mouthpiece placement only as a last resort.

It is undoubtedly possible to damage the tissues of the embouchure by pressing too hard against the face, and for this reason, excessive mouthpiece pressure should absolutely be avoided. However, it is also true that a trumpet player in a zero-pressure situation is absorbing into his or her body all of the force that is not being permitted to impact the trumpet. The law of equal and opposite reactions matters here; if air needs to pass into the trumpet, something needs to act in opposition to the air in order to prevent the trumpet from flying across the room. I believe that absorbing the opposing force in one’s air column (in an effort to prevent pressure on the lips) is counter-productive at best. I would instead argue that the embouchure is best served neither by the removal of all mouthpiece pressure nor by excessive pressure but rather by consistent pressure. The body will adapt to a force that is consistent, especially if this force is counteracted by the opposing pressure of the air entering the instrument. It will not adapt to the sudden pressure exerted by a player who chooses to press down only when it is time to play above the staff.

Players who are still developing in the upper register may inadvertently learn to use excessive pressure in response to a teacher who instructs them to “use more air.” Using more air (as opposed to faster air) will make the sound louder, not higher. However, more air will normally be met by a corresponding increase in pressure as the two forces of the air column and the trumpet seek to balance one another. This pressure, especially when combined with an underdeveloped embouchure, is capable of forcing the top lip to vibrate at a higher frequency, which will result in a higher note. Therefore, it is possible for a player to think s/he is using more air to play higher, when in reality s/he is relying on mouthpiece pressure. This is not a sustainable method, especially for someone with an underdeveloped embouchure, and it can lead to long-term injury.

All equipment represents a compromise; none of it will substitute for a lack of practice or an underdeveloped sound concept. However, the right equipment will allow a player to feel that it is easier to achieve his or her desired sound and level of technical proficiency. Because different types of equipment favor different approaches to playing, trumpet players should choose equipment that works seamlessly with the technique they already possess, rather than changing equipment in the hopes of developing stronger technique in certain areas (i.e. upper register).