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To Buzz Or Not To Buzz?

How to produce pure notes on a brass instrument-STAGE ONE

Date : 15/04/2015

Author Information

Dennis

Uploaded by : Dennis
Uploaded on : 15/04/2015
Subject : Trumpet

I use the term, PURE, in an attempt to describe the best quality of musical sound that we can hope to produce from a brass instrument. Because brass players have to learn to master the technique of controlling and manipulating a vibrating column of air, I am convinced that it is most important that a working knowledge of this process is thoroughly understand. Since my earliest days of teaching brass instruments for the Inner London Education Authority in the 70s I have been paying my respects to this noble art and wish to share my experiences, both good and bad, to every discerning musician who wishes to become more aware of the basic principles behind the method known to the world and beyond as THE BUZZ.

When I was shown how to produce a sound on a cornet at school, I don`t actually recall being instructed to, `make a buzzing sound with my lips` prior to placing the mouthpiece on my mouth. In fact, I actually convinced myself many years later, that this was probably the most probable reason that I developed `embouchure` problems in my early years as a professional player. I was never completely aware of how my vibrating lips were the most important part of my playing, along with the control of the supporting air column from my tensed diaphragm, my developing facial muscles, my tongue movement and my understanding of many other musical concepts including intonation, tone quality and perceptive listening!

The fact that air being forced from my lungs through closed lips would produce a resultant tone from an undulating column of air in a brass instrument seemed to be enough information to get me started. I certainly become impressed with this fact alone and spent many daily hours with the trumpet that my lovely parents later bought me in order to try and become the next Maurice Andre or Dizzie Gillespie. Yes, I already had my ears tuned into the wonderful possibilities that this `King of Instruments` had to offer.

I am almost apologetic as I write that I seemed to have been introduced to the unfortunately named, `smile technique` of producing different pitches on my trumpet! By stretching my lips and thereby creating a more tense lip area, I was able to miraculously play higher notes! This technique seemed to suit my needs as a young schoolboy trumpeter and I was soon performing in every conceivable ensemble in the county. What I was never aware of was the fact that my tone (the quality of my notes) was not very good. The lesson to be learned was that, by thinning the lips with a smiling action I was also thinning out my musical tone. I may have had a fairly good flexibility across the standard range of the trumpet but I was to discover that this `smile` technique was to ruin my playing career for a number of years until I rediscovered the true meaning of the `buzz.`

Everybody knows how to make a buzzing sound by creating a `raspberry` sound with our lips. Go on, give it a go! After you have become comfortable with this sound making experience from childhood days, I will continue my article with part two.

This resource was uploaded by: Dennis