[Dixielandjazz] trumpet/trombone doubling...

[RoddyTpt at aol.com]

Hiya!

It is my belief that the guys who double on trumpet and trombone are less 
mouthpiece dependant on the mpc rim to produce their initial buzz and therefore 
consequentially find it easier to switch.

Put simply, MOST brass players develop their surrounding embouchure muscles 
by using a fair amount of mpc pressure in the process. 

In doing this they then NEED the swelling and mpc 'imprint' to form what is 
the NORMAL buzzable/playable chop set. 

This of course leads to early endurance problems and a cutting off of the 
high register due to this excess.

If one was to be able to form the embouchure [buzzable/playable] AWAY from 
the mpc over a long period of time, this would lessen the dependance on the 
inner mpc rim to provide support for the corner muscles and allow their particular 
buzz. 

This in turn would lessen the effect of mpc pressure, which in turn would 
lessen the swelling and mpc dependance, and also allow the use of different mpc 
sizes [trumpet/trombone] as TRUE lip vibrations would'nt be as effected by the 
former problems.

Mouthpiece Dependancy....

[ the act of using the mpc rim as a crutch so as to produce the lip 
vibrations more easily as opposed to being able to buzz freely the same way on and off 
the horn, ]

...is also partially why some people find the 'momentary plus' of a new mpc 
rim exciting, only to find that later on, that momentary 'plus point' has 
retreated into the mists of time as their playing settles down again into a normal 
playing pattern. 

If your TOO mpc dependant this will have a significant effect on your 
perception of ANY mpc at ANY given point in your development. 

So what's the answer?...you have to realise that either....

a) YOU are either making the sound on the trumpet by buzzing efficiently 
....or...

b) YOU are using the mpc too much to aid you in buzzing and therefore, you 
will succumb to the parameters that the characteristics of the mpc you are 
trying will have on your personal physiology / trumpet sound.

In other words, if you're a very mpc dependant player and you do change mpc's 
from small to big or vice -verca [or even using different cup depths for 
style] then you are going to HAVE to change your old practice routine to cope with 
the negatives of the new mpc. 

Also the more 'mouthpiece dependant' you are in producing your sound the more 
difficult it is to use more than one mpc for different styles.

How do you know whether you are mpc dependant or not?

Can you "free lip buzz" well without the mpc?

MANY good 'doublers' are just are natural in their initial buzz set up which 
allows them to 'switch' with more ease than the rest ...and....they wonder why 
others are'nt in the same position. 

No great mystery....  : )

Roddy o-iii<O
"E M B O U C H U R E      E N H A N C E M E N T"
[Self Analysis / Diagnostic Methods for Trumpet Advancement]
BOOK  1 (200 pages of text)
BOOK 2 (tests notated + play-along CD)
 <A HREF="www.r-o-d-d-y-t-r-u-m-p-e-t.cc">www.R-o-d-d-y-T-r-u-m-p-e-t.cC</A>