Concept: student and mouthpiece are the instrument; trumpet is the PA system
Controversial – Jacobs SWORE by it; Vizzutti – no buzz when playing
Jacobs – scarlet fever led to belief in mouthpiece buzzing
Me – Swift started me as freshman; stopped buzzing twice and regretted it each time
Two benefits and two things to monitor:
a. Function – response, clear attacks; siren (define) between pitches – insert muscles (protractors and retractors)
b. Pitch – accurate
Benefits:
- Strips away all mechanical aids – no place to hide
- Develops pitch accuracy; lips must sync w/inner ear – doesn’t take long
- Brass player must hear as accurately as a vocalist, more so?? bad pitch = bad tone
- Quality of buzz determines quality of tone – maybe…
- Develop sense of line
- Calls attention to air flow – on hand strip of paper or blow on hand
- Instrument has more resistance = easier to play than mouthpiece
- Who really cares how well you buzz? So, no pressure to succeed or fear of failing
What to Buzz: Sirens and Melodies
- Hold mouthpiece near end so teacher can see lips
- Teach students to listen for accurate pitch and response, i.e., good start to note, fast/complete siren during slurs
- Begin with one note with correct embouchure and air, probably in the middle or lower range (easier) – may begin low, middle, or high – only one beginner method book addresses this
- Then small sirens, bigger sirens, specific pitches
- Octave sirens if having embouchure problems (biggest cause is lack of air)
- Sirens – why?? Coordinates protractors and retractors; basis for slurs and moving around horn
- Slur = siren, just faster – if the siren is slow, the horn will fight you, which is why we have valves
- Any melody the student knows – purpose: train the ear (few weeks to train the lips)
- Melodies, scales, and chords – slurred, tongued, mixed
- Anything you can play on the horn, you should be able to buzz, except trumpet high notes abovet C; can buzz higher on cornet mouthpiece because it’s shorter
- Problems – cover half of mouthpiece to add resistance: finger partly covers end, into partially closed fist
- Buzz-Aid/ B.E.R.P. (Buzz Extension Resistance Piece):
Resistance is more like
that of the instrument (adjustable with 4 holes)
Mouthpiece angle to the face is the same as playing
Fingers aid in pitch recall
Buzz Aid Caution – easy to knock your teeth out!