Trumpet: Embouchure

   Brass players view embouchure as where metal meets flesh.  Or more to the point, embouchure is the relationship of the mouthpiece to the lips and to various muscles in the face.
   Sounds simple enough.  It is not.
   Complexity arises when it comes to a trumpeter's embouchure.  And the reasons are many.  Beginning with mouthpiece placement.  "Ideally" the mouthpiece is placed center of the lips with two-thirds of the upper lip inside the cup while the lower lip occupies the remaining one third.  This, of course, fails to account for the player's teeth formation.
   Teeth supports lip tissue which supports the mouthpiece.  This readily explains the absence of toothless trumpet players.  There are, however, trumpeters who manage to continue their career while wearing partial plates, implants or full-plate artificial (false) teeth.  In fact, Harry James spent the last years of his career wearing full-plates.  Upper and lower.  But close to the end of Harry's life, bone loss was so extensive he had difficulty keeping either plate in position regardless of the adhesive used.
   Periodontal disease is a deadly enemy.  Especially to trumpet players.  The gums become inflamed, form pockets and gum tissue recedes as bone is destroyed which results in loose (or lost) teeth.  All because of negligent or improper tooth care.
   Unfortunately, periodontal disease does not stop with lackadaisical tooth care.  It can spread from person to person.  So an individual might be wise to think twice before sending or receiving a passionate kiss.
   As to mouthpiece placement, it should be wherever the mouthpiece is most comfortable and the lips vibrate freely.  Teeth formation is the principal influence in determining mouthpiece placement.
   Embouchure development begins with learning the fundamentals.  And learning them correctly.  Since it is here embouchure position is established.  And it is during learning fundamentals bad habits in trumpet playing are formed.
   The most frequent bad habit in trumpet playing is using excessive mouthpiece pressure.  And beginning trumpet players have to be watched closely once they commence adding notes to their starting note (usually low C).  Many of them will pull back on the trumpet in effort to reach the next note.
   Excessive mouthpiece pressure is averted by keeping the embouchure closed, lips thrust towards the mouthpiece and tonguing behind the upper teeth while supplying an uninterrupted flow of air.
   One of the most potentially damaging things to occur to a budding trumpeter is trying to learn the instrument from a non (or unqualified) trumpet player.  Private lessons are the way to go when learning the various fundamentals.  Not only does it place the student and the instructor one-on-one, it gives the instructor an opportunity to catch bad habits before they take root.
   Song playing does not constitute sufficient daily practice.  In fact, strictly song playing allows partial embouchure deterioration since it fails to keep consistent challenge to the embouchure.  This is where the importance of routines becomes apparent.
   Each routine has a specific purpose.  For instance, the various routines are divided into a series of exercises which promotes range, endurance, flexibility and proper tonguing.  Each exercise in each routine is repeated many, many times.  This aids the embouchure in strength and familiarity in action (reaction) to the material.  In short, it helps the player form proper playing habits.  Or as the late Claude Gordon was fond of saying: "Form the habit of practicing accurately and you will play the same way."
   Rush to develop is common among impatient players.  They simply do not want to wait for what they want to be able to do (execute).  But what they fail to realize (or choose to ignore) skill development takes time.  And the length of time it takes to become proficient in any aspect of trumpet playing depends on the individual player.
   Different players advance at different rates.  But rather than accept fact as fact, some players press-on to meet guaranteed defeat and find themselves in a position of possessing bad technique or giving up the instrument altogether.
   Envy in a trumpet player surfaces in the form of temper or feeling solid advice given them is next to worthless.  They resent constructive criticism and become defensive.  In other words, they refuse to learn.
   All success and failure in trumpet playing is embouchure related.  This includes bad habits, failure to be patient and refusal to change what the player is comfortable with in order to improve their playing.
   Trumpet players with a pressure lip can be easily discouraged when it comes to correcting their career destroying habit.  This results from when the corrective measures are implemented.  Tone production goes south along with other aspects such as tonguing.  But the digression is temporary.  Even so, fear or ego can enter the picture and the player simply refuses to make the correction.  But doing so thwarts player advancement and dashes any hope for playing professionally.
   Various facial muscles must be developed and work together for the player to possess a proper and balanced embouchure.  But to develop facial muscles, the trumpet player must exercise the muscles.  Like a weightlifter adds weights, the trumpet player adds complexity to the practice material as each exercise is mastered.
   The lips serve a sole purpose.  And that purpose is to vibrate.  And this is accomplished through tightening and loosening the lips, depending on the register.
   Lip flexibility is a direct result of embouchure development.  But there a number of trumpet players (experienced players) who cannot start on low C and ascend to high C (or higher) while retaining an open sound.  This points to limited lip flexibility.  And as long as flexibility is limited, trumpet playing requires conscious effort.
   "Comeback" players are those players who lay down their trumpet for months to years.  And upon picking up the trumpet again, they discover they have lost complete feel for the mouthpiece.  This is normal.  Possibly the most discouraging aspect the returning player experiences is the brief period they sound like a beginner.  It is the "middle ground" where danger presents itself.  This is where the player has to fight temptation to regain skill too fast once the tone and feel for the mouthpiece returns.
   Trumpet playing is a joint physical and psychological venture.  Sensible practice, adequate rest and a healthy frame of mind are essential.  And all three have impact on the embouchure.