Is it possible to make a crooked trumpet mouthpiece positioning any better?

Question

I play a Yamaha intermediate (YTR4335G). For the last six years or so (since middle school), I've held and played the trumpet so that the mouthpiece is on the right of my lips - not the extreme corners of the mouth, but with a noticeable deviation to the right from a centered embouchure. I have fairly good tone, but poor range (difficult to hit anything higher than an A above the staff) and poor projection (I can't play FFF loud when playing high notes).

I've read Arban's, where he says that changing the positioning of the mouthpiece outright is more often than not detrimental to the player. I've tried playing with the mouthpiece centered, but observers tell me that I end up twisting my lips so that the mouthpiece is crooked to the right again. The strongest muscles of my mouth are on the right side, where I've been playing, and it's near impossible for me to play basic notes with a centered mouthpiece.

I take enormous breaths (over 8 litres of air) and use my abdominals/diaphragm, but I end up using too much pressure on high notes anyways (I get the red mouthpiece ring on my lips), because it's so difficult to articulate them.

So: Is there anything I can do about this to make it better (not necessarily fix it outright)? Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Answer 1

First, it's OK to play a little off-center. Dental irregularities or the shape of your oral cavity are likely part or most of the reason as to why your place the trumpet where you do.

Can you change it? Maybe. Let's consider a few other possibilities that may help. Perhaps you position the trumpet off-center because of where your music stand is placed when you are playing? The answer to that one is easy.

It is more likely that you place the mouthpiece off-center because that is where it is somewhat comfortable. The fact that you state that articulation in the upper register and range is difficult leads me to believe that the real problem here is being caused by your mouthpiece.  My first guess would be that you play a Bach mouthpiece... probably a 7C. Or, a copy of a Bach mouthpiece. While they work well for some people, they do not work well for all.

If you have thin lips, or teeth that aren't perfectly straight, a mouthpiece with a rim that offers some cushion will help. The wider and flatter rims help to disperse mouthpiece pressure out through a greater area of your lips, giving you much more comfort and endurance. If you can choose the right diameter mouthpiece with a rim like I've suggested, I think that there is a good chance that you may be able to play a bit more centered... if that is indeed the problem.

When you try a new mouthpiece, try to play softly. Play familiar music that isn't too difficult. Play scales with repeated articulation on each note. Play some lip slurs. IF that all goes well, try to extend into the upper register, one step at a time... without forcing anything. Take a friend along who has good musical ability to listen to you while you play.

Also, if you can find someone to work with you who is a well-qualified mouthpiece consultant, that would be well worth your efforts. Ask them for feedback about what sounds best.

In time, you can hopefully look back and see all of this as a small problem that just needed a bit of attention.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 2

Hey, I've played trumpet, and am playing mellophone, pressure doesn't help in the long run, I suggest playing ascending chromatic long tones, and focusing on trying to play the high notes relaxed and easy as high as you can, of course when you're playing, you should try to hit the right notes, but just remember when practising to focus on playing the high notes relaxed, each day you will get a little better, and eventually the high range will come easily to you. I know what you mean by mouthpiuece not centered, it's because you try to center the bell in front of your face, but you should try to center the leadpipe, because the bell is not directly in front of the mouthpiece.

Answer 3

I've never heard of someone having a problem with a horizontally misplaced embouchure. What I suggest to you is the same I'd suggest to someone with a more common embouchure problem (that is, one that's misplaced vertically). You'll have to learn a completely new embouchure. This can be very difficult, as I know from personal experience, but students actually have to do it fairly often. If you're taking lessons from a private teacher, you should definitely ask his or her advice first, but the way to do this is to completely re-train your lips. Arban is right to say that changing the positioning of the mouthpiece is detrimental to the player, but in the long term, it will actually help. Start playing very simple exercises with the new positioning, because, as you noted, it will be near-impossible to even get notes out at first. But if you stick to it, the right muscles will grow, and the wrong ones will lessen.

It sounds like your technique is pretty sound, so you shouldn't have too much trouble. Just be sure to maintain those good habits while you're going through this transition.

Alternatively, if you can't make this enormous change right now for whatever reason (e.g. you're playing in a group and can't afford to sound really bad for the month or two it will take), you could try other exercises to help you stop using too much pressure. Try holding the trumpet to your lips with the amount of pressure you would normally use to play a low C. Play an ascending scale, but force yourself to not apply anymore pressure, instead using your lips, and the angle of the air stream to play higher (point the air higher for higher notes). Eventually, this will teach you to play higher with less pressure.