3. Breathing through your lips.
“Have you been listening to trumpet music?”
“Yes. They sound beautiful.”
“How would you describe the sound?”
“Like a brilliant sun shiny day, and sometimes, like a smooth ripple in a pond. I can hear it in my head as clear as day.”
“Good. That means you are learning what to listen for when you practice the trumpet. Keep listening.”
“Papa, I don’t see the trumpet yet.”
“Nope, not yet.”
“When?”
“Soon. But first let’s see you breathe.”
Alexander breathed in and out with big slow breaths just like Papa told him to do.
“You know what I noticed Papa?”
“What’s that Alexander?”
“I noticed that I can let air out across my entire lip or through a smaller opening in the middle of my lips.”
“Very good Alexander. You are thinking about what you are doing. When playing the trumpet, you should always be thinking about what you are doing. Let’s see how you change the air flow through your lips.”
Alexander blew air out through his lips from corner to corner, and then gradually focused the air stream through a smaller and smaller hole between his lips.
“Try it again Alexander, but this time let the air push your lips forward as you narrow the hole in the center. At the moment, you are drawing your lips in and making them tighter as you narrow the hole. This is where your lips will vibrate to produce the trumpet sound.”
“This feels silly. I feel like I’m about to kiss my dog.”
“This is called a pucker embouchure1. It is used by many good trumpeters.”
Alexander practiced a couple more times.
“Now try focusing your air stream while lowering your jaw just a little bit and separating your teeth more.”
Alexander was having fun playing with different air speeds and different opening sizes.
“Here is one more thing I want you to practice this evening.”
“OK.”
“Pretend you are whistling and play a simple tune with just the sound of air.”
Alexander’s lips were going back and forth into a smile.
“Alexander, you don’t smile when you whistle, do you?”
Alexander tried to whistle and smile. “No, it doesn’t work.”
“That’s right. And you don’t smile when you are whistling air either.”
Alexander puckered to whistle, and blew air through his lips.
“Very good. Now, try playing a tune just like that. Don’t smile”
Alexander whistled ‘Rock a bye baby’ with air.
“You’re doing good Alexander. Keep doing that , and I will see you tomorrow.”
Lesson 3. Summary for controlled blowing exercise
- Relax face and jaw.
- Separate teeth and keep lips together but relaxed.
- Slowly breathe out through center of lips allowing air to push lips forward.
- Narrow center aperture of lips while keeping lips relaxed and breathing out.
- While breathing out, hum from back of throat. This opens your throat.
- Now breathe out through center of your lips with back of throat relaxed and open without humming.
- Practice everyday.
