That is what I heard, too!

Me too😂

I reached for a baby aspirin.... Not kidding.

Hah! I also heard this

Thank you Mat. The most difficult thing about teaching through video is not hearing players personally. I try to develop exercises and tests that give the player the ability to assess results and to evaluate their own progress. Keep working on that engine. Best, TP

Hi Nathan, thank you! Yes I remember teaching Jonny. Always knew he'd become an amazing musician and trumpet player. Great guy too! Send him my best wishes and good luck with your playing. TP

No problem. Plenty more to come!

Thanks and I'm really pleased to hear this is helping you. I have used the upper register to develop my general technique because it is the most challenging area to gain control. So my articulation technique and position was set using the highest note of my range. Just on the air, play the highest note in your range. Articulate on that note experimenting with tongue position until you find a clear attack. Slur down a semitone and articulate with the tongue in the same position. Continue the process. It is ok for the tongue to be flexible with tip/blade articulation but not contact position. I think of my articulation like simply turning on a switch and the tongue starts moving. It doesn't change "position" because I'm playing high or low. It just articulates. Hope that helps. It's worth a video I think so I'll add it to the list! Good luck. TP

The Trumpet Prof thanks again, I'll be warning up and trying this. Big band lead coming up so it'll be interesting to see how much more ease can come of it.

Watch this video from 8:46 it will help you with your issue. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a7mRa5Vk1qiYmIU.html TP

Thanks John. Any additional tips you have for overcoming this are always welcome. TP

Hi and apologies for delay in responding. It depends on the symptoms. If your difficulty is a clean and crisp attack it's probably that the tongue is too narrow and isn't sealing off the air. Take a look at my latest video and it might help. If it doesn't, let me know. TP

@@TheTrumpetProf thank you so much!!

Hi Alan. Little and often is best. There is no set time really. It's a long term exercise to establish sensation and reaction. Build it into your daily routine. TP

Hi sorry for late response. There are areas of brass pedagogy that are instrument specific and I think this is probably one of them. I've never heard of any player of any instrument advocate the glottis to stop or start a note intentionally. Trumpet players can suffer from a condition where they struggle to initiate an articulation because the glottis is shut and we have to work with them to avoid it which is a longer term undertaking. We play with high air pressure. The higher the pressure the more difficult it is to deactivate the glottis and that's why it is a trumpet problem. BUT, lower end brass don't play with high air pressure and as long as the glottis can be "controlled" easily I see no reason for not using it. In theory it makes sense. (There are no hard "rules". Only what works and what doesn't. Experiment!)

@@TheTrumpetProf great reply thank you!

Hi Ole. It is more about finding the right position for you based on the quality and flexibility of your note production and articulation technique. Everyone will have a different position so experiment. I will do a video on this soon. TP

It creates an internal sensation which can help you to overcome problems like the Valsalva manoeuvre. If you don't have this problem you wouldn't see the point.

Hi Rod. Hope things have settled down for you now but if not it could be a more permanent issue. Let me know and I'll get back a bit quicker next time! TP

Hi Ted. There are so many possible reasons why this is happening so I would start by looking at two things. Are you trying to actively buzz your lips? The best way to play is not to physically buzz the lips but to let the trumpet do it. Try this: Loosen your mouthpiece so when you play you can remove the trumpet from it. Play a soft middle G and while you are playing it gradually pull the trumpet off the mouthpiece. You should be left with only the sound of air (white noise). If you are left playing a note on the mouthpiece your lips are too close together so try to create some space either before placement or after placement by stretching the top lip a little. When you articulate try not to be aggressive with the action. Have a look at this video from 9:00 where you should get a better approach to articulation. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a7mRa5Vk1qiYmIU.html Hope that helps. Let me know how you get on. TP

Hi Paul. It depends how you use the mouthpiece. By that I mean are you looking for something which helps you play higher or improves your stamina or are you looking for something that gives you just the right sound? Maybe all the above! I don't like giving mouthpiece advice except I truly believe Monette makes the best mouthpieces. Saying that I would never advise paying that sort of money until you have settled on your physical technique (the "way" you play). For 30 years I could only get on with big mouthpieces (Bach 1c). Even a Bach 3C would cut out on me after a short while and playing lead type mouthpieces was just impossible. Then I totally changed the way I play (I did all this while playing professionally) and found I could play pretty much any mouthpiece of any size. One of my favourite piccolo mouthpieces is one I found in my fathers loft (attic). It has no name or number but it just works. The point of that is it's such a personal thing you just have to keep trying out different equipment. I like to buy cheap mouthpieces on ebay and just give them a go. You never know. Go for the smallest mouthpiece which gives you the best sound but more importantly keep working at your playing! Hope that helps. TP

Hi Paul. Thanks for the quick response. I just want to add a little more information. I started playing in my early teens in my early thirty’s then quit playing because my job had me working 10-12 hour days. Now 71 years old I decided to purchase a new Bach Soloist trumpet with a Back 5C mouthpiece. My question is if I were to purchase your recommended mouthpiece witch of the many models would you recommend. I don’t need to play very high just within the normal trumpet range? Since these mouthpieces are fairly expensive and I am retired I can’t afford to experiment. Once again thank you.

@@1948pcr Hi Paul that's a question I'd rather not answer because there are so many. If you get on Monette website you'll find a comparison chart which is really useful. If you are able to find a brass shop which stocks them then you can try some out. I only recommend Monette but GR are very good too! Hope that helps. TP

Thanks. What if one doesn't work properly? Should I just give up?