Downstream playing (Huge overbite) - WindWorks Trumpet Academy by Mystery to Mastery | WindWorks Trumpet Academy by Mystery to Mastery

Tagged: #downstream player

This topic has 11 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 4 months ago by reijer_59.

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- 9 May 2022 at 5:46 pm #137061
  
  reijer_59
  Participant
  
  Goodmorning from The Netherlands,
  
  I have been on the forum before but took a leave from the trumpet during Covid. I’m a downstream player and have trouble to play in the upper register. Do any of you have the same combination and what are you doing about it to get a better sound and a bigger reach over the staff?
  
  I also have a question about the practice drones, are they a part of the cycle of TEE? And if so how should I embed them during practice?
  
  I hope there is someone out here that can help me with my issue.
  
  Greetings,
  
  Reijer
- 9 May 2022 at 6:25 pm #137069
  
  dimitri.antrop
  Participant
  
  Oi, Hi From Belguim as well 🙂
  
  I kinde have the same problem.
  I’ve been practicing windworks now for about 6+ months and I do got to say I love the concept behind it a lot.
  
  As I’ve been playing 20 years ago with forcing and squeezing and… meh…
  I did put the trumpet aside for some time.
  Now that I’m about to reach the age of 40 I wanted to play again.
  Yet… reaching that G on top of the staff is again such a struggle. even after a year of playing and 6 months of trying to kick that 1.0 brain out of the door..
  even sometimes the F and E below that G become bloody hard and sounds soooo forced after 30 min of practice or playing.
  I definitely dont want to rush things to play the higher notes, but sometimes I do wish I could reach that high A above the staff with ease already as that would makes thins more fun to play.
  
  I know this reply probably wont help you at the moment.
  but now you know you’re not alone at the moment as well 😀
  - 9 May 2022 at 7:10 pm #137072
    
    reijer_59
    Participant
    
    Goodmorning Dimitri,
    
    Thank you for the reply, are you keep coming back to the Largo stage and do you start of with being still? As Greg tell’s us the instrument is only an amplifier of our body so maybe you can try to be more relaxed when you start and try to recognise we’re the tension builds up?
    
    I’ve started playing again when I became 53, I’m getting 63 in a few day’s. There fore I did play for about 1 year. In those day’s we didn’t have internet just a teacher that told me what to do and don’t told me why I was doing this execises.
    
    These day’s I’ve been observing myself in the mirror and see that when I whistle my jaw comes forward so that my teeth are more semetric to eachother. I’m trying to replicate this with playing together with avoid tention to my lips tp produce the sound. This way I come to G4 on the staff. It sounds sometimes good but mostly chooked. I don’t mind because I notice that a change is coming bit by bit. I also noticed that I’m more aware of taking bigger breaths (Sling Shot) and release that air so I don’t have to use my abdominals to much.
    
    I hope you can do something with what I’m doing and maybe you don’t need to strive to get further up the staff to fast but enjoy what you can do and enjoy this.
    
    I have noticed that the urge to get more up the staff did frustrate me very much and I got to dislike the trumpet more then I enjoyed it. So these day’s i accept I’m not ready yet to progress and play what I can do with the best sound I can produce and have fun and enjoy the precents of my fellow orchestra members (I play in a fanfare orchestra).
    
    Greetings,
    
    Reijer
- 9 May 2022 at 8:47 pm #137081
  
  dimitri.antrop
  Participant
  
  I sure come back to largo once in a while, well more then once in a while To be honest.
  I always warm up with some mow and mong notes. then some articulation ect…
  
  After some warmup and some exercises I always try to play some music. And its there I see where it goes wrong.
  for example when I play a song an I have to play a low C and reach for a middle C I feel the push and forcing creeping in…
  what ofcource makes the sound sound ugly.. makes me tense my body and it feels like I have no stamina/endurance or makes me feel like I CANT even play that middle C…
  
  then I do the singing C series exercise again, just that full breath C and silent G, C, E…
  realising that goes kinde easy..
  
  So many things in the brain tho…
  
  Yet, goinh over that E and working to that G on top of the staff dont work that well 🙁
  
  So I guess I haven found the ‘shape’ yet to play that easy,
  But keep on trying I will for sure 🙂
  - 9 May 2022 at 8:59 pm #137082
    
    reijer_59
    Participant
    
    It’s great to hear that you keep working on it and don’t give up. Have you tried to take more brakes during your practicing? So the lips can relax and get in shape again?
    
    Greetings,
    
    Reijer
- 10 May 2022 at 5:49 pm #137240
  
  dimitri.antrop
  Participant
  
  I sure should take more breaks…
  but the thing is that I can most of the time only play one hour a day most of the time cause of work and living in a appartment.
  My free day I do practice way more spreaded over the day.
  I could use a mute, but I realy dislike those cause of the pressure it gives
- 31 May 2022 at 9:27 pm #140953
  
  maestro_pete55
  Participant
  
  I have been playing the Trumpet for 15 years this time around and I too have a major overbite. After 9 months using the process and completing the Largo Stage I have managed to establish a foundation that instinctively sets the Trumpet up horizontal.
  My main focus was to start with AM-AH-OO ,establish an aperture gap with my lips set and then blow a stream of air onto the palm of my hand to ensure it was directed straight and as my jaw and tongue moved that the stream would trend up.Most of the early redirecting of the air and thus changing my embrocher was achieved off the instrument. I have a mouthpiece and apiece of hose as a lead pipe in my shed that I would use regularly during the day as I played around with my wood working pursuits.The other thing was to constantly set up and blow air onto my hand whenever I would think of it,much to my wife’s embarrassment, as this sometimes happens in company.
  The changes I have made at the mouthpiece has given me a great deal of pleasure as I feel I have identified an inefficiency that has impeded my advancement.Sorry to rabbit on ,hope this makes sense,and please excuse a layman’s approach reducing the complex into the simplex.To Greg, thanks heaps for Wind Works ,a way forward yahoo!
  - 31 May 2022 at 9:50 pm #140955
    
    reijer_59
    Participant
    
    Thank you Pete for your input. I also try to aim my airstream towards my hand and be aware that my teeth are straighten out instead of my jaw sticks under my upper teeth. So keep up the practice. Do you have the idea that playing more straigtend out is easier?
- 1 June 2022 at 12:51 am #140979
  
  Adrian Hicks
  Participant
  
  Hi Reijer,
  Do you have a mouthpiece visualiser? When working on straight airstream, often it changes back down when we place the mouthpiece on our lips. With the visualiser you can blow through this and straighten it up again. If i don’t have it handy i either use my fingers or actually blow the airstream angle slightly upwards.
  You should always think about the air angle and forget thinking about moving your jaw forward imho.
  Good luck
  - 1 June 2022 at 11:32 am #141041
    
    maestro_pete55
    Participant
    
    Hello Reijer,
    Thanks for your comments ,your interaction is appreciated.
    For me,yes I have found playing easier. I have noticed a darker sound (as long as I concentrate on keeping a good aperture opening)better endurance and quicker recovery ,maybe due to not playing on the top lip,( I regularly had the imprint of my top teeth in my upper lip.), and more flexibility with lip slurs and intervals.
    Coincidentally, I found that when I played the Flugel,the bigger mouth piece allowed me to even out the contact and this started the process in my head that allowed me to change my setting.
    The whole Wind Works process up to this point has also given me a relaxed sound when playing at rehearsal and gigs.Alas it is also in these situations that my old brain creeps in and hijacks the process.
    Anyway, I try to play every day ,as soon as I lay off the crash comes quick and the rebuild slow.
  - 2 June 2022 at 9:50 pm #141298
    
    reijer_59
    Participant
    
    Good afternoon Hixsta,
    
    Yes I have a visualiser, I had a zoom meeting with Greg this morning to address my habits of playing downstream with the trumpet and pulling my chin backwards. After a while when Greg explained a few corrections I could make to my aperture and how to achieve them I already started to feel the airstream going up and with no tension al all. When things get hard with sightreading and playing I have the habit to fall into the old setting. I now have the visualizer in my pocket and use it when I can. Thank you for the response, it good to read that I’m not the only one with this problem.
    
    Also you Maestro Pete, thank you for your insights. It’s great to be here and discusse these things with eachother. As a father of 3 boys in the age of 11, 13 and 15 and with a wife frequently absence I have to manage my time better so I can study every day at a regular time.
    
    again thank’s everyone for the positive input.
- 3 June 2022 at 6:44 pm #141422
  
  reijer_59
  Participant
  
  Goodmorning to all of you,
  
  I want to ask you how you do your practice routine? I’ve come back here for a few weeks now. I was working in “The Balanced Embrouchure” methode and it brought on so many tension in the body and lips that I have let go of it and are back here. I’ve started doing the Largo section reading and working on the exercises. Blowing the tissue, visualiser, mouthpiece and leadpipe.
  
  After that I rest for a while or do some householding and start on my orchestral practice. I’m an amateur player in a fanfare orchestra. I think you call it a brass band in English? I’m not good at sightreading so I do what Greg said to me, do it slow and measure to measure.
  
  The point I try to make is that I find it hard to get into the right routine so that every part that I have to be practice get’s it’s attention. So i love some advice on this.
  
  Thanks for having me here and hope to hear some advice I can work with.
  
  Have a great weekend everyone.
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