WindWorks Trumpet Academy › Forums › WindWorks › Leakage
I have noticed that when I am working on long tones around Low C, I can feel
air on my right hand. I guess it’s clear that I don’t have a good seal at the
embouchure corner on that side and air is just leaking past. It doesn’t seem
to be a problem as I go up in pitch. Am I just dropping my jaw too much for
low notes?
Howdy,
You should be able able to use your right hand to feel for the leak. Move your hand to the lips on the right side. Where precisely is the air coming from? You may not having enough tension in your mouth corners that extends along the lips to the aperture corners.
Go back to Greg’s “The Mouthpiece Revisited”. Do all the release activities with tissue, the fingers, the visualizer, and the mouthpiece. Do you feel a leak when doing these? How about with the leadpipe?
Let us know what you find out? Someone here will have an answer or you will discover it.
Cheers,
Ronald
Will do, thank you.
My question would be “how does it feel when you play a ‘no-note’?”. In other words, when you are just blowing into the instrument, can you feel air coming out?
No, it’s just when I am playing those notes around low C.
It feels like I am maybe opening up too much. The corners
are apparently not holding tight. It seems to get better
if I concentrate on keeping things together.
Hi J- To the best of my knowledge my best answer would be look to your corners. I can’t imagine dropping your jaw would create leakage. Just trying to do what Greg usually suggests, make it rediculous, place your mouthpiece as you would to play that low c with what you feel the “normal” drop in the jaw would be for you, play it that way, now really drop the jaw and make it ridiculous. When I try this there is such a difference that my corners start to fight the drop and the seal is more pronounced because you really have to use the corners more to not have any leakage. Again like Greg has said, seal your lips tight and try to blow air through a good seal and you’ll turn blue before air will come out. The lips are really strong. So my best suggestion would be MMMahhOOO, your jaw throat and corners are set, place mouthpiece on this and close your eyes, slingshot release holding your corners, directing the air straight out and do it over and over until your brain is fried. That low C is key to everything that follows. Also you mentioned one word in your last post that really sticks out to me. “concentrate”. This is a must whenever you practice or your wasting time. It’s much easier to get into a deep concentration when your eyes are closed and your senses come alive. Just my Humble thoughts for you. Nothing is easy until it is.
One more thing I would also try the PU release or attack.
Got it, thanks.