mouth piece/playing trouble

[Juliaplsz]

so I recently switched from a tenor trombone to an F-trigger trombone. At first, there was no problem with anything, but after about a month I started having this problem. at the middle/end of my playing sessions, my mouth and lips will just stop being able to play notes well. my trombone will start to do this weird vibrating thing and I can feel my lips vibrating as well. I really need this fixed because I have a concert coming up where I will need to be able to play for much longer than I am in my practices. I'm not new to playing (i have been playing brass for about 5 years and trombone for 4 years) so I am unsure what to do. I also feel the muscles on the sides of my cheek/jaw getting tired and it feels almost like you're about to pull a muscle. I looked into embouchure overuse but It didn't really seem like it matched. I took a week-long break from playing and It is still happening. any help would be greatly appreciated.

[BGuttman]

Is your F-attachment trombone of larger bore than your older trombone? If so, that would explain your problem. You sound like you are just fatigued toward the end of your practice.

The vibration could have a mechanical reason. Make sure the valve is properly lubricated. Dry valves will tend to buzz. Or there could be a loose solder joint in one of the braces on the trombone, or maybe a loose solder ball inside a brace. You can try to trace out the source of the buzz by holding the instrument on different parts to see if the buzz changes. Usually holding the buzzing joint or where the solder ball is will damp out the buzz.

But the buzz, as well as a lot of your other complaints, can stem from the instrument requiring more from your embouchure than you are used to providing. Start your practice with a bunch of long tones (12-16 beats at q=60) Do this in all 7 regular positions and all 6 trigger positions. Do your 3 note slurs in all 13 positions as well. This won't solve your problem in a day or two; it will take weeks. If you have to play a concert and you can't live with the F-attachment trombone, use your old one for the concert.

Good luck.

[harrisonreed]

You probably are playing a mouthpiece cup diameter that is too small. This used to happen to me too. No amount of practicing fixed the muscular tension issues for me, and in fact it just got worse and worse over time.

The bottom line for me was that I was using muscular tension to hold my embouchure rigid, and to move through registers. When I changed rim diameters, I was able to let the mouthpiece, which is unyielding solid metal that never gets tired, hold my chops (which aren't solid metal and do get tired) in place. These days I just put the mouthpiece up to my face with my mouth in a neutral "I'm just watching TV" state, and the air going into the mouthpiece does all the work. Using a rim diameter that is too small or too large means that your muscles will need to compensate to hold your chops in place. These are tiny muscles that don't get stronger. They just get smarter, or they get injured.

It's important to know that I'm not talking about cup depth. The solution is not to get a 3G or 2G or whatever. The solution is to figure out what rim diameter is best for your chops, and use something sensible for the rest of the mouthpiece. Unfortunately in trombone world there aren't many ways to do this. Doug Elliott, Christan Griego, Willies Brass, Hammond, and a few other makers are making mouthpieces that let you stick with a rim size and keep that separate from the design of the rest of the mouthpiece. Apparently as of a few years ago Bach lets trumpeters mix and match rims/cups/backbores, but not with trombone mouthpieces. You need to probably get some lessons or go to a trade show to get fitted.

[Doug Elliott]

From your description I suspect you're talking about a double buzz that starts when you're fatigued. I can help you a lot with a Skype lesson.

It's from being tired, but there are multiple possible reasons for it.

[timothy42b]

A trigger trombone can balance differently than a straight tenor. It might be nose heavy or nose light compared to what you had before.

Especially as you tire near the end of your session, that could change your horn angle or chop setting without you realizing it. You can only play well using the setting that works for you.

That's another reason to Skype with Doug. He's the expert at figuring that stuff out.

[Juliaplsz]

Thank you all very much for the comments and suggestions, They are greatly appreciated! It gives me a lot to think about and I will update you when I improve.

[Vegasbound]

Have a Skype lesson with Doug!

[Doug Elliott]

And don't wait until "when I improve" !!!
I can get you playing significantly better in the space of a one hour lesson, and you'll have a good foundation to go forward. Otherwise, months (or years) from now you'll probably still be in pretty much the same position you are now.

[ZacharyThornton]

^ one hour lessons with Doug have done more for me than years of bad practice!