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One of my (trumpet) pupils has difficulty on occasion with production.
Sometimes everything's fine but sometimes his lips don't respond and the notes don't speak well. Happens at random at all registers (but moreso higher up), dynamics etc. It's not a major problem; just something I'd like to help with. This isn't something I've had any problem with myself or know much about 'fixing'.

I have him doing usual stuff anyway like free-buzzing, mouthpiece buzzing, slurs etc etc. I'm fairly sure it's not a mouthpiece-pressure issue or a tonguing problem. I also have him doing breath-attacks to try to coax the embouchure into action.

I've only quite recently taken the pupil on and he's young, inexperienced and not playing advanced stuff. It could quite easily just be something that'll fix itself over time?

I should add, I don't expect a diagnostic analysis of this pupil over the internet, just general 'Production' pointers...

Any thoughts?
Thanks.

Peach wrote:I've only quite recently taken the pupil on and he's young, inexperienced and not playing advanced stuff. It could quite easily just be something that'll fix itself over time?

Between his gaining some experience and your expert guidance, you are probably correct here. One word of advice: keep his register limited until he has a strong grasp of the range through the top of the staff. I have always found it easy to build on a solid foundation with limited range, whereas repairing the damage done by pushing into the top register before the playing system is consistent and controlled may be impossible. You can always supplement his studies with melodies & duets to keep it interesting.

Agree 100% Greg.


Anyone have any experience with production problems!?

Oh, you meant specifics?!

I have had good success with the Belwin Embouchure Builders. Like Remington, they typically start in the low register and return there. A useful approach.

Two embouchure concepts:

• Form the lips as if to pronounce the "m" consonant. Never tight, never pressed together.
  
  Always feel at least a slight pucker: Press the lips toward the mouthpiece, rather than the other way around.

As you mentioned, secondhand diagnosis across the pond is difficult. Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice. Howecer, these are a few things that I have used successfully.

Since there appears to be no set pattern to the production issue, check the tension in his left elbow when he has a lapse. As a school player, when I would have a production issue like that, the tendency is to tense up and "try harder." This would happen especially during quarterly progress tryouts. When it would happen to me, my school director would lightly squeeze the sides of my left elbow with his thumb and forefinger to encourage me to relax the grip on the horn and let the embouchure and air support do the work.

A too shallow mouthpiece for the embouchure can also cause the intermittent "bottoming out." How much intrusion of the lips into the mouthpiece does he play with? If he puts a lot of lip into the moutpiece, then the cup might be a tad shallow for him. But if he's a beginner, he's probably young enough this really isn't an issue, and leave it until last to check it.

here's a question...

has he recently acquired a new girlfriend?...

in his many years of experience, Bob Clark (my tuba professor here at Appalachian State) said he had a student who was just great, and one day his production and response just wasn't there... turns out this young High Schooler had recently started dating a girl...

Coincidence? Maybe, but Mr. Clark says that later it fixed itself when he told the boy "not to be doin too much kissin"

haha