Buzzing, esp for beginners
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 2:11 am
I've done a few instrument petting zoos the past couple of weeks, for a district where I teach private lessons.
The lead guy at the HS is a woodwind player with lots of years experience teaching HS, and presumably beginners at some point. He had a very interesting comment which led into an oration the other night. Specifics aren't important, but the essence is:
The common method of buzzing on a mouthpiece is a bad way to get a kid started. It automatically creates tension which causes problems. A much more natural way to put the mouthpiece in the instrument and have them go at it right away. If there is any problem with tone production, tell the kid to move her/his lips closer or farther from the teeth, and that will resolve the issue.
While I can see his point about lips and teeth position, I don't like that approach. That specific night was the worst I've had this year for kids buzzing first or second try. (on the mouthpiece, c'mon, stay serious here folks). Probably half of them were at his table trying trumpet and horn before they came to me with a euph, and I noticed that several, at least, of the ones with the hardest time getting a sound on the euph mouthpiece and/or instrument were in that group. We had a sheet writing comments for the teacher, so I could track it somewhat. What I didn't notice to any great extent was their success on the high brass relative to low brass.
To me, it falls back to the "Inner Game" ideas...a DO instruction, like "pull your lips back toward your teeth" causes more tension because the kid is worried about that position. My approach, which has been really effective over many more years than that specific guy has been teaching, is a motorboat approach, or even a Harley. The kids relate to it well....tuba is a big ol' Harley at a stoplight, bone more like one going down the road sorta slow, trumpet more like a crotch rocket. I rarely mention "faster air" or "bigger mouth opening" or anything. If the kid is seriously not getting it, I have them put a pen into their mouth, then their pinky. The center of the lips should be something like those. I don't tell the kid HOW to do it, just give them the source of the sensation. That almost always works.
I also use things like "blow a hole through my hand" while moving my hand higher and lower...almost always they pivot the mouthpiece appropriately while keeping their head at the original angle.
It's funny....that particular MS (call it School B) is parallel to the one where I teach 2nd and 3rd year low brass players (School A). This was my first year, and the kids at School A had much better fundamental ability at the start of the year than the kids at School B....School's B's teacher is married to the HS guy who was giving the sermon.
Discuss, please. With civility and humbleness, if you would.
The lead guy at the HS is a woodwind player with lots of years experience teaching HS, and presumably beginners at some point. He had a very interesting comment which led into an oration the other night. Specifics aren't important, but the essence is:
The common method of buzzing on a mouthpiece is a bad way to get a kid started. It automatically creates tension which causes problems. A much more natural way to put the mouthpiece in the instrument and have them go at it right away. If there is any problem with tone production, tell the kid to move her/his lips closer or farther from the teeth, and that will resolve the issue.
While I can see his point about lips and teeth position, I don't like that approach. That specific night was the worst I've had this year for kids buzzing first or second try. (on the mouthpiece, c'mon, stay serious here folks). Probably half of them were at his table trying trumpet and horn before they came to me with a euph, and I noticed that several, at least, of the ones with the hardest time getting a sound on the euph mouthpiece and/or instrument were in that group. We had a sheet writing comments for the teacher, so I could track it somewhat. What I didn't notice to any great extent was their success on the high brass relative to low brass.
To me, it falls back to the "Inner Game" ideas...a DO instruction, like "pull your lips back toward your teeth" causes more tension because the kid is worried about that position. My approach, which has been really effective over many more years than that specific guy has been teaching, is a motorboat approach, or even a Harley. The kids relate to it well....tuba is a big ol' Harley at a stoplight, bone more like one going down the road sorta slow, trumpet more like a crotch rocket. I rarely mention "faster air" or "bigger mouth opening" or anything. If the kid is seriously not getting it, I have them put a pen into their mouth, then their pinky. The center of the lips should be something like those. I don't tell the kid HOW to do it, just give them the source of the sensation. That almost always works.
I also use things like "blow a hole through my hand" while moving my hand higher and lower...almost always they pivot the mouthpiece appropriately while keeping their head at the original angle.
It's funny....that particular MS (call it School B) is parallel to the one where I teach 2nd and 3rd year low brass players (School A). This was my first year, and the kids at School A had much better fundamental ability at the start of the year than the kids at School B....School's B's teacher is married to the HS guy who was giving the sermon.
Discuss, please. With civility and humbleness, if you would.