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Hey guys, what's good?
Anyways I was thinking, and was wondering, what's the affect of cheek puffing when playing? I've watched stuff where the player is barely puffing and he sounds real good. On the other hand, I've seen stuff where the player is puffing a good amount and sounds darn good.

I've noticed that I puff a bit once I start approaching louder dynamics. I can't be the only one though.

Tuboss2 wrote:Hey guys, what's good?.

A big roast beef sandwich is good.


I dunno anything about cheek puffing, other than Dizzy's weird puff being iconic.

Air that goes into inflating the cheeks does not go into producing sound, so in that sense it is a wasteful habit. It also tends to stretch the lips horizontally, resulting in less meat in the mouthpiece.
BUT if you have a problem with air escaping from the sides of your mouth sometimes a little puffing out can help seal the leak.

I would mind a roast beef sandwhich, but sesame chicken with fried rice sounds better. Can't beat Chinese take out.

And bloke, I see what you're saying, but wouldn't it be appropriate to think that when one is pushing and using so much air, there's bound to be some cheek puff?
And the guy has darn good control over his embourchure.

Not all cheek puffing is bad. I have a narrow face so it always looks like I'm puffing slightly. There are anatomical reasons as well.

bloke wrote:I ain't arguin' with nobody.

Do what you like.

+1 to this.

There are a lot of physical issues that affect playing a lot more than cheek puffing does. None of them are as easily diagnosable as cheek puffing.

So, am I saying that a cheek puffing diagnosis sometimes is a lazy conclusion by a teacher who doesn't want to dig any deeper into how to help the student in more substantive ways? Of course I'm not saying that . . .

Tuboss2 wrote:Hey guys, what's good?
Anyways I was thinking, and was wondering, what's the affect of cheek puffing when playing? I've watched stuff where the player is barely puffing and he sounds real good. On the other hand, I've seen stuff where the player is puffing a good amount and sounds darn good.

I've noticed that I puff a bit once I start approaching louder dynamics. I can't be the only one though.

You're definitely NOT the only one. I've known a few players who puff a little and one or two that puff alot. I don't let my cheeks puff very much when I play.
I did have one section mate who thought he should puff his cheeks, but it never worked well for his sound. We eventually convinced him that he sounded better when he did not puff his cheeks.

If you want a good 2nd opinion on if YOU should puff your cheeks, play something short for one of the guys you know from Marching Band.
Have him (or her) tell you what each one sounds like. Decide based on which sound you're going for. If they hear a bunch of air escaping on either try, then you should probably try something different.

Puffing my cheeks prevents my eyeballs from popping out of my head due to the pressure.

Seriously though, I only puff on occasion in the low register (below g or f) to equalize pressure and soften the sound a bit.

I'll puff somewhat if I'm trying to relax my lips.
Other than that, be careful you don't blow your house down.

for me , cheek puffing was not good. I did not have a lot of flexibility and my attacks were inconsistent.

when I am having trouble starting notes, I know for sure I am puffing my cheeks again. it is hard habit to break but If you work with a mirror eventually you will get passed it.

I know players that sound great with cheek puffing but I am not one of them. in college I was always at the middle of pack because of it. I worked my tail off but I was not consistent.

my teacher jay bertolet is probably one of the best at diagnosing player problems. if you ever in the south florida area give him a call,. he is the best teacher I ever had.

I have to puff a little when I circular breathe, otherwise not.

luke_hollis wrote:Puffing my cheeks prevents my eyeballs from popping out of my head due to the pressure.

Seriously though, I only puff on occasion in the low register (below g or f) to equalize pressure and soften the sound a bit.

Same, once I get to the lower extremities of my range I begin to buff. Otherwise, not as much.

A question I pose to y'all, it may seem unlikely but can puffing happen in the higher octaves as well? It may not happen as much but is it still a possiblity?

I let my cheeks a bit when I play as it keeps things relaxed. Alan Baer puffs his cheeks quite a bit as, for him, it increases the size of the oral cavity and adds more resonance to the sound.

Roger

I always thought that when there is no need for muscles to be stiff, they should be relaxed to achieve the best sound (?)
I honestly dont think that the loss of a few mililitres of moving air is that important.

Resonance to the sound...that's funny. Now that you mention it, when I puff my texture changes a bit. Sound becomes a bit more thicker, like another coating over the fundamental if that makes sense. Might be a correlation. I think puffing becomes bad ones it starts affecting tone quality and note starts and player range/dynamic.