Weird vocalizations while playing

[Zoop Soup]

Whenever I'm practicing, I can often notice odd sounds (for lack of a better word) coming from in my mouth/throat. They don't sound like air escaping corners or sloshing around, they sound like small vocalizations or grunts. Others that I've played with have noticed this as well. What's happening in there?

I have been playing tuba for 2 1/2 years and this has been happening as long as I have played (just never asked about it)

[Doug Elliott]

You need to get used to the feeling of a free flow of air with your tongue down and out of the way. The only slight resistance should be at the embouchure. There are various way to work on that.

One thing I suggest is to purposely play multiphonics where you're playing one note and singing another. That way you can identify the feeling of that, and separate it from the feeling of free flow without the vocalization.

Practice off the horn, exhaling with the embouchure formed but just blowing air through easily. Go back and forth between that and singing through it, so you realize and feel the difference. Do the same thing on the Tuba but not actually playing, just blowing through a formed embouchure.

Become more aware of your tongue position and feeling of your throat and entire air passageway so you learn how to control it.

Your lips should be just barely touching each other so air will flow freely and they will vibrate easily. Sometimes vocalization will accompany an embouchure that is too tight, mashing your lips together, or too open. Find exactly the right point where the air flows freely and vibration starts easily.

This is actually a common problem.

[Zoop Soup]

Thanks Doug, I'll work on those things in my upcoming practices.

Playing more, I'm noticing that these noises occur exclusively at the end of notes. The attack has no extra sound, but as the note is ending, the noise comes in. If I hold a note and tongue it or move between notes tonguing, there is no noise, but as soon as I cut off the note entirely it sounds. Does this mean it's a tonguing issue? I wouldn't be surprised if so, I've always been bad at articulation (even on sax before I switched over )

[fenne1ca]

I've had an issue like what you describe off and on for years now. Ever since I started heavy use of multiphonics, I find myself sometimes vocalizing accidentally when playing loud slurred passages in a certain range (Bb2-E2). It's entirely involuntary, and is done in seconds, but it's enough to distract the horn player in my quintet. It's infrequent enough to not bother correcting, but it seems to have a lot to do with the increased flexibility and air flow my vocal folds have developed over the years.

[eupher61]

If its happening at the ends of notes...is it every note, whether 16th or whole?

I have a feeling bloke is on the right line. It takes activarion of the palate to kick the vocal cords into action. If that is the issue.

More investigation is needed. A teacher is also needed for you.

Try this: if your mouthpiece will fit between your teeth, hold it loosely between your teeth--don't bite down, hold it with one hand also--close your lips around the mouthpiece and exhale as if playing the tuba. If the noise happens, it's likely that you're letting your palate move too much, and too easily.

Away from tuba and mouthpiece, does this happen?