Does this thing really work ?

[oldbandnerd]

Look at this listing for a B.E.R.P. being sold on ebay .


http://cgi.ebay.com/5-Trombone-Euphoniu ... dZViewItem


Does it work ? Is it worth the money ?

[Doug@GT]

Wouldn't you "spray" all over your horn using one of these?

Doug "who finds it easier to wipe his hand than to polish his horn"

[Lew]

Depends on what you mean by "work"?

Is it a piece of plastic that holds your mouthpiece? Yup - works fine.

Does it change the way your horn responds by clamping it to the leadpipe? Nope.

Would you get far better results by putting the mouthpiece in the leadpipe and playing the horn instead of playing on a plastic tube? Do I really need to answer that one?

It is for a different purpose though than just playing the horn. Many teachers recommend buzzing the mouthpiece separately from the horn to build a more consistent and stronger embouchure. The idea of the BERP is to be able to buzz while using the valves to be able to directly transfer the feel when actually playing. They suggest buzzing a note through the BERP then directly moving the mouthpiece to the horn to see how that buzz sounds through the instrument. That's why it clamps to the leadpipe. It also allows one to add a little resistance to buzzing if desired. The original ones went into the receiver, but the concept of the newer ones is to be able to buzz on the mouthpiece and then move the mouthpiece to the receiver to play the same notes without having to pull the BERP off.

I'm not sure if this works, but it sounds like a good idea to be able to buzz while playing the valves. I have the original metal version, but rarely use it, because I usually buzz when I'm not near a horn (but that's a personal problem).

Wouldn't you "spray" all over your horn using one of these?

Doug "who finds it easier to wipe his hand than to polish his horn"

No, because the end is closed off, although there is a hole on the side. Most of the moisture that comes out of a horn is condensation, not "spit."

[happyroman]

I would buy one directly from the manufacturer, rather than a used one on the auction site.

They are an incredibly valuable training aid, if used properly.

When I was a student, Mr. Jacobs had me (and others) have a mouthpiece cut so that only the rim and shank were left so that one could buzz while holding the instrument as if acually playing. He felt that the act of playing on the rim (or mouthpiece) while doing the actual fingerings was a great ear training method. The act of fingering the valves reinforced the pitch you were trying to get while buzzing.

In addition to buzzing on the mouthpiece or rim (i.e., visualizer) alone, the combination of doing it while simulating playing was a great tool.

The new BERP does basically the same thing. The best part is that you can play a passage on the BERP and then immediately repeat it with the MP in the instrument. Going back and forth like this is a very efficient way to practice.

The only problem I have encountered is that the diameter of the device does not work well with a larger or E shank mouthpiece. If I were to buy another one, I would have it bored out a little so the MP would fit in further. Still, I highly recommend the BERP as a pratcice aid.

[Chuck(G)]

I made a similar ear training aid with a hunk of clear vinyl tubing and a kazoo. Pull the main tuning slide and replace it with the kazoo+tube setup. The buzz is good and loud and you're actually blowing through your horn. Total cost, as I recall, was less than $2.

[ThomasDodd]

I made a similar ear training aid with a hunk of clear vinyl tubing and a kazoo. Pull the main tuning slide and replace it with the kazoo+tube setup. The buzz is good and loud and you're actually blowing through your horn. Total cost, as I recall, was less than $2.

I'd love to see a picture of that.

Playing a Kazoo with a tuba MP. What a concept.

[Tom]

I made my own similar device...

I took a chunk of brass similar in size and shape to a euro shank on a tuba mouthpiece and soldered to the outside of the brass shank "plug" a tapered brass ring to it that's about the size of a euro shank reciever in diameter.

The result is that the brass shank "plug" fits into the receiver and the mouthpiece fits in the ring so that you can buzz and finger along in "playing position." The real mouthpiece can be used by pulling the entire assembly out of the reciever and turning it 180 degrees so that the real mouthpiece goes into the reciever and the "berp one" hangs off to the side.

My design does not have any kind of variable resistance mechanism, but a piece of clear tubing with or without holes in it could easily be used to create some extra resistance.

It works well and is far easier to use than the plastic ones that have to be mounted to your horn and mine works with a euro shank while the plastic berp won't.

If you're handy, it's REALLY easy to make...the hardest part is coming up with the right parts to solder together.

[MaryAnn]

Some teachers are crazy about them; some teachers are also crazy about playing with a stop mute. I never found that either one helped me at all. If you have trouble telling what pitch you're buzzing, and you want to zero in on how close you are....not sure you need a berp, but you might have fun playing with one. I have one, because a former teacher wanted me to buy it, and I never use it.
MA

[ufoneum]

It is simply a pedagogical tool, nothing more. Some people buy into it, others don't. Luckily, it isn't too aweful expensive to give it a try. I use it, but do try it for yourself.

[Joe Baker]

My cheapo Conn 10J has a built-in berp: a tuning slide in the leadpipe!

But I usually just do whatever buzzing I'm going to do in the car. I bought an oil-filler cap with an open/close feature and a clear plastic tube, like this:


I cut the tube just about in half, inserting my mouthpiece into the tube (a perfect fit!). Using the on/off valve, I can set exactly as much or as little resistance as I want. I haven't done it, but you could even outfit it with a bell (a sawed-off round bottle; the cap comes with adapters to fit several bottle thread sizes).

Total cost: about $3. Well, that plus the cost of the Kellyburg...
_________________________________
Joe Baker, who doesn't actually use this nearly as much as he should.

[Chuck(G)]

I made a similar ear training aid with a hunk of clear vinyl tubing and a kazoo. Pull the main tuning slide and replace it with the kazoo+tube setup. The buzz is good and loud and you're actually blowing through your horn. Total cost, as I recall, was less than $2.

I'd love to see a picture of that.

Playing a Kazoo with a tuba MP. What a concept.

It's simplicity itself. Hang it on a mouthpiece or substitute it for a tuning slide. It seems to have about the right amount of resistance and you can hear articulation very clearly (which is mostly why I use it).

I can't claim credit for having thought it up; that goes to Richard Frazier, who calls it a "buzoo".

Sometimes a music store will pass these out as advertising gimmicks, which lowers your cost to whatever a piece of tape and a few inches of vinyl tubing cost.

If the kazoo uses a paper diaphragm, eventually you're going to blow it out, as it gets saturated with moisture. Just substitute a piece of cling (Saran) wrap and you're back in business.