Do you take your mouthpiece on holiday?

[samopn]

As the subject says, do you ever take your mouthpiece on holiday with you?

I have this suspicion that (ignoring the weight in your luggage and having to explain it to the customs official) it's worth having to hand so you can do the odd bit of buzzing now and again.

That way you have some sort of condition of your chops so your first band call isn't too disasterous.

[BGuttman]

I have an extra mouthpiece that "lives" in my suitcase. When I did travel it went with me. I used it about 25% of the times I traveled. Did it help? Not as much as a gentle practice session when I got home.

[Burgerbob]

No one will ever notice your mouthpiece. That's definitely not a worry!

[Posaunus]

I carry two mouthpieces (small and large-shank) with me when I travel near trombone playing friends, just in case I get invited to play with them. It's now happened 3 times - what a treat to renew old friendships and make music together!

[AndrewMeronek]

I've never found that mouthpiece buzzing is all that useful as a way to stay in shape. If a trip is long enough that I'm concerned, I'll just take the trombone.

[timothy42b]

I've had TSA comment on a mouthpiece in a carry on but never give me any hassle about it.

[mrdeacon]

I've had TSA comment on a mouthpiece in a carry on but never give me any hassle about it.

I've never had anyone comment when I bring my entire instrument but if I have my mouthpiece in a separate bag I sometimes get a comment. Never been hassled over it though.

[BGuttman]

If you want to see a hassle, bring a bunch of test circuit boards on a trip. Really gets raised eyebrows. Even if they are unpopulated.

[ArbanRubank]

I bought a Yamaha Silent Brass system when I want to take my horn along but don't want to irritate anyone in whose home I am a guest. Otherwise, a spare mpc to blow a few daily long-tones against a tuner app suffices.

[baileyman]

Yes. But also a banged up NY 6 in a plastic French case and matching practice mute. Some things just must be done...

Early morning long tones in a hotel lobby work pretty well when the rest of the crew is snoozing.

[HenryLooma]

Play with a metronome at a very steady pace. When you can play perfectly every time speed up a bit. Dont speed up until you can play it perfectly

Do you have a piano teacher?

[samopn]

HenryLooma

I think I may have missed something. I'm not sure how your comment about using a metronome is related to this discussion....

[Fidbone]

No........ A Holiday is just that, a Holiday

[harrisonreed]

If you are planning on borrowing a horn to practice on at your destination, then it's a great idea.

If you are just bringing it to buzz on....

[samopn]

Wow, Well, there's nothing like being put in your place by an expert, is there.

I'd never thought of it like that... makes total sense

[harrisonreed]

To be fair, many if not a majority of pedagogues disagree with him. These same people also don't have 80+ solo CDs

[ArbanRubank]

I have to wonder if Mr Lindberg has become world-class adept at playing two musical instruments in two ever-so slightly different ways:

1) The trombone mouthpiece

2) The trombone (with mouthpiece)

[Doubler]

If you are planning on borrowing a horn to practice on at your destination, then it's a great idea.

If you are just bringing it to buzz on....

Excellent video. As I understand it, you're activating the column of air in the instrument when you play, and you're not amplifying nor complementing a vibration. The sound is the lips' response to the column of air being activated by the movement of air through the embouchure, not the horn responding to vibration generated by the lips. In other words, the vibration is a reaction, not a source.

[Pre59]

.. if CL practiced on the mouthpiece until he did produce a beautiful sound, where would that leave his argument?

[harrisonreed]

.. if CL practiced on the mouthpiece until he did produce a beautiful sound, where would that leave his argument?

You're missing the point of his video. Making a good sound on the mouthpiece causes you to do things differently than when you add the resistance of an entire instrument onto your mouthpiece. He wouldn't sound like himself on the trombone if he worked on getting the two equal.

You're basically assuming that using the trombone as a megaphone for a "good" buzz is better than playing and resonating the entire trombone as one system.

[Bonearzt]

We have had this argument regarding Mr. Lindberg's video and thought process SOO many freakin times already!! Why regurgitate it ad nauseum??
If it don't work for you, then don't do it!


To the OP:
I have a spare mouthpiece that I take with wherever I go.
I find that buzzing helps warm up my lips before I get on my horn and that's all I have to be concerned with.




Eric

[Savio]

Mouthpiece in holiday? No, and this year I might even leave my wife and children at home. (hope she dont read this forum........ )

Leif

[harrisonreed]

We have had this argument regarding Mr. Lindberg's video and thought process SOO many freakin times already!! Why regurgitate it ad nauseum??
If it don't work for you, then don't do it!


To the OP:
I have a spare mouthpiece that I take with wherever I go.
I find that buzzing helps warm up my lips before I get on my horn and that's all I have to be concerned with.




Eric

Because it's worth discussing! Also, I think you're thinking of trombone forum, not this site. Clearly the OP hadn't heard of that approach of thinking, so I'm OK here, I think!

[Bonearzt]

Maybe so regarding the two Forums, hopefully it won't go much farther here.


Eric

[henrikbe]

Excellent video. As I understand it, you're activating the column of air in the instrument when you play, and you're not amplifying nor complementing a vibration. The sound is the lips' response to the column of air being activated by the movement of air through the embouchure, not the horn responding to vibration generated by the lips. In other words, the vibration is a reaction, not a source.

I think this is spot on. When I buzz, I do something very different than when I play the whole instrument. When I buzz the mouthpiece, I buzz. When I play the whole instrument, I blow. The job performed by the lips is very different. And the feeling in the lips is very different.

But on the other hand: If I start my very first warm up of the day with a minute or two of mouthpiece buzzing, the sound is much better when I start playing on the whole instrument (at least for the first five minutes or so). So clearly, mouthpiece buzzing has some advantage (for me, anyway), but maybe only as a way to get the blood flowing in the embouchure. But it could still be slightly advantageous to bring the mp on a holiday, as I suppose just getting the blood flowing will help keeping the embouchure in shape.

[ArbanRubank]

We have had this argument regarding Mr. Lindberg's video and thought process SOO many freakin times already!! Why regurgitate it ad nauseum??
...
Eric

Lol! Quite literally - a buzz kill!

Because it's worth discussing! Also, I think you're thinking of trombone forum, not this site. Clearly the OP hadn't heard of that approach of thinking, so I'm OK here, I think!

Agreed!

I don't do hardly any mpc-buzzing. My mpc isn't slotted for partials. So when I try to mpc-buzz, say a concert Bb, how do I know it's in tune - unless I'm buzzing against a tuner. If I don't buzz against a tuner and even if I do - if I train myself to buzz a Bb on the mpc - and without my knowing, it's either sharp or flat - then I might transfer that to my horn and wonder why I sound more wonky than usual (lol). I found out the hard way that mpc-buzzing for an extended time away from my horn actually does me more harm than good.

...
But on the other hand: If I start my very first warm up of the day with a minute or two of mouthpiece buzzing, the sound is much better when I start playing on the whole instrument (at least for the first five minutes or so). So clearly, mouthpiece buzzing has some advantage (for me, anyway), but maybe only as a way to get the blood flowing in the embouchure. But it could still be slightly advantageous to bring the mp on a holiday, as I suppose just getting the blood flowing will help keeping the embouchure in shape.

That's the conclusion I came to for myself as well!

[Pre59]

You're basically assuming that using the trombone as a megaphone for a "good" buzz is better than playing and resonating the entire trombone as one system.

No, but I've found that taking care to get a good musicial buzz helps me in many basic ways. I may have passed the point where I'm not getting any further benefit from it, but I believe that it still works for me, and it was instrumental in straightening my chops out. I can live with that.

[Doubler]

I have been remiss in not answering samopn's original question. As much as I like trombone, it is not my primary instrument, and I do not play my trombone on a daily basis. I am fortunate to be able to get a good sound on trombone without daily reinforcement, I think as a result of my many more years of playing trumpet. For me the transition is fairly natural, and I do not have difficulty switching among my instruments.

That having been said, the trumpet is a demanding taskmistress requiring high maintenance for the relationship to go well. As such, I take my (trumpet) mouthpiece with me whenever I travel, and It is enclosed in my pocket trumpet case, along with the pocket trumpet, of course. It is my belief that you can't replicate actually playing a horn by just using part of the horn, and having a compact means of playing the trumpet helps me stay in shape when I'm away from home.

I have traveled with a hose trumpet in the past, and if I played trombone and/or other low brass only, I would pack a hose trombone in my suitcase, so that I could have the mouthpiece on my face as regularly as my trip allowed. Keeping nasties out of the tubing can be aided by the use of Herco Spitballs, something I highly recommend for all brass instruments, as well, tubas and sousaphones excluded due to there not being a product large enough available, to my knowledge.

[samopn]

Thanks for your "back to basics" answer Doubler. The readon behind the question is that in a couple of months we're going on a 'trip of a lifetime' holiday across the world for a month and I'm toying with the idea of packing the mouthpiece.

Don't expect there'll be room for a hose trombone (and I can't imagine my wife being impressed) but that's something to think about.

I've never come across Herco spitballs but have just done some research. Looks a good idea, but don't they get stuck in the valves and tight bends?

[Doubler]

Thanks for your "back to basics" answer Doubler. The readon behind the question is that in a couple of months we're going on a 'trip of a lifetime' holiday across the world for a month and I'm toying with the idea of packing the mouthpiece.

Don't expect there'll be room for a hose trombone (and I can't imagine my wife being impressed) but that's something to think about.

I've never come across Herco spitballs but have just done some research. Looks a good idea, but don't they get stuck in the valves and tight bends?

A coil of clear plastic hose from the hardware store in a large clear baggie won't take up much space. You don't need a funnel, unless you want a semblance of timbre. When I used a hose, I bought a little more than I needed and then used a tuner to determine the right length, trimming a little at a time. With a hose trombone/trumpet, I focus on resonance more than intonation, and I keep in mind that resistance will be different than that of a horn. One small drawback is that condensation will continually drip out the end, so have a receptacle handy. A towel will do.

Herco Spitballs do NOT get caught anywhere unless you don't press the valves all the way down on a valved instrument. I only had one instance where I had a mishap; there was enough pressure to send a loose second valve slide of a trumpet onto the floor. The carpeting prevented any damage. On a trombone, just one Spitball will do; on a valved instrument, one with all the valves up and one with all the valves down suffices. Putting the mouthpiece in after inserting the Spitball and pushing it in with a cotton swab seems to impart more velocity to the process. Just give it a good strong blow, and it flies out the bell. As the instructions say, never reuse one!