TromboneChat

Hi, this week I discovered something interesting... at least for me.

I discovered that if I tried to buzz the mouthpiece loose in my face like I play the trombone, the only way to have a buzz is to increase the pressure on my face with the mouthpiece.

I tried to freebuzz and then bring the mouthpiece on top of it and realize that I just need to slightly make a mild contact to my face to have a seal.

It make me realize that my way of playing is air pumpin' into the horn and mouthpiece pressure to make my lips vibrate, and it's maybe because of that that I have air leaks at my mouth corners air cheeks puff and lots of other troubles when I play.

Buzzing is in no way realistic in terms of actual note production. It can have some positive value, but we don't make sound on trombone the same way we buzz a mouthpiece. If you want to correct your other issues, study with a teacher who understands the trombone and how sound is made on it. Your teacher can, and should keep an eye on your whole face, and let you know when you start to slip into the bad habit of allowing your muscular control to falter. You have to have a certain amount of pressure of the mouthpiece on your face just to make an air-seal. Ideally, just enough to seal is all we want. If you get a proper supported breath, and a proper natural embouchure, you will be able to control leaks at the corners of your mouth, puffing, etc. GET A GOOD TEACHER TO WORK WITH YOU ON THESE THINGS!

Go the other way: make sound on the trombone and then slowly pull the mouthpiece away, trying to keep the lips vibrating. This will help you get a feel for how to firm up the corners.

Also, rather than thinking about NOT puffing your cheeks, think about keeping the insides of your cheeks against your teeth. Something to DO rather than something NOT to do.