PRESIDENT'S TOOLKIT

PRESIDENT’S TOOLKIT: To buzz or not to buzz …

BY MATTHEW GEE

I have asked myself this question many times during my career and I will state now that I do not have the answer. Traditionally this is something we do at the very start of our practice in order to get the lips in a ready state and warmed-up for more strenuous playing with instrument in hand. Over the years I have experimented by going six months without any sort of buzzing in my practice and contrasted that with periods of extensive buzzing. And, I learnt a lot during these times, most importantly not to get totally reliant upon having to buzz before you play – some days a warm-up is a luxury. Just recently I had to drive two hours to Malvern for a 9am rehearsal. This left me with a matter of minutes during which to warm-up and make sure I could perform all that was required of me.

The psychology of how we approach the instrument is very important. As I student I relied on an hour of flexibilities and exercises before I was happy to play in public. This approach was clearly not possible when I started working in the profession and I had to almost wean myself off it. The answer was to keep it simple: air and vibration. A relaxed air with a strong vibration is all we need to make a great sound on the trombone.

But let us get back to the question in hand. Buzzing on the mouthpiece offers a totally different resistance to that we experience when playing the trombone, so its merit is questionable. However, I find buzzing in the following situations very beneficial:

1. If you have had a tough blow the day before, your lips are a little battered and bruised and you need to get some blood flowing to repair them.

Try descending, two-octave glisses at the start of the day (see video).

2. When you are learning a piece with some awkward intervals. Buzz the passage a few times on the mouthpiece. This really helps to tune in the ear and ensures the air follows the shape of the phrase. 3. To work on your sound. I usually work on this well into my practice session when I am nicely warmed-up, not straight out of the case. Buzz some simple, scalic passages as quietly as you can while maintaining an even buzz. This allows you to completely focus on what the lips are doing. The more vibration we can get on the air column the better our sound on the instrument.

This has been one of the most beneficial exercises that I use on a daily basis.

As we have discussed previously, certain rules apply: hold the mouthpiece between finger and thumb in your weak hand; keep the pressure between the mouthpiece and your face light. It needs only be a seal between the mouthpiece and your lips; try to create good habits in your practice room. This is your journey, what works for me may not work for you, so keep questioning your playing and always strive for the best sound you can. ◆

CLICK HERE FOR EXAMPLES OF EXERCISES MATTHEW DISCUSSES IN THIS EDITION’S PRESIDENT’S TOOLKIT.