Literally Jaw-Dropping! | "J for Jaw" | Trumpet A-Z, S01E10

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Thanks for watching, everybody! If you have questions or other feedback, please comment here.

[@neocolors]

So the best exercise for the jaw is the jaws theme!

[@swingintrumpet3864]

Bryan, great stuff! I’m currently taking lessons with a guy out of Texas named Clint McLaughlin! He gives lessons to all the big wigs. Your jaw comments go right in line with what he’s been teaching me, that my jaw really doesn’t need to be low at all. I continue to develop a huge, warm sound, great control, great intonation, and a really great high range (we’re trying to combine the sounds of Rex Richardson with Doc Severinsen). Great stuff!

[@brittwright1070]

I needed this. Thank you for putting these lessons out there.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

I’m glad it’s helpful. Thanks for watching.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

If you attempted to download the "Pivot Stabilizer Reloaded" PDF, we made a mistake and the link was broken. We apologize for any inconvenience. It has now been fixed - please visit wp.me/p8uiMo-8S/#pdfdownload and resubmit the form.

[@CaptainQueue]

Right on, thank you. I believe dropping my jaw explains my limited ceiling and pinchy sound above the staff. This was pointed out to me about 6 months ago from another pro player. Dropping jaw led me to adding tension in face to change notes (especially tongue), and stretching back the lips. A too open jaw is most likely the number one reason why I could not improve and I would practice until severe lip fatigue. I even dropped out of playing altogether several times due to lack of progress. Where were you 25 years ago!

[@SteamMikey]

This was a game changer for me. I've read other material about tongue position but with this exercise I finally 'got it'. Thanks!

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

I’m so glad to have been helpful! Thanks for taking time to say so.

[@SteamMikey]

@@AirflowMusicNYC Hi Bryan. I'm really getting a lot from these videos. I posted a 'contact us' on your website last weekend - are you getting those? All the best.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

I’m traveling right now and haven’t checked the site in a couple of days. I’ll find it and get back to you sometime today.

[@markanthonymamagat2298]

Thanks Bryan for your wonderful videos that helps us alot! ... Thanks for the free download as well.. Happy new year! And May God Bless you more for sharing everything you know ahout trumpet 🎺 playing...

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

I’m glad I’m being helpful. Thanks for watching.

[@jodybliss5725]

Another winner! I've been working exactly this. Aside from it being an exercise to develop control, is there practical use in playing times?

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Just little things like playing in tune. 😜 Also for when you need vocal inflections in your music.

[@pakek]

I've tryed this advice today because i've been having trouble playing the low tones while adapting to a new mouthpiece ( i use a Schilke 24 and just bought a schilke 13a4a lead mouthpiece). It's a big change in mouthpiece sizes and this excercise worked almost instantly eliminating the jaw/head down gesture when playing low tones and it makes flexibility much easier because there is no need for mouthpiece reset or embouchure change. Thank you very much, your videos had help me a lot!

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

I’m so glad to have been helpful. Thanks for watching.

[@claudioflabiano372]

I've signed to download but no link appears or if the text >> Download "The Pivot Stabilizer Reloaded"

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Thanks for letting us know. We’ll check on that right away!

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Thanks again for letting us know. The link has now been fixed.

[@mounir7656]

I suffer from fatigue and tension in the jaw muscle while playing. I cannot play for a long time. Is there a solution?

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Most likely, yes. However, there are many possible causes. It would be most quickly and easily diagnosed in a lesson with a knowledgeable teacher. That could be me, or somebody else. Please contact me through AirflowMusic.com if you’d like to discuss further.

[@humusiclab8974]

Interesting video. Do you feel that the jaw is floating forward and staying in place with the tongue and lips only moving? Seems like the stabilizer of for the jaw, but isn’t that stable jaw floating?

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

I'm not sure what the jaw "floating" means - can you explain what that means to you? The point is that we should minimize any opening and closing as we change registers. If you like, we're talking about stabilizing the vertical motion of the jaw. To reiterate, we tend to do that instead of allowing the tongue level to change independently, which it's very capable of doing.

[@humusiclab8974]

@@AirflowMusicNYC I agree about preventing the the jaw dropping- or as Faddis said he brings it back up. The "floating jaw" as coined by David Hickman, is the position where a lot of players move the jaw forward to align the teeth better, versus fixed jaw, where the natural overbite stays- such as bel pointing down. Cat Anderson method is floating jaw, like Maggio and others. Doing the pencil exercise with pencil held horizontally is also floating jaw. I like the stabilizer exercises to reinforce stable vertical motion, keeping it minimized for both a fixed jaw (natural to some players) and floating (where the mandible moves forward. But theusingyour videos and food for thought.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Thank for reminding me about David Hickman's use of that term. I knew it was familiar. David and I spent a week together at a festival in Mexico, some years ago, and we did discuss it briefly. With that notion, we get into some interesting territory. I would argue that the jaw is only "fixed", in that sense, if we're playing with our teeth closed. Most people play with their teeth open to a degree and, in that position, the front teeth tend to be more in alignment with each other - that seems to be the definition of "floating". Whether they've retrained their natural angle, or even played at it in the first place, is almost a separate issue in many cases. Certainly in the cases of the methods you mentioned, it depends on the physical makeup of the person practicing them whether they are fixed or floating jaw. In the case of the pencil exercise, it depends on which version you're doing - i.e. between or in front of the teeth - and what you're judging "horizontally" to be, in relation to your physical makeup and posture at the time. I don't write any of this to suggest that either of us is right or wrong here. I appreciate you taking time to comment and raising some interesting points. I've enjoyed considering them in a broader context than I may have done previously.

[@humusiclab8974]

@@AirflowMusicNYC Understood. I only meant that the jaw is usually contacted with pressure from the mouthpiece, depending on the register. The movement gets exaggerated depending on the physical stability / structural support of the teeth is not consistent without movement. The "stabilizer" exercises seem to work by unconsciously supporting and reinforcing the need for stable connection - for many people. The floating jaw issue comes up as the player changing register tends to move the horn angle to connect with the jaw, or the jaw is moved (floated?) forward out of rating alignment to somewhat push against the mouthpiece to establish/ maintain connection. Moving neither horn angle nor jaw position means one register tends to airballs out- either when deciding or ascending. These movements are small and sometimes overlooked in deference to using more air or playing louder/ softer for interval changes. Thanks again for the series. Good stuff!!

[@ivanburaschibernasconi]

Hi Bryan! Great videos! I agree tongue motion should be independent from the motion of the jaw... however what would the "natural" position be? Do you think the jaw should be as low as possible on EVERY note on the trumpet in order to get a bigger sound? (by "as low as possible" I mean that the teeth should be open approximately as wide as the mpc rim) or do you think the "natural" position is not neccesarily an "open" one? Hope it was clear enough on this concern! Thanks in advance!

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Hi Ivan. Thanks for watching! That's an interesting question. Certainly, the jaw should not be "as low as possible" since that would have your mouth wide open! ;-) My general position tip is to close the mouth/lips in a relaxed position as if saying M or "Em". For me, that means that my teeth are slightly parted, but less than they would be if I was doing the pencil exercise, for example. I'm not sure I have the means to measure that distance, but it's probably something like 1-2mm. Basically, enough space for air to pass unobstructed, but close enough for the teeth to support the lips in supplying a firm foundation for the mouthpiece to rest on. I just did a quick playtest, and learned that that's the position they remain in across all registers, for me anyway. Thinking about it further, as I write this, I realize that the space between the teeth is probably similar to the size of the mouthpiece throat. Certainly not as wide as the mouthpiece rim/cup! This is interesting - I have some stuff to check out... A fun afternoon is ahead of me!! Thank you for inspiring it! :-)

[@ivanburaschibernasconi]

Airflow Music thanks so much for the response I have just remembered that distance between the teeth was suggested by Eric Mishashiro on one of his Masterclasses... Still is something open to discussing as everything related to trumpet playing 🙃 regards and thanks for the response!

[@CrawfishReport]

I, too, am not satisfied with not being able to do a lip trill. I'm a trad jazz player and the lip trill adds so much to a solo. It seems so easy to do the lip bend by lowering the jaw but the whole idea is to not lower the jaw? It's driving me crazy. I'm just starting on the exercise at 70 bpm. I know you'll say "just keep at it," but how long before I should start seeing some results? Tell me, Obi Wan!

[@Giledhil01]

Hi, and thanks for those really nice videos you're posting. It's really great stuff ! I have a quick question about this one : The proposed exercise deals with jaw dropping when going down to a lower register. Could that type of method be used to deal with inappropriate jaw movement when going up? My example is, when I try to get to the upper register, my lower jaw has a habit of receding, getting my horn in a very low angle, and, more importantly, leaving the upper lip alone to support the pressure from the mouthpiece. Could this be adressed with such an exercise, but unsing a different (inverse?) note pattern?

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Glad you’ve found the videos helpful. Thanks for watching. I suppose there could be something similar for dealing with jaw movement as you ascend. Trying ascending by arpeggio, then covering the same register with a chromatic scale. Is the jaw movement the same in both cases?

[@Giledhil01]

The jaw movement is way smaller when playing chromatically - at least working from a low note then ascending - than when playing intervals (or tring to start from a high note).

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

That’s normal for a jaw-based pivot. How does the movement compare when decrescendoing as you ascend?

[@Giledhil01]

I don't see much a difference with the decrescendo - I am trying to play quite soft anyway since I used to play with too much force. But I really think that I'm overdoing that pivot with intervals, to a point that in the upper register, the lower lip tends to slip behind the upper one, causing my range to hit a ceiling around high C (maybe a little more if I apply pressure or increase dramatically the air quantity, but I'm trying to avoid that).

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Focus on getting your breath support properly in place. #TrumpetProTips E08 is my most recent explanation of this. Get that working and practice ascending and descending first by chromatics, then whole tones, then min 3rds etc. Doing so will help you minimize your jaw movement. That’s the best general advice I can offer without seeing you playing.

[@mihaelhorvat8593]

Bryan hello.i have a little overbite.when go in upper register this overbite is larger.what can i do?to move jaw a little bit forward?embochure formation is M like you say.whats with teeth?must they be in same position? (When i bite lower teeth ar a little bit back from upper)

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Do you mean that you pivot your Hirn down as you ascend? That’s not uncommon, and not necessarily a problem. For me, saying M is a relaxed, closed mouth position. My teeth aren’t biting down, so they’re not closed. My front teeth are about level, top and bottom, with a small gap between them. If I close my jaw so my teeth bite down, then my lower teeth are behind my top teeth. I also have an overbite, in common with the majority of people in the world!

[@mihaelhorvat8593]

@@AirflowMusicNYC so overbite is no problem (a little)

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Generally no. But I can’t say for sure without seeing you play.

[@mihaelhorvat8593]

Bryan i have a litle overbite..do i need to move my jaw forward?i try to play like this and its better but it is not naturally for me.and i get tired fast

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

What is “better” about playing in that position? I have an overbite too...

[@mihaelhorvat8593]

@@AirflowMusicNYC i easily gow higher and lower to.i think that air moves direct in to hole in mouthpiece.whats your opinion?whats with pressure on lips,must be the same on lower and upper?

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Usually with an overbite, you tend to place more pressure on the upper lip. To combat that, place your mouthpiece in the same position as normal, but on the lower lip first. That helps to involve the lower lip and equalize pressure. If you close your lips in a natural, relaxed position by saying the letter M (‘emm’), then where are your teeth? For me, they’re slightly parted and more-or-less lined up. Overbite begone!

[@auroraentertainmentcostari8945]

Hello, Bryan Greetings from Costa Rica, I would like to hear your Ideas I how to practice to improve the internal sense of tempo/timing and how you approach metronome practice. Regards.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

+Aurora Entertainment Thanks for watching. Good question! That’s definitely something we’ll make a video about. Look out for a Trumpet Q&A on that topic in the next week or two.

[@auroraentertainmentcostari8945]

Looking forward to the VID¡ thanks

[@sx6251]

My jaw still tremors while playing and I have no real way of resolving this issue.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

A jaw tremor is a little different to what I was addressing in this video, as I recall. Are there particular circumstances under which the tremor occurs?

[@sx6251]

@@AirflowMusicNYC I know, I just thought to mention it anyways. It happens whenever I begin to buzz into the mouthpiece and transition between notes.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Ok. When you’re mouthpiece buzzing or when you’re playing on the trumpet? If we’re playing reasonably efficiently, then we don’t buzz into the mouthpiece when it’s attached to the horn. Try this: loosen your mouthpiece slightly in the receiver, then play a 2nd line G and take the trumpet off the mouthpiece, without changing the way that you’re blowing. Does the mouthpiece buzz, or do you just hear the air?

[@sx6251]

@@AirflowMusicNYC For starters, yes, I mean playing, not really buzzing. I'll try that now and get back to you.

[@sx6251]

@@AirflowMusicNYC I just hear the air.