What are the 3 Compressions? | "T for Three" | Trumpet A-Z, S01E20

In a number of his Trumpet A-Z videos, Bryan Davis has referred to the "3 Compressions" - the physical methods we have at our disposal to compress and regulate our airflow, to get control of our airspeed and be able to move freely around all registers of the instrument.
In "T for Three", Bryan explains what each of the 3 compressions are and how they work together. In subsequent episodes, he will go into greater detail about HOW to use each one.
Recap other episodes referenced in this video:
"B for Breathing" - • Supercharge Your Breat...
"O for Overblowing" - • Improve Your Efficienc...
"R for Release" - • Improve Efficiency & T...
"S for Shortcuts" - • Better High Notes ASAP...
Catch up on the entire #TrumpetAtoZ series, so far, at: • Trumpet A-Z with Bryan... . New episodes are added every Friday. #TrumpetAtoZ
If you have questions or comments about this video, we want to hear them! We're particularly interested to know what topics are in your Trumpet A-Z? Please comment a full or partial list below - your suggestion could be the topic of a future video!
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Trumpet Edition, Volume 1 - airflowmusic.c...
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[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Thanks for watching, folks! Questions and comments welcome as always. Just be nice! 😀

[@saulrosa4523]

Hi Bryan.Wich physical exercises out of the horn can i do to balance core compression to get habit sensation of doing it right? any recomendations? i noted the whistle is good for the tongue arch and lip aperture is natural (i think) but the core compressions is a more weird thing to train for me. Posture and positioned chest helps me but i wish i could find an exercise to create a mechanism of habit. Thank you for all your videos.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

It’s a question of practice. Focusing on breathing and supporting this way when playing long tones has been very beneficial for me.

[@saulrosa4523]

@@AirflowMusicNYC thank you! i will think about it on the long tones too!

[@BradyMorris-o8b]

Hey Brian! I am currently a sophomore in high school and I'm developing my upper range on the trumpet. I have a dilemma. You see, at the start of this year, the thick of marching band season, I thought I was very good at hitting high notes. I thought hitting higher notes meant tightening the lips to make the notes go higher. That worked...but only for a bit, and soon, like you said in the video, something had to give. My lips stopped working, and I was very upset at myself for playing in such a reckless way. Since then, I've been trying to move away from that bad habit, and with the help of your videos and many other mentors, I've come to realize that the key is airflow and the diaphragm. It's worked out so far, but sometimes, when I get nervous in a rehearsal or in front of a crowd of people (I've done some solos in front of a church congregation) my lips close up. Could you give me some quick extra feed back so that I might know if I'm heading in the right direction or not. Thanks. #trumpet is the best brass instrument!

[@whugheswhughes98144]

Bryan! Thank you! I'm 55 years old, have been playing about 1 1/4 years, have a teacher, was using too much pressure, went through an embouchure rework, but then couldn't play above C ('middle' c). Was pretty sure tongue arch was the problem and found your set of videos, spent the weekend screwing around (2 hours a day!) and got to e, then g, then sometimes bflat! I had the lungs, the embouchure, but the tongue arch was it! I can't find the video where you give the tongue-flattening exercise of bending down a note like f to e, then playing the e (1-2) then releasing the 2 but keeping the e tone. That helped get the feel for controlling my tongue in the back. Then playing pianissimo, only arching my tongue in the back, just learning how to control c to e, over and over. And over. Then d to f, then d# to f#, then e to g, then .... :-). THANK YOU! How often do you get a breakthrough of that magnitude? I really appreciate all your videos!

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

So glad you found it helpful, Will. The other video you referenced is "N for Note Bending"

[@CaptainQueue]

Very effective teaching -- content, value and delivery. Never heard that specific hose analogy, this is a really great video series.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Glad you’re finding the videos helpful. Thank you for watching.

[@ericcalleja3715]

Thank you Bryan. Enjoy your tips and love your playing! The challenge I have is not adding volume when I kick in the abdominal muscles to increase speed. Do you have any recommendations on how to increase speed without volume?

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Hi Eric. Thanks for watching and commenting. A video covering the Core Compression in more detail is coming soon. I’ll be describing how to use it efficiently then. In the meantime, revisit “F for Falsetto” and “S for Shortcut” and see if you can see what I’m doing as I demonstrate the exercises.

[@MichaelBrown1776]

Awesome! Had no idea and I took lessons when I was young.

[@awreckingball]

Interesting video Bryan. Personally abdominal compression seems to have no effect on pitch in my playing. I've tried various manipulations of the air with the intraabdominals - breathing shallow, breathing deep, big breath, small breath, filling from the bottom, filling midway, squeezing the muscles under the ribcage, drawing the abdomen in, relaxing the chops, opening the chops etc etc. The quality of the tone changes a little but the pitch remains virtually unchanges. Similarly with tongue arch. I sense more of a change with the tongue arch (i can probably move up 1 partial), but not really much. Inevitably the lips take over. Any thoughts?

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

That’s interesting. Please check out the next few videos in the series, as they’re released, where I’ll be explaining how to target each of the 3 compressions and rebalance your system to rely more on the core.

[@markanthonymamagat2298]

@@AirflowMusicNYC hi Bryan... Which particular video that you have targeting there 3 compressions? Thank you in advance...

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Ngop gnogap - this is the first of the set, followed by U, V & W.

[@markanthonymamagat2298]

@@AirflowMusicNYC thanks so much!

[@Yoshinori76]

Hey Bryan! Love the content! So I have a question that videos like this one and others about overblowing and compression seem to not quite explain and it's how to balance? What should that feel like? I'm currently utilizing a practice mute to get a feel for where the resistance is in the horn and how hard is too hard and how little is too little yet I'm not quite grasping how I should feel when doing said exercises. Thanks for the content!

[@patrickpennings9535]

Dear Bryan, I have an question, does faster air playing higher or louder? Greets from the Netherlands 🎵🎺

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Faster air means higher note. However, to maintain the same volume as we ascend, we also have to back off on the quantity of air. To play 2 notes an octave apart *at the same volume*, the higher note requires half as much air moving twice as fast.

[@patrickpennings9535]

@@AirflowMusicNYC thanks for the fast response 👊

[@fanfoire]

I WILL use this analogy with my students.

[@mrc74mrc]

Dear Brian, thank you very much for your videos, that, as a totally beginner, are really helping me. By working on your compression ideas, I'm expanding my range and and improving my tone quality. With my standard "set-up" (ie embouchure, toungue position and abdominal compression) I can play from low F# to 1st A above the stuff (and starting to hit Bb and C above the stuff), but here come the problems. Indeed by using a tuner I've found that my low C and G (second line) are sistematically very sharp (say at lest 30 cents !!), while my intonations gets better ascendind the range. I can fix these bad notes intonation by changing the lips aperture, but then I lose the upper part of my ragister. What do you think about it? Are these problems normal for a beginner? Or my embouchure is totally wrong? Or my air control is still no good? Thank you very much M

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

How long have you been playing? I expect it’s nothing that won’t fix itself with a little more playing experience.

[@mrc74mrc]

I started first time 5-6 years ago, taking lessons with a teacher, but I had to left after 2 years. I started again from scratch say 5 months, studying on a regular basis. I

[@williamrodas6210]

Hi Bryan! Would it be fair to say that each note We play on the trumpet has its own air speed? Thanks for all Your help.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Hi William. In basic terms, that’s correct. In terms of the physics, it’s not quite that simple, but that’s certainly how I conceptualize it. Thanks for watching!

[@charliefranklun8142]

Bryan, you are one of the nicest blokes I have ever known, besides being one of the very finest trumpet players on the planet........charlie franklin, formerly with the fabulous "BLUE NITROUS JAZZ ORCHESTRA, in New York.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Hey Charlie. That's very kind of you. Haven't seen you for ages - what are you up to, these days?

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Still down in Memphis?

[@musicmanandme]

@@AirflowMusicNYC Gotta be somewhere! Memphis sounds good to me. Miss u in NYC. AND thank you Brian. Go practice.. best advice in the universe!

[@SuperLber]

Hi could you please tell me what mouthpiece you're using? Thank you

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

I use a number of different mouthpieces on a day-to-day basis. I was most probably playing my custom Schagerl Apredato in this.

[@ginundr]

Do you have a video on how to play different partipals?

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

Partipals? I’m not sure what that is.

[@philipw.1515]

I wish you would’ve done tone for T, great video though

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

I’ll keep it in mind for Season 2! Thanks for watching.

[@rolfthoftelkke2258]

Hi Bryan Thanks for your great videos. I heard a lot of great trumpet players talk about airspeed as the determining factor for a specific pitch. I can't wrap my head around that!!?? What exactly is the relationship between pitch and airspeed and can you refer to specific physical laws than tell us about this relationship....? I look at it this way. To go from middle C to high C, your lips have to vibrate at twice the frequency. Just like you would decrease the length and/or increase the tension of a guitar string to change pitch, we increase the tension in and decrease the size of the apperture. If air pressure remains constant, it will then have to move faster between the lips, as the opening is now smaller. In other words, increased airspeed as a result of a decreased aperture size, a side effect and not a determining factor for pitch. With my basic understanding of physics that what makes sense to me. Am I completely off the mark? I hope you'll take a moment to ansver this question all the best Rolf

[@rolfthoftesrensen7536]

Thanks for your reply Bryan!

[@TheGoldenTrumpet]

@@rolfthoftesrensen7536 Hi, I'm really interestd to hear what Bryan aswered to you, but I can't see it here? Do you have Bryans answer somewhere?

[@sokanadenramasawmy2143]

when I am playin in the upper reister and when Iplayin lower the notes does not sound well

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

I’m sorry to hear that. Do you have a question I can answer? Thanks for watching.

[@trumpettech456]

Bryan, have you seen my video "The three compressions myth"? Hope you are "all ears" as you claim. Thanks. All the best.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

I've just added it to my Watch Later list and I'll be sure to check it out. I presume this is Daryl Jones (sorry if I'm not remembering the correct spelling of your name). I'm glad to hear you've taken the time to actually offer an alternative description rather than just telling me I'm wrong!

[@trumpettech456]

@@AirflowMusicNYC yes. Thanks. I have other videos as well. I will be explaining "compression" in more depth as well. I am attempting to present the "nuts and bolts" as well as how these concepts apply to the playing system. But my philosophy and practice tips will be added in time. So much to cover. Darryl

[@howlertheproto4084]

Im still having troubles reaching the higher notes because i end up getting to a high D but then i cant get any higher because when i try its sounds funny : (hmm) :

[@ColinMroczko]

Lynn Nicholson talks about how faster air to play higher is a myth. The speed of the air determines volume and the amount of compression determines the pitch.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

With the greatest of respect for Mr Nicholson, "Amount of compression" is a different way of saying air speed. If the air is more compressed then it moves to an area of lower compression more quickly. Different people conceptualize and explain things in different ways, but I firmly believe that our apparently conflicting descriptions are more similar than they are different.

[@ColinMroczko]

@@AirflowMusicNYC yeah, that makes sense. When we talk about using more air, that can also be conceptualized as faster air since the air is exiting our lungs more quickly.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

The bigger thing to understand and get the feel for is that you don't need to move a large amount of air at any time.Comparatives like more or less air are all well and good, but they should be contextualized appropriately. The quantity of air being moved is really no larger than when we sing or speak. It's just being directed and controlled a little differently.

[@MichaelBrown1776]

Interesting mouthpiece you have there, care to share what it is? And why that mouthpiece?

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

This is a Schagerl Apredato mouthpiece - a skeletonised mouthpiece with a screw-on chamber that is filled with water. It behaves similarly to a very heavyweight blank, in terms of projection, but without the weight. The Schagerl team were kind enough to convert a spare copy of my custom mouthpiece to an Apredato several years ago. I didn't really expect to ever use it, but it plays SO much better than the original, so that now sits on my desk as a paperweight rather than this! Thanks for watching.

[@Greg-trumpet]

Do you have to have ads in the middle? That really gets my blood boiling.

[@AirflowMusicNYC]

I wasn’t aware that cut-in ads were enabled. That would be annoying. Let me check on it.