Does anyone have any experience of lip buzzing?

Do any brass players out there have experience of learning to lip buzz?

I have been playing for a few years now, but I have just become aware that I cannot do this and I am currently trying to learn.

I can now manage to get a sound (comfortably middle D-G) but find it difficult to get out of this range and wondered if there were any members here who have also been though this process and who might have a few suggestions.

Thank you, Liz

I only played trumpet in grade school but aren't you required to make a buzzing sound with your lips to get any sound out of a brass instrument whatsoever? I'm not sure if you're referring to that or some technique I'm unaware of.

No, you are right.

To play correctly you need to make a buzzing sound with your lips, but I have been relying on mouthpiece pressure to make the sound and am now trying to change this.

Tight corners.

Fast air.

Tight corners.

Fast air.

;)

Hooray for freebuzzing...although, buzzing on a mouthpiece is just as effective.

Ah, ok, you can do it fine with a mouthpiece but not just with your mouth. I was afraid you were saying you've been playing for a couple years and still can't make a sound with your instrument, heh.

Anyway, I don't see why you're bothering. You don't play the instrument without the mouthpiece so why do you necessarily need this skill?

Sorry for not helping you with your problem and instead asking questions about it but I'm curious and I don't think there's much more someone can do, by typing, to show you how to develop the skill than robin has already done.

My trumpet teacher says the perfect ambiture for lip buzzing is to act like your kissing a fish and smiling at the same time. Buzzing on the mouth piece alone and then buzzing without it helped me the most.

Buzzing without the mouthpiece won't come for a few years. It took me 4 before I had the control to get different notes just with the mouthpiece. Even longer without the mouthpiece. But you'll get it, eventually.

Freebuzzing is a fairly useless skill, almost completely irrelevant to brass playing. The only advantage is that it works out breathing and embouchure corners...which is easily done with a mouthpiece.

SO, for someone who's been playing "a few years now", don't fret about it (even for seasoned pros, it's redundant) - get some more horn-on-face time and work on mouthpiece buzzing.

:whistling:

I play the bass trombone and lip buzzes come in handy for the pedal range plus its good just to loosen up the lips. For me, I do a 1-2-3-4 count inhale then 1-2-3-4 count exhale with tight corners, loose middle, constant air flow, and jaw about i don't know, maybe 1/4 inch open. You'll get that sound of a horse breathing through its lips. Then you try it as 1 breath in (full long) then 1-2-3-4 breaths out slowly controlled airflow with buzzing. the point is to try to keep the buzzing steady and controlled.

If you have trouble without the mouthpiece, try lightly putting your finger over your lips as if saying "sshhhhh". Over time, reduce the pressure of your finger till its not needed. Also like everything with learning instruments, don't worry if you dont get it right away, just keep on practicing the method and in time you'll get it.

What instrument are we talking about here anyway?