Forming the Embouchure:

 

1. Lips together…as if saying the letter “m”

2. Firm corners into a “puckered smile” (watch for tension)

3. Blow a steady, centered air stream to create a buzz

4. Try to place mouthpiece as centered as possible but be aware of students facial features (lips, jaw structure, etc.)

5. Reinforce buzz practice in your students Common Problems & Solutions:

 

a. smiling embouchure ‐ this often creates a “quick fix” to many range problems but many other performance aspects will suffer in the long term such as tone, endurance, and physical damage to the student.     ‐ encourage the student to bring their corners down which will in turn allow more lip in the mouthpiece creating a fuller tone.

 

b. air leaking   ‐ the tuba‐euphonium mouthpiece is quite large for a beginning 5th or 6th grade student so pay close attention that a full seal is kept on the mouthpiece at all times.  

 

‐ be aware that your students physical features are still developing and issues such as over‐bites, under‐bites, tooth problems will have an effect on this issue.  You are 2 encouraged to experiment in finding the optimal solution for your student.

 

c. unfocused air stream ‐ this problem is often signified by “puffed cheeks”.   ‐ a good teaching concept is having the student focus on the air coming out through the bell of the instrument instead of into the mouthpiece.  

 

‐ Exercises such as “spit drills” (see explanation of exercises below), “mock berp”, along with a steady regiment of breathing exercises will do wonders for this issue.

 

 

 

 

 

Common Brass Embouchure Problems

 

 

Smile Embouchure

This can be detected by looking at the corners of the mouth.  It is caused when the student tenses the lips instead of pulling them downward in a frown position.  Smiling can cause a lack of upper range, flexibility, and endurance, and a tone that is sharp.  To fixsmiling, the student should frown in order to tense the muscles and to “grip” the outside rim of the mouthpiece with the lips

 

Bunched Chin

This creates a flat tone quality and a lack of low range and flexibility.  A bunched chin can be caused byclinching the jaw or by a rolling or bunching of the bottom lip.  To fix the problem, the player should point or firm the chin and relax the lower lip.

 

Mouthpiece Too Low
 

This can be easily spotted by looking at the mouthpiece placement on the lips.  When the mouthpiece is too low, it creates endurance, range, and flexibility problems.

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Mouthpiece Not Centered
 

Use a mouthpiece visualizer to diagnose this problem.  This problem usually has a stuffy, sharp sound and limited range.

 

Puffed Cheeks
 

Caused by weak embouchure muscles.  This will affect accuracy, endurance, articulation and the ability to play softly.  To fix this the player must strengthen the embouchure muscles and direct the airstream toward the mouthpiece.

 

Excessive Pucker

It is easy to see when a student is puckering too much.  Too much pucker can cause a tubby sound with limited range.  The player should relax the center of the lips and firm the corners.

 

Excessive Mouthpiece Pressure

 

Probably the most common of all embouchure problems, this occurs when the player allows the rim of the mouthpiece rather than the corners of the mouth to hold the lips in position to create a buzz.  Severe endurance and flexibility problems can result along with a limited upper register.  To correct the issue, the player should strengthen the corners of the mouth and review how to hold the instrument.