Will braces affect my trumpet playing?!
Question: I'm actually really good at trumpet, so i was wondering how bad does it kill your skill? thanks!
Answers: I'm actually really good at trumpet, so i was wondering how bad does it kill your skill? thanks!
It will affect your playing as there is now a lot more between your teeth and the mouthpiece, so it will be very different than it used to feel. With time you will get used to it and be able to play just fine.
In my experience with students who get braces, it is best to do a lot of playing on just the mouthpiece when you first get your braces. Try to keep it very lightly on your embouchure, don't press hard. You want to get the best tone out of just the mouthpiece because the sound that comes out of the end of the mouthpiece is what is going into the trumpet. So in other words, a bad sound out of the mouthpiece is going to put a bad sound into the trumpet.
To start, try sluring up and down, and up and down, each time trying to go a little higher and a little lower. Then buzz through simple melodies. If you spend about 10 minutes a day doing this, your tone will improve as will your level of comfort with the new feeling of having braces. Most of my students have played without using any kind of brace guard.
Another exercise that you can try is balancing the trumpet on just two fingers so that you can't press hard. Stick out the index finger on both hands and place the end of the leadpipe closest to the mouthpiece on your right finger. Place the bell, about four inches from the end, on your left finger. Hold the horn to your lips and try to play a C without tonguing it and hold it until the tone is clear. If that goes well, start again with C but then slur up to G. Next, play C and slur to G and the next C, and so on, always starting on C. You should be able to get a little higher as each week goes by. By doing this exercise every day, you will learn to play with very little pressure which will help to increase your range and endurance. It will also help when you get the braces off because that will also be a big adjustment because in two years you will be very used to the braces. But if you can learn to play with as little pressure as possible, the switch back to no braces will be easier.
Don't get discouraged and takes things slowly at first. Your range and tone will come back.
Good Luck!
No. It will probably feel awkward at first, but you will get used to it.
I had braces and I played flute. It wasn't hard, you just have to get used to it, so I would think trumpet will be the same way, because there was a guy that had braces and he could still play his trumpet
Actually yeah, it would for the first few months because it feels really uncomfortable. but once you're adapted to the situation and discomfort I think it might be alright. and whenever you tighten your braces it will cost discomfort and maybe your blowing would sound a little off at times though. don't worry about it braces are awesome.
did not affect mine, couldn't play before, no change after.