Clint Pops McLaughlin

I’m Clint Pops McLaughlin an American trumpet player, trumpet teacher, and author of brass music and brass instruction manuals. My specialty is brass embouchure and embouchure development.

I was born on October 21, 1957, in Tyler, Texas. I attended Texas Tech and The University of Texas System and have 2 degrees in music. My main trumpet teacher was Don ‘Jake’ Jacoby.

I studied under two instrument designers, one of Mr. H.L. Clarke’s students, one of Dr. Stevens’s students, and finally under Don “JAKE” Jacoby (Listed as one of the top 5 trumpet players of the ’50s & ’60s & a graduate of the E.S. Williams School of Music).

I’ve had written correspondence with 41 Trumpet & 38 Mouthpiece Manufacturers. (By this I mean ongoing discussions and not just asking for a suggestion or an opinion.)

I have had conversations with people who did big research projects about trumpet playing. These have been in writing and in person so I could ask questions that were not obvious from reading the papers that they published. John Haynie (fluoroscopic study of tongue arch and trumpet playing) and Robert Weast (extensive embouchure studies using rubber lips) both wrote sections for one of my books.

I’ve also gone over hundreds of method books as well as over 1,000 articles. These studies covered all major trumpet embouchures & more than 700 stock mouthpieces. They were written in a 400-year time period from the 1600s to the year 2025.

Even now I look for new Dissertations every year and read them. This consistent study has caused me to rewrite sections of a couple of my books so that I could stay current and accurate.

Through High School and College, I took lessons from the school professor and took them outside of school too. For many semesters I took lessons from 3 outside sources weekly, meaning I was taking 4 lessons a week.

The experiences that most influenced my books center around the following people: My first teacher was Arthur Ford. He was an elderly retired college band director. He was also an engineer and had designed some instruments for Conn in the 40’s and 50’s. He had 2 trumpet teachers J.P. Sousa and H.L. Clarke. I learned about Lip Buzzing from him. To this day I experience things that I realize he had told me about.

I had a friend (David Wright) who spent a great deal of time in NYC and took 65-70 lessons from Roy Stevens. He is the person who showed me how things that were poorly described in the Stevens book were really done. I also learned that some of the absolutes in the Stevens book were NOT so absolute in person.

Dr. Ken Muckelroy (who had studied under Ghitalla) and Dr. Richard Tolley worked with me on the Farkas embouchure. I realized that some of what Farkas wrote about in his book (about aperture control) was taught by Stevens. I was introduced to the Pivot System (by Dr. Reinhardt) and how it was utilized.

Jack Smith was the band director and trumpet teacher at a local college. He had learned the Maggio method and wanted to see how it compared to the Stevens that I played. I did something very few trumpet players would do. I did an unneeded embouchure change for the sake of an experiment. (I was a double major in college and the Physics side of me loved to experiment.) I spent 1 semester playing only the Maggio and the next playing both the Maggio and my old Stevens. It was here that I added a pucker to MY version of the Stevens Embouchure. That not only helped the endurance but also rounded out the aperture giving a more pleasing sound than is normally associated with those 2 embouchures.

I had a friend (Mike Johnston) who started taking lessons from Don ‘Jake’ Jacoby. He made more improvement in his first 2 or 3 lessons than he made in the 7 years I had known him. This interested me so I started taking lessons from Jake. I learned the proper way to use air and the value of playing relaxed. I wanted to be a teacher instead of a player. So I asked lots of questions about problems I didn’t have, but I had seen in members of my college band. Jake even let me sit in on some other lessons so I could see how he fixed different problems.

Lastly, When I finally decided to turn my notes into a book A-Z (I started in 75 and finished in 95) There was yet another embouchure out there that I had not yet played. This is when I studied and learned the Super chops embouchure. I had some phone conversations and written correspondence with Jerry Callet as well as his book.  I did this for the experience and NOT out of a need to change embouchures. Then of course again when Jerry did the TCE embouchure.

A great deal of what I know came from the people I just mentioned. However, some of it I acquired as a result of having gone through so many different embouchures. It is this experience that makes me different from so many other teachers. And I think it shows in my teaching and writing.

After teaching for 20+ years I started writing books about how to develop embouchure on brass instruments. I have written over 20 brass books and video courses and I still teach in Grand Prairie, Texas. I also have a brass news magazine online BbTrumpet News

The significant difference between me and other brass teachers is that I include info from all 7 main brass embouchures that are taught today. [7] My view is that since all players have physical differences; it is logical that no “one” embouchure can be effective for all players. [8] Each player should find the embouchure that best fits them and work from there.

My books and videos go into great detail when explaining how a brass embouchure works. As an example; I was the first teacher to explain and discuss the “Aperture Tunnel” (TM) in print and explain how this helps to create resonance on a brass instrument. [9] [10] I was also instrumental in writing about the 3-D nature of the brass embouchure in my 2002 book “How the Chops Work”. I explained in text, pictures, and diagrams how the vibrations differ in thickness (front to back); in height (up and down); and in length (side to side). This was a great contrast to the concept of just the length of the vibration affecting pitch.

I have also documented and written about the adverse effects of tension and mouthpiece pressure, In doing this I showed how working with a didgeridoo or tuba mouthpiece is a good way to overcome these problems because of the size of the vibrations they create. I also wrote about how anchor tonguing aids in playing and I described a hiss register that is a big benefit for high note playing. [11] I have been credited with helping to explain differences in breathing techniques for high-note playing. [12] [13] [14] [15]

One work that made a great impact on brass teachers was “The Pros Talk Embouchure” which interviews 70 Pros about embouchure. [16] [17] The book “How the Chops Work” used pictures, diagrams, and in-depth discussion to teach the differences in several different trumpet embouchures. [18] Five of my books and my website have been heavily referenced in other books like “Trumpet Pedagogy” by David Hickman a Regents’ Professor of trumpet at Arizona State University and the first President of the International Trumpet Guild. [19] I have also been included in The book “Trumpet Greats” By David Hickman. [20] This book talks about the most influential people in the trumpet world from 1600 to today.

Trumpet Books by Clint Pops McLaughlin

• • The No-Nonsense Trumpet From A-Z (1995)

• • Trumpet FAQs (1998)

• • The Next Level (1999)

• • Air on the Move (2001)

• • The Pros Talk Embouchure (2002)

• • How the Chops Work (2002)

• • Chops Builder (2003)

• • Get a Gig (2004)

• • 30 Minutes A Day (2004)

• • 6-hour Learning Audio (2005)

• • 5 Sleep Learning Audio Subliminals (2005)

• • More Power More Range (2009)

• • Be Your Teacher Video (2011)

• • No Nonsense Improv Video (2011)

• • Lip Curl Embouchure Video (2011)

• • AIS (Ass in the Seat) (2011)

• • Tongue Arch and Aperture Tunnel (2012)

• • The New (Expanded Range) Arban Book (2012)

• • High Gear/Low Gear (2013)

• • Tensionless Playing (2013)

• • New Expanded Range Clarke Technical Studies Book (2013)

• • The 4 Trumpet Octave Keys (2014)

• • Mouthpieces: What Will It Sound Like? (2015)

• • Trumpet Range Pyramid (2015)

• • Brass For Africa: Learning to Play the Trumpet: A Textbook (2016)

• • Brass For Africa: Pops’ Daily Trumpet Practice Music (2016)

• • Trumpet Concerto Key and Range Study (2016)

• • Play The Trumpet; Don’t Play With It (2017)

Other books by Clint Pops McLaughlin

• • Self-Defense: Easy Self-Defense Moves That Could Save Your Life (1986, 2010)

• • Self-Help Marriage: How To Put A Marriage Back On Track (2010)

• • Don’t Gamble With Dating: Get Better Game (2011)

• • Curious Things: That People Do (2012)

• • Gay In America: Punishment 24/7 Without A Trial (2012)

• • Write On: How To Write and Publish A Book (2012)

• • Why Atlas Shrugged? (2013)

Articles and websites by Clint Pops McLaughlin

• • Pops’ website “Trumpet College” http://www.BbTrumpet.com

• • Pops’ Trumpet EZine “BbTrumpet News” http://www.BbTrumpetNews.com

• • OJs Trumpet Article http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/pops/

• • Article by ‘Pops’ in The ITG Youth Journal: Jan. 2008. http://itgyouth.trumpetguild.org/journaljr/ITGJjr0801.pdf

• • Article by ‘Pops’ in The International Trumpet Guild Journal: March 2010.

Books available for purchase

Check out the Shop to get your copy of my books!

https://www.bbtrumpet.com/shop/

Some accomplishments that set me apart from others:

1. 1. I am world famous for teaching and have been mentioned in magazines and books written by other teachers.

1. 1. I have helped players to become full-time Professional Players.

1. 1. I am the first person to ever write about The Aperture Tunnel (TM).

1. 1. I am the first to both explain and give musical exercises to learn about Lip Setpoint (TM).

1. 1. I am the first to write about different embouchure systems as a 3-D model (Farkas, Maggio, Overlap, Stevens, Superchops, TCE.)

1. 1. I am the first to write about the 4 Trumpet Octave Keys (TM) relaxing enough so that the mouthpiece seal raises pitch an octave, Airstream Focus (TM), Air Kicks (support), and correct lip compression; which are used by pro players but almost no hobby players use them.

1. 1. I have written about which facial muscles to use and which ones hinder playing. This enables you to play and be relaxed when you stop the facial tug of war.

1. 1. I wrote about and connected the SS or hiss to tongue arch and wrote about how arch relates to anchor tonguing.

1. 1. I created a new way to hold the trumpet that helps to reduce mouthpiece pressure.

1. 1. I developed a new way to reduce facial tension in ONE day.

1. 1. I did the 1st rewrite of music to The Arban Book in 150 years and brought the techniques into the 21st Century.

1. 1. I was the 1st person to do a Thermal Imaging study of people while they were playing trumpet.

1. 1. I am the 1st to do a study on resonance and spectral analysis of the entire Trumpet Family, Flugel, cornet, Bb, C, Eb, Picc, and on how embouchure tension relates to resonance.

I have received testimonials from:

• • 31 Authors of over 108 trumpet books

• • 61 college trumpet professors and noted teachers

• • 58 pro players who have recorded over 3,900 movies, TV, and cartoon soundtracks

• • 9 trumpet embouchure clinicians

• • 3 Trumpet Guild presidents

• • 12 Trumpet Guild board members past and present

• • 8 mouthpiece and trumpet designers and makers

My Life Story

Book about my life. Clint Pops McLaughlin

References

1. 1. Hickman, David (2006). “Trumpet Pedagogy: A Compendium of Modern Teaching Techniques”, page; 260. Hickman Music Editions.

1. 1. Harnum, Jonathan (2006). “Sound the Trumpet: How to Blow Your Own Horn”. Sol-Ut Press.

1. 1. Fiala, Keith (2011). “Secrets to Efficient Brass Playing!: From Trumpet to Tuba…A Common Sense Approach”.

1. 1. Pocius, Jeanne G.; “Trumpeting by Nature: An Efficient Guide to Optimal Trumpet Performance”. Outskirts Press

1. 1. The International Trumpet Guild Journal: Jan 2002, page 59.

1. 1. Utes, O.J., Trumpet Resources. http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/pops/ 

1. 1. Hickman, David (2006). “Trumpet Pedagogy: A Compendium of Modern Teaching Techniques”, page; 100. Hickman Music Editions.

1. 1. Bergantino, Len ED., A.B.P.P: Overture Magazine: American Federation of Musicians vol 20; July 2001.

1. 1. Windplayer Magazine issue #64, 2002.

1. 1. Hickman, David (2006). “Trumpet Pedagogy: A Compendium of Modern Teaching Techniques”, page; 106. Hickman Music Editions.

1. 1. Bolvin, Eric (2007) “Tongue Level and Air”. Faded Duck Publishing.

1. 1. Lewis, Roddy (2003). Embouchure Enhancement

1. 1. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923172344/http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1903187 

1. 1. Bolvin, Eric (2007) “Tongue Level and Air”, page 4. Faded Duck Publishing.

1. 1. The International Trumpet Guild Journal, Jan. 2009, page 76.

1. 1. Hickman, David (2006). “Trumpet Pedagogy: A Compendium of Modern Teaching Techniques”, pages; 46-47. Hickman Music Editions.

1. 1. The ITG Journal: June 2004.

1. 1. Hickman, David (2006). “Trumpet Pedagogy: A Compendium of Modern Teaching Techniques”, page; 433. Hickman Music Editions.

1. 1. Hickman, David (2006). “Trumpet Pedagogy: A Compendium of Modern Teaching Techniques”, pages; 46, 47, 95, 96, 115, 106, 110, 199, 201, 205, 260, 433, 434, 437. Hickman Music Editions.

1. 1. Hickman, David and Tarr, Edward (2013) “Trumpet Greats: A Biographical Dictionary”, Hickman Music Editions.

References come from real players you know:

I met “POPS” on the Internet and he helped me through some frustrating problems that I was struggling with on the horn.

– Herb Alpert

Pops is one cool trumpet teacher. Here I am, a long-time student of Claude Gordon and what’s my problem?? Tongue levels!! Pops diagnosed me right away and helped me out tremendously in a short time. Thanks!!

– Eric Bolvin

Hey Pops, keep up the good work. Even us “old pros” need a little help now and then. I check in with your site regularly. Thanks.

– Bill Churchville

Pops: I’m so glad I got your books – some great stuff in there for every trumpet player!!! Keep up the great work!!!

– Kiku Collins

Many, many thanks to you and your knowledge of the trumpet and the embouchure. It has helped me immeasurably since my lesson with you!

– Mark Curry

Pops: You have single-handedly given me the confidence and the ability to meet – EXCEED my wildest dreams. When I first came to you I never would have believed I would tour with Maynard Ferguson!!!

– Keith Fiala

“Clint McLaughlin is one of the leading experts on embouchure. His books discuss many of the embouchures used by leading trumpet players. I consider his publications excellent resources!”

– David Hickman

It was only after reading/playing your books, did I get the range thing!

– Roddy Lewis

Check out Pop’s trumpet books. This guy knows what he is talking about and can write it!!!! Thanks for all your intelligent advice.

– Jim Manley

I think you’re doing a great service for the brass community. I once heard that the art of teaching is in finding out how to explain the same thing in different ways to have it hit home for each student.

– Matt von Roderick

You have said two things which have really helped me and have brought about an instant improvement in my trumpet playing. It’s all 20% easier! So thanks again for your positive contribution to the brass world.

– Eddie Severn

The post About Clint Pops McLaughlin appeared first on BBTrumpet.

I have given lessons by web cam and phone to trumpet players all over the world. These weekly lessons give you the chance to transform your playing. We will work on new ways to play that can unlock your sound, endurance and range.

How to arrange your lesson:

Purchase the lesson and then we can arrange a time that is suitable via email or phone.

I prefer to use Zoom for lessons. So create a free Zoom account and then test your settings (video and audio) before the lesson.

Pay 150 for 1 hour lesson

Some accomplishments that set me apart from others:

I am world famous for teaching and have been mentioned in magazines and books written by other teachers.

I have helped players to become full-time Professional Players.

I am the first person to ever write about The Aperture Tunnel (TM).

I am the first to both explain and give musical exercises to learn about Lip Setpoint (TM).

I am the first to write about different embouchure systems as a 3-D model (Farkas, Maggio, Overlap, Stevens, Superchops, TCE.)

I am the first to write about the 4 Trumpet Octave Keys (TM) relaxing enough so that mouthpiece seal raises pitch an octave, Air stream Focus (TM), Air Kicks (support), and correct lip compression; which are used by pro players but almost no hobby players use them.

I have written about which facial muscles to use and which ones hinder playing. This enables you to play and be relaxed, when you stop the facial tug of war.

I wrote about and connected the SS or hiss to tongue arch and wrote about how arch relates to anchor tonguing.

I created a new way to hold the trumpet that helps to reduce mouthpiece pressure.

I developed a new way to reduce facial tension in ONE day.

I did the 1st rewrite of music to The Arban Book in 150 years and brought the techniques into the 21st Century.

I am the 1st person to do a Thermal Imaging study of people while they were playing trumpet.

I am the 1st to do a study on resonance and spectral analysis of the entire Trumpet Family, Flugel, cornet, Bb, C, Eb, Picc and on how embouchure tension relates to resonance.

People can improve all of their life. Keith Fiala has toured with Maynard Ferguson and Arturo Sandoval and yet he was here again as learning never stops.

The post 1 Hour Trumpet Lesson appeared first on BBTrumpet.

Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 07:43:27 -0500
From: “Kurt Schulenburg”
Subject: My Lesson with Pops

Hey all!

Well, I’d love to post the story of the ultimate trumpet lesson here on the list, complete with all sordid details, but the trip has left my brain more than a little dead. (Too many hours in Memorial Day traffic…) With that in mind, I’m going to give an overview–chock full of opinions and impressions–and one that is certainly all my spin on a reality designed to help ME with MY particular problems. Once my head clears a bit, I’ll be posting a more detailed story on my Web Page–no need to clutter the list with all of my subjective points of view. So, if you’re curious, check it out more towards Friday or Saturday…

I should start with the “why” of this idea–“Why did I travel hundreds of miles to take a six-hour lesson from a complete stranger?” Well, this list has given me some insight to the teachers available out there–I have already written of my lesson with Nick Drozdoff back in December–and Clint Mclaughlin’s name was one that kept recurring in many areas where I was interested. Specifically, air, lips, set-up, range and sound. I’m sure Pops’ name has appeared in threads discussing technique, tonguing, etc., but these were not my areas of interest. A few threads had me nodding in complete agreement–the “Air,air,air not Lips, lips, lips” thread had us in an adversarial position. In short, he had opinions that sparked me.

A few e-mails, some calls to my wife, and then the travel agent, a few more e-mails and I’m suddenly booked from Chicago to Denver to Tulsa to rental car to Farmington, Arkansas. (I now live in Dallas Texas. Pops) Whew! I left at 3:00 PM Sunday and returned 1:30 AM Tuesday early morning. (There were several more direct routes, but none that fit the budget and time-table.)

Clint McLaughlin surprised me right away–he’s 41 years old (same as me–I don’t turn 42 ’til August…), much younger than I expected. He welcomed me into his home and proceeded to show me his world, boxes of trumpet material, several horns and cases, books and computers, and his Renaissance horns. All very cool, very homey. I was comfortable from the start. His family was exiting as I arrived, heading to a Memorial Day family bar-b-cue. They were, like Clint, very friendly and welcoming.
I won’t go into a blow-by-blow description (sorry…) but rather try to put into my words what I learned. I apologize if this steers anyone the wrong way–it is my interpretation of advice given to me to fix MY problems and may not be applicable to anyone else’s. Let’s hope that’s not entirely true.

First off, I have played for several years with both a high and low embouchure–they share some overlap of range, but it takes a second or two to switch between them. The overlap is around high C. The low embouchure can take me up to a G above that while the upper embouchure has a range from about G in the staff to a Double C, D or higher depending on generous you are feeling! I wanted to combine the embouchures, or perhaps lose one and extend the other. The upper embouchure, being very bright and difficult to control (both pitch wise and dynamically) was the candidate for extermination.

Pops thought that my lower embouchure was fine, only it needed a little tweaking to extend it to the range that I enjoy with the upper embouchure. I have been able to do three octave G scales with the low embouchure, but that high G always felt forced, too much arm pressure, no endurance or articulation, no ability to trill at the top of my range. Pops told me that Mendez said that a three octave G scale was only being played by about 1% of trumpet players. And I have to admit that wanting a larger range is mostly for my own fun–it certainly isn’t something that I am called upon to play. But, I really considered my usable range with the low embouchure to be about high A-C somewhere. (Useable range=a range where I can do it all, tongue, pp, ff, sixteenth notes–the whole gamut…at the end of the night. NOT squeaking out a half note Q# during my warm-up…) I did not have that.

I learned several things–although I had been pushing air from “the bottom” (and quite a bit of it) I was not “squeezing” the air from all sides. Also, I was taking a full breath every time–and blowing out all sorts of extra air at the end of a phrase or note. It truly scared me to take a big breath, blow half of it out, and then squeeze the h*ll out of it. But it does make a difference. I recommend trying it.

I also found out that what I considered to be corners were waaay too wide. I knew that they were supposed to be firm, but I was envisioning corners as being way out at the edges of my lips. In this regard, I think corners is a misnomer. While those muscles at the actual corners ARE flexed, the muscles to the inside (toward the center of the lips) are also flexed and firm. The “relaxed center” I kept hearing about is the part at the rim or even inside of the rim. Everything outside of the rim is considered “corners” or at least should be flexed. (Keep in mind this may vary with your mouth and mouthpiece setup.) Where my embouchure was probably as wide as the center of my eyes when I arrived at Pops’, I now am trying to line up the “corners” with my nostrils or eye teeth. This involved a sort of pucker, everything moving forward, “corners” squeezing in. I am not actually puckering the lips, that is, I am not turning them “inside out” as you might do in a “cartoon” kiss. The lips are more towards a puckered curl–although I am not actually rolling the lips in, it sort of feels like I am because I have to counter-balance the pucker. Once everything is firm (relax the center) you are free to pinch the center (the lips inside of the rim) independently of the corners (everything outside) that stay firm. Notice I am saying “firm” and “flexed” and not “tight”. By pinching the center, I am referring to a vertical movement of upper and lower lip, pressing together. Sort of like chewing, only no jaw movement at all. One of my problems: I pinch too much. Try this.

Blow a relaxed mp second line G. Your abs should be relaxed, you don’t need them for this register. The blowing is very small, just enough for the G to drop out of the bell and fall on the floor. Now, WITHOUT pushing more air, play louder. Yes, about a forte to double forte. No fair tightening the stomach muscles or squeezing the chest. Keep the air the same. How? Most likely you were able to do this–you accomplished it by dropping your jaw a bit, creating a larger aperture, ALLOWING the air to move through. This is an exercise that Pops showed me to help me relax my pinch, to control my jaw opening, to be aware of the aperture and it’s effect on volume and range. Try it on a 3rd space C. Play with it.

Another thing that we discussed was tongue placement for articulation. Pops’ told me that, at least for basic articulation, that it didn’t matter–it’s going to move around (and should) depending on your mouth and the register you are playing in. To some degree, the tongue arch will limit some options in articulation (at least as far as WHERE your tongue goes), but mostly you tongue the note where it is comfortable and rapid. The anchor tongue (Pops felt) might create difficulties in double tonguing. (I didn’t agree, but, hey, I can’t double tongue worth a squat, so who am I to argue?)

I also discovered that when I could relax and play high C with all of this going (squeeze air, firm corners, press center of lips together gently, jaw open slightly more than I’m comfortable with–currently) that high F was available by arching up the center front of the tongue (not the center back as I have done for years, often forcing air up into my sinuses for some really marvelous headaches…) I suspect that I was sort of blowing the whole wad with this movement–not keeping anything for high G or even double C–but it was sort of interesting that it felt like the tongue arch was the ONLY change I was making between the two notes. More practice research needed here.

Pops is allowing me more arm pressure at this stage than I am comfortable with. I detest pressure ’cause I’m a wimp and it hurts! (Oh, yeah, it screws up your playing in the long run, too.) He does make it very clear that if I must use pressure, to transfer it to the bottom lip (rather than the top one) by pivoting the horn. I can do this, but one of my goals is to get rid of this pressure entirely. Not there yet, but Pops certainly is.

Oh yeah, majorly important. It’s time to put pressure on this guy. WE NEED TO HEAR POPS! Trust me on this–the man can PLAY. And I heard very little, mostly just demonstrations that rattled my teeth and turned my head around! I have never sat in front of a trumpet bell putting out as effortless and as loud an F above double C as I did yesterday. It’s one thing to hear that MVC wave file, another to hear essentially the same range (with more power) tossed off like it was nothing. (No offense to MVC–I want to hear more of him, too!) So, a call to arms! Let’s request tunes! Let’s donate studio time! Let’s order some CDs! Seriously–the man is phenomenal. I know that there are other players with similar abilities, but this man is a fine teacher, one of the best. I think he needs to understand the sort of enthusiasm that his playing can generate in his students. It is important for all teachers to realize that much of their teaching abilities will be wasted without reinforcement–and short of another odyssey to Arkansas, there is no audio record of this particular teacher. IT CAN MEAN SO MUCH TO THE STUDENT, 5 YEARS, 10 YEARS FROM NOW. “I studied with the guy who recorded this.” “Hey man, listen to my teacher. I know that I’ll be able to do that someday!”.

I know I am forgetting things–got up for work 3 1/2 hours after going to bed last night. I’ll run through my notes and get something on the web site by the weekend. The address is there, after my signature. (Enjoy the Duke Levels while you’re at it!) What a great experience–well worth every minute! I encourage you to do it, too. There are several great teachers on this list who do similar lessons–seek them out. I have found them generous, warm, giving. Do I now have a continuous range from Double Pedal C to the Quad C? No. My range has not really extended itself yet–but what I am doing feels like the start of a new path–one that a Great Player has already trodden. I don’t expect it to be easy, but it does seem fairly simple. There is much work in front of me.

That’s it for now–gotta knock off the 10 pages of Arban’s each day. One more thing about Pops: he’s merciless! ; )

Kurt Schulenburg

Pops

The post My Lesson With Pops – Kurt Schulenburg appeared first on BBTrumpet.

I think the biggest problem with How to Improve Your Trumpet High Range and endurance (both go hand-in-hand) is impatience. Being impatient leads to many players making weird embouchure adjustments to help this part of their range and a different trick to help that part of their range. Before long they constantly play on multiple embouchures, and this is an almost crippling action.

When you start learning how to play the trumpet as a kid, you want to get a bigger sound immediately, so rather than take the months and years it takes for a regular embouchure to get a big sound, you start opening your mouth wider than it should be.

And so, you immediately get a bigger sound, but there is no way to add compression and get range out of it.

The hole (aperture) is too big. Then when younger students try to play high, they use mouthpiece pressure and pull the horn into their face, because their lips are so open.

It’s pretty much like stepping on a doughnut: teeth on one side and mouthpiece on the other; you squash the hole. But it takes you a long way. You can get to where you’re playing Ds and Es, but you won’t play double-high Cs.

So, the solution is twofold: you have to learn how to form the proper embouchure and then build the muscles that were never built up in the first place. Both of those solutions are remarkably easy.

6 steps to Improve Your Trumpet High Range:

1. Lip Buzzing: Although lip buzzing (no mouthpiece) is slightly different than the way you play when you learn how to lip buzz correctly, you can buzz a 3-octave scale and if you can buzz it, you can play it.

Lip buzzing teaches you to make your mouth corner. Most people think the mouth corners are where the two lips meet, but they are actually where the buzz stops inside the mouthpiece. Playing the trumpet never enables you to make the buzz point closer in toward the center. The only way you can manage this is through lip buzzing. The goal is to bring the corners in toward the center. Buzzing is a BASIC of learning how to play the trumpet.

2. The Pencil Exercise: You put an unsharpened pencil between your lips. Push your bottom lip up toward the top until the pencil is elevated at about 45 degrees up from the ground. At first, you’ll probably be able to do this for about 30 seconds. The lead players who can hit the upper register all night long can do it for four minutes.

It’s an amazing exercise. The muscles that get sore are the ones you will need to work on for range on the trumpet.

3. Soft Playing: Another aspect of how to play the trumpet is playing softly. I suppose Herbert L. Clarke was the first person to really teach soft playing. In his first exercise in the Clarke Technical Studies, he recommends starting pianissimo and doing a decrescendo until you can barely hear it. When you play it loudly, you don’t get the full benefits.

When you play it softly, it teaches you how to focus your lip aperture to a fine point so there’s just a thread of air coming through.

4. Proper Abdominal Support: To achieve a higher trumpet range you must generate power from your abdomen. You should think of the body as if it were a tube of toothpaste. When you take the cap off, the toothpaste doesn’t come out. The only way to get it out is to make the tube smaller, which means you push. The only thing we can do to push with our bodies is to pull our stomachs in. Pulling the stomach in and up as you play above the staff, forces the diaphragm up into the bottom of the lungs, making the chest cavity smaller and putting the air under pressure, resulting in the compression needed to play high notes.

5. Air Projection: You are sending the note into the airwaves. So you want to give it energy. Take blowing out a candle, for instance. If it were right in front of you, you could blow it out with a warm “ha,” but if it were across the street, you would pull your stomach in and really speed up the air and give it a fast blow. On the trumpet, if you want to move the note farther out, you want to give it more impulse so that when it leaves the horn it has more energy than it needs, so it can make it all the way to the back of the hall. So increased intensity results in increased projection.

6. The “Lip Setpoint” (TM): If you are playing a three-octave scale starting on low G, the lips will be open and loose and there will be two spots where you can hear a difference in tone quality.

But if you play the G above the staff first and set your lips for that note and then relax to play the low G, you stay relaxed to play the two lower octaves and tighten just for the third octave. It cuts that spread into a third of the size it would normally be and it helps you connect the registers without having any kind of change in sound quality. Many players use middle C for their “Lip Setpoint” (TM).

The combination of playing musical exercises utilizing the above steps and the isometric benefits of doing the pencil exercise will lead to a more efficient trumpet range fairly quickly. When you learn to traverse the trumpet range efficiently, you will have improved endurance. Hence you must learn to improve your trumpet high range if you want to master the trumpet.

Clint “Pops” McLaughlin is a trumpet teacher and clinician in the Dallas area. He has written the books The No Nonsense Trumpet from A-Z and Trumpet FAQs. His Website address is bbtrumpet.com. McLaughlin plays a Wild Thing Bb trumpet and Bb cornet, both designed by Flip Oakes and manufactured by Zig Kanstul. He plays a Curry 90 M mouthpiece.

By Pops

The post How to Improve Your Trumpet High Range? appeared first on BBTrumpet.

For about 100 years we have known that tension at the side of the face (cheek area) inhibits tone production, lessens endurance and impedes range. Using this part of the face creates a “Smile” but sadly most people still do this to some extent when they play. Most never even know it. Many famous teachers have written about it, but people keep doing it. I myself have been trying to educate people about this for 40+ years. (I’ve been writing books about this for 20 years.) So, I decided to use Thermal Imaging and Spectrum Analysis of Trumpet Players to show them which muscles they were using and how much they used those muscles.

I decided that showing the muscles used by players that struggle and showing the muscles used by players with range to spare might help.

I thought that the best way to show this was to do a Thermal Imaging and Spectrum Analysis of Trumpet Players of players while they were playing. This has never been done before. Nobody ever did thermal images while someone was playing and the video aspect means that not only can you see the muscles being used, you can hear the notes being played.

We centered the video starting at the edge of the lips. It shows some of the chin and all of the cheek. The reason is because the cheek is the part where we want no real muscle involvement. I wanted you to see the smallest of changes in color. In a Thermal Image or video, colors show how much heat is being generated and that means the muscle is working.

Dark Blue is Cold and means the muscle is doing nothing.
Blue is cool and the muscle is doing almost nothing.
Green is fairly cool and the muscle is doing a little work.
Yellow is warm and means that the muscle is working constantly.
Pink is hot and means the muscle is starting to strain.
Red is very hot and means the muscle is maxed out. There is nothing left to use.

The process

Although a great 60hz thermal camera will record video very well, it has NO sound recording ability. I thought that to show the thermal pattern without the sound wouldn’t help much. So, to show the thermal images with the players’ sound, I had to use a separate video camera filming the thermal screen while recording the sound.

Sadly, tripods were useless because many players move too much to keep a tight cropping on the face and we had to hand hold both the thermal camera and the video camera to follow them. That is why you see the shakiness in the videos but the stills (from the thermal camera itself) are clear.

Every time I do these, I get better and I am now on my 3rd Thermal Camera. (Most thermal cameras are not sensitive enough or don’t refresh often enough per second to be of any use. You learn what will and what won’t work but it can be expensive. LOL)

The box shows where we kept the Thermal Camera lined up.

I have been asked several times who I used for the studies.
I had comeback players who had been back to playing for 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 2, 3, 4 years. I had some college players, some College grads with BM and MM degrees. I had a couple of pros who do session gigs on CDs and Movies and I had everything in-between.

I used mostly people who I had never given a lesson to.
I did this because I wanted to see what the general playing population was like when it came to using the facial muscles.
(I already knew what I taught people to do and so I didn’t need many files of my own students.)
I actually bartered time with people that I hadn’t ever worked with before.
I took readings and did a study with the new player in exchange for a free 1-hour lesson (After the study was filmed).
That way I had fresh info from all types of embouchures and groups of players.

I tried really hard to let the study show the results and I didn’t try to lead it one way or another.

Thermal Imaging Videos while playing trumpet

This is the first video study of its kind in the world.
The White and Basmajian study in 1973 put electrodes on 4 muscles but this study doesn’t tell us if the other muscles are involved. (It takes 23 muscles to smile, and they tested only 4 muscles so lots of info is missing.)

The Bertsch study in 1998 took thermal pictures before warming up and 30 seconds after warming up. No pictures were taken during playing. So, we don’t know when the muscles were used, or what notes triggered the muscle use. We don’t even know the range used in the warmup.

I however; decided to take video of players as they play and change pitches. This way we get to see what happens as we play.
We decided to just include the corner of the lip and keep the temperature box in the center of the cheek.

Abstract concerning muscles and embouchure based on full study.

The player with the worst range and endurance was the hottest at the cheek. He was 2.4 degrees C hotter (4.1 F hotter) at the cheek, than the player with the best range. 

The 4 players with the best high range all had their heat buildup under the lips and not on the sides of the lips.

Clips from my Thermal Imaging study of players

1st public thermal film of people playing. The colors can all shift to red if I allow too much of the blue lip into the frame. However, that has no effect on the temperature displayed. It also doesn’t alter other color changing, which is if red goes to white, or green goes to yellow. That shows a general heating up and use of those muscles. Players who concentrated on using muscles of a frown and under the lips had much better range and much better resonance than players who used muscles to the side of the face.

Player 1:

Player with worst range playing 3rd space middle C. Lips and mouthpiece is blue. 

Cheek muscles are red and white (HOT). Cheek temp peaks at one point 36.1C. Lips are the blue on the right side of screen.

You clearly see that too much muscle is involved and you hear the strained result.

Lips are the blue area on the right of the picture.

.

Next subject.

Player with the best range playing Triple High C. (Me) Taken from other side of the face. Lips on lower left are blue and slightly frowned.

Muscles around lip and under them are red while the cheek is blue.. 

So, I was playing 3 octaves higher, but the cheek muscles were cool, and the red muscle usage was tight around the lips and below the lips. It was not to the side of the face. The Max tempin the cheek area was 35.2 C.

Lips on the left side of the screen and pulled down to a frown. So, you see muscle usage under the lips rather than to the side and hear a much different result. The max temp shown in the red area under the lips was 37.5 C.

.

Spectrum Analysis, Decibel Analysis and Thermal Studies of players

This study is a comeback player. He had been playing about a month, and it gave a perfect example of some standard tension problems.

The 1st half of the video I showed the entire face. All of the blue from the lip are made the cheeks glow white as his cheek temps were all above 37.5 C.

The 2nd half I shot tighter to show more colors and allow you to see color shift as he played. His cheek temp (the temp taken by the small red triangle still showed every note above 37 C.

.

Next player

Resonant Pro another UNT Grad.

The same Pro on Thermal Camera.

What does it all mean?

I noticed that every time they played a bad note (much less volume, lost resonance, no pitch center…) all 3 tests showed what we all heard. The decibel meter registered a much smaller sound. The Spectral Analyzer showed that the player had no peaks. And the Thermal Imager showed that the player used and heated up the muscles on the side of the face.

The players with the least muscle activity on the sides of the face had much higher ranges. (1 to 2 octaves higher ranges.)

The players who didn’t use the muscles on the sides of the face also were significantly more resonant.

My 2 books Tension-Less Playing. and The 4 Trumpet Octave Keys. deal with the findings of this study.

Many videos and other files to follow.

Pops

The post Thermal Imaging and Spectrum Analysis of Trumpet Players appeared first on BBTrumpet.

Donate to maintain Foundation (Donate any amount.)

I wanted to make a page that would give to the trumpet community forever. Too many players around the world have no good source of info and lack books. So to solve that I am giving away my biggest book. I hope that this helps players all over the world to improve.

Free 7400 pages as of 1/1/2020.

Clint ‘Pops’ McLaughlin      pops@BbTrumpet.com

http://www.BbTrumpet.com

Pops Extended Brandt #1

Pops Trumpet Players Guide

 Pops Trumpet Books and Lessons.

New Arban 985 page Method Book (Click here)

Free Video Lessons  (25+ video lessons)

Free Cartoon Video Lessons  (10 video cartoon lessons) 

Trumpet playing charts (fingering, notes, scales, chords, theory)

Public domain trumpet methods

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Pops Expanded Range New Arban with extra exercises.

Arban Complete Celebrated Method

Bach Brandenburg Concerto 2

Bach Inventions

Bohme 24 Etudes

Boscher Méthode de trompette

Brandt 34 Etudes

Charlier 36 Études Transcendantes

Clarke Elementary Studies

Clarke Characteristic Studies

Clarke Technical Studies

Clarke Cornet Solos

Clodomir Méthod

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Eby’s Scientific Method for Cornet and Trumpet Book 1

Eby’s Scientific Method for Cornet and Trumpet Book 2

Eby’s Scientific Method for Cornet and Trumpet Book 3

Eby’s Scientific Method for Cornet and Trumpet Book 4

Book 4 is the 1st time there were written pedal Gs and Double High Cs in a book.

Fasch Trumpet Concerto

Goldman’s Practical Studies

Haydn Trumpet Concerto

Hindemith Sonata

Kopprasch 60 Etudes Book I

Kopprasch 60 Etudes Book 2

Kosleck School of Trumpet

Jules Levy Cornet Instruction Book

Neruda Trumpet Concerto

Ponchielli Concerto

Shuebruk 20 Duets

Shuebruk 36 Duets

Shuebruk Lip Trainers

Saint Jacome Grand Method

Trumpet School Tabakov 1.pdf

Tabakov vol 3.

Tabakov vol 4

Telemann Concerto

Vivaldi Concerto for Two Trumpets

Wurm 40 Studies

Wurm 41 Duets

Complete Orchestral Trumpet Parts

Bach to Bruckner

Bruckner to Haydn

Haydn to Strauss

Stravinsky to Wagner

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Orchestral  Audition parts

Trumpet 1 Audition

Trumpet 2 Audition

Trumpet Utility Audition

Back in the stone age when I was learning to play there was no New Expanded Arban, Clarke, Concerto book… (That is why I wrote them). I had to use non-trumpet books to get written notes above high C. Yes, the clarinet will have some pedal F and Es. Get over it and play them. These are the non-trumpet books I used.

Maxime Alphonse Horn Etudes Book 1

Maxime Alphonse Book 2

Maxime Alphonse Book 3

Maxime Alphonse Book 4

Maxime Alphonse Book 5

Maxime Alphonse Book 6

(These will work your range.)

Berbiguier 20 Studies for Flute

Ferling – 144 Preludes and Etudes

Klose method for clarinet

(These include some difficult slurs. # 4 is great.)

Sitt 1

Sitt 2

Sitt 3

Sitt 4

World’s Edition Universal Method for the Saxophone 

Other Books

Musical Form (Theory)

Musical Notation (Theory)

Chords, Inversions…

Music Composition

Transposition

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Pops

The post The ‘Pops’ McLaughlin Trumpet Foundation Page appeared first on BBTrumpet.