Trumpet Mouthpiece Placement

“Where should I place my mouthpiece when I play my trumpet/cornet?”

The placement of your mouthpiece can be affected in many ways. If you have scare tissue as I do, (a friend through a brick and hit me square on the chops) you will notice that the affected area does not vibrate as other tissues does. If your dental facial structure is less than ideal, (front teeth protrude or are highly irregular) you may encounter more comfortable or less comfortable areas to place the mouthpiece. The position of your jaw will also affect your mouthpiece placement. If the world was perfect and none of the above issues affect you, the ideal mouthpiece placement would be centered under your nose and placed evenly both up and down on your lips.

“What advantage is there to placing the mouthpiece in the center of the lip?”

Most players agree that the mouthpiece should be on or close to the center of your lip, directly under your nose. When we discuss the distance up and down on your lips, then we get into personal opinions. There are as many accomplished trumpet players playing on a “high” setting as there are those playing on a “low” setting. And the others play well in the center. So what’s the difference?

Generally speaking, the higher the mouthpiece is set on your lip, the more vibratory area is put into play. It has been proven through clinical studies that the upper lip is the only section of the lip that vibrates when playing a cup mouthpiece instrument. Even though the lip area which surrounds the opening of the mouth is in fact circular, like a rubber band, when buzzing on a cupped mouth only the upper area vibrates and the function of the lower area is there to support the upper portions of the lip.

As the amount of vibratory area is increased but moving the mouthpiece upward, the amount of meat is increased and in most cases the tone quality and flexibility of the player changes. This change is usually a darkening of the tone and increased flexibility. On the other hand, if the mouthpieces is below the center position were the mouthpiece is situated, more on the lower lip and less on the upper lip, the resulting change is generally an improvement in the upper register and a corresponding brighter tone quality. Most players try to begin in the center and during their development shift to a more productive and/or comfortable placement.

“I have been playing off to one side on my lip or, above or below and don’t seem to be improving.”

If you have been playing on an extreme mouthpiece position (left or right/ up or down) and feel that this is hindering your progress, make sure that the placement is the cause, not something else. Changing from an extreme position to a more conventional position is not easy and you will have to evaluate the amount gained with that of the amount lost when making this change.

Moving a mouthpiece from one area to another would be as if you are starting all over again. It can be very frustrating and I only recommend this change for a person who has no other recourse. It takes dedication and a strong will to make this change. Ask yourself, “Is it worth taking a couple months off my regular playing in order to make this change?”

I am reminded of one of my earlier students who decided to make the change. This students’ mouthpiece placement was far to the right and low enough that very little upper lip was in the cup. His playing was drastically hampered by this position. I explained the issues involved with his choice to move the mouthpiece and he agreed to the switch. At that time this student was playing regularly in his own rock band and a change would require him to replace himself in his own band for an extended period of time.

We began the change at the end of the spring semester and throughout that summer he began learning to play all over again. By the next fall semester he had improved greatly and by the next spring semester he was playing decidedly better than the year previous. I suffered along with him as his playing dropped suddenly from fair to absolute bottom. Gradually we celebrated with each month’s improvement.

After that year he started playing in his band and we both agreed that the change, even though at times discouraging, was well worth it. The culmination of his effort was his wonderful performance of the Arutunian Trumpet Concerto on his senior recital. Without the change he would not have been able to perform that piece. Without his dedication and drive, he would not have been successful making the change.

I consider that student to be one of my most respected and determined students I have had the pleasure to work with.

“I want to center the mouthpiece, now what do I do?”

When deciding to change your mouthpiece placement, it is best to be working with a teacher so that your progress is constantly being checked. The first piece of equipment you will need is a mirror. You will be checking your mouthpiece position frequently to make sure bad habits do not return.

I have listed some suggestions for you and stress that you must start slowly and progress only as quickly as your chops will dictate. “DON’T EXPECT RAPID IMPROVEMENT!”

These exercises are to be played with only the mouthpiece three (3) different times the first day (morning, afternoon and evening). “You will not need your trumpet/cornet until next week.”

Day 1

  1. While looking in a mirror, (do not trust what feels correct) center the mouthpiece.
  2. Take a deep breath and buzz a long note on any pitch.
  3. If the note starts easily, you are on your way to a new mouthpiece placement.
  4. If no sound came out try again on a lower note.
  5. If no sound came out try again on a higher note.
  6. Once you are able to get a sound, work for a more centered and richer quality.
  7. Reset your mouthpiece on you lip, (checking with mirror each time) buzz a note and then bend the note as far down as you can.
  8. Reset your mouthpiece on you lip, (checking with mirror each time) buzz a note and then bend the note as far up as you can.

Day 2

  1. Repeat all exercises from day 1.
  2. Continue to slide notes up and down until it feels less strange to you.
  3. Start a note in the middle register and tongue it with four short notes followed by one long note.
  4. Start a note in the lower register and tongue it with four short notes followed by one long note.
  5. Start a note in the upper register and tongue it with four short notes followed by one long note.
  6. AT ALL TIMES, CHECK YOUR PLACEMENT IN THE MIRROR.
  7. Pick out three or four familiar tunes (Happy Birthday, Three Blind Mice, etc.) and buzz them at a very slow tempo and in a relaxed manner.
  8. Take frequent breaks between numbers and think about your placement and your tone quality.
  9. Repeat your songs at different volumes in different keys.


Day 3

  1. Repeat all exercises from day 1 and 2.
  2. Start playing one octave scales on your new placement beginning with low C.
  3. Slur all of your notes at first, then start tonguing each note.
  4. Rest frequently.
  5. Slur scales in this order- C, D, Bb, F and finally low G.
  6. Tongue scales in this order- C, D, Bb, F and finally low G. Repeat each note four times.

Day 4

  1. Repeat all exercises from day 1, 2 and 3.
  2. Purchase Advanced Lip Flexibilities for Trumpet by Dr. Charles Colin.
  3. Practice page 25 in the book.
  4. At all times, check the placement in the mirror and rest frequently.


Day 5

  1. Take the day off and go fishing. That’s an order!


Day 6

  1. Repeat all exercises from day 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Day 7

  1. Take the day off again.


Day 8 and following

Place your mouthpiece in your instrument and repeat all of the pervious exercises in the order and amount suggested. This means starting on day one and doing only what is suggested on day 1, but this time with your mouthpiece in you instrument.

By the end of your second week, your mouthpiece placement should be well established and you should, with discretion, be able to continue with page 26 of your flexibility book. Once you are able to perform this page easily, then go back to page 9 and begin these exercises in the order they are published. At this point in your recovery process, you should not exceed one page each day.

Points to remember-

  • Regularly check your placement in the mirror.
  • Start you practice with your sound in mind i.e. warm and relaxed.
  • Rest frequently at first.
  • Minimize your mouthpiece pressure. If you think you are pushing too hard on your lip while playing on your mouthpiece, put some Vaseline on the shank of your mouthpiece so that your fingers slide easily.
  • Don’t expect to rush the first two weeks. If you do, you will have to start over.
  • Get in the practice of  “brush your teeth” after every practice session. The action of brushing will speed the recovery time between practices. No..Really!

Bruce was a member of the faculty at the University of Northern Iowa, School of Music in Cedar Falls from 1969 until his retirement in 1999. He has performed with many well-known entertainers such as Bob Hope, Jim Nabors, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Anita Bryant, Carman Cavalara, Victor Borgie, the Four Freshman, Blackstone the Magician, Bobby Vinton and John Davidson.

33 thoughts on “Trumpet Mouthpiece Placement

  1. Matakiah

    Hey man,

    I’ve been playing on the left side for a long time. It appears that, that’s the on place I can get the vibrations and great sounds from.
    Your instructions are great, but I think that it’ll be hard to change!

    Thank you,

    Matakiah

    • Bruce Chidester

      Any change takes a long time and you have to weigh the advantages with the disadvantages. I decided to center my mouthpiece after finding out that I was playing too far to the left. After making the change, I still find myself moving back to the old position from time to time. Make sure you check it out in a mirror often.

  2. joel

    Do you think I should raise my mouthpiece placement since most of it is in the lower lip an the rest in the very edge of the top lip?

    • Bruce Chidester

      Prescribing changes from a great distance is like calling your doctor for some medication over the phone. Sometimes it works and sometimes it can be dangerous.
      My advice is to 1. contact a player in your area to watch and listen to you play, then make a suggestion. 2. Evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of making a change and after careful consideration, go at it slowly and gradually when you have some time to make the change.

      I have known some very fine players who play with the position you are speaking of and the last thing one would do is to try to change their playing style. If it’s working, don’t try to fix it. If you have hit a wall and your progress has slowed or even stopped, you might consider the change.

      Changing a mouthpiece position oor a move from one side to the other, takes a lot of time and dedication on the musicians part. The only players I would change are the ones that find their progress has stopped and are frustrated with their current playing.

      Also…….

      Never try to make a change unless you have a clear calendar for at least two weeks. Trying to make a change while you are committed to a heavy schedule seldom works for in order to play your part acceptably during the change, you will have a tendency to revert back to the old, comfortable position.

      I wish you the best and hope you can make the switch (if it is needed) easily.

  3. Trevor

    I have been playing far right on my mouth and tried to play in the center and it is as if i lost
    a year of pratice i dont know if its worth changeing will it improve my skills?

    • Bruce Chidester

      I made the same change and the secret to making it work is to give yourself at least a month to make the switch. That means the only playing you should do is in private practice sessions and not do any ensemble or performances until you have made the switch and feel confident on what you can and can’t do. The summer is the best time for students.

  4. brantley

    i have been playing a little far to the left for a while because of my teeth and i am the best at my school and im only a sophomore. however i am trying out for a few drum corps next year and im afraid that they wont accept me because my trumpet is too far left. i desperately want to canter it but whenever i do its as if i am in 8th grade again. my range goes from a loud double A to a whimpy high C and it sounds terrible. by the end of the month will i have built my range back up?

    • Bruce Chidester

      Good morning and thanks for your questions.

      I’ll try to give you some advice to your concerns as best I can. Trying to solve problems at a distance is like asking your doctor to prescribe medication over the phone but I will try to give you some possibilities.

      “i have been playing a little far to the left for a while because of my teeth and i am the best at my school and im only a sophomore”.

      There is a BIG difference between “a little” and “far to the left”. If you are the best in your school and only a Sophomore, I can assume that you are from a small school and your band director really needs your ability as a trumpet player or, you are an exceptional player. If playing is uncomfortable in the center because of your dental formation, you may be one who could benefit from a bent mouthpiece. Most often a bent mouthpiece is used to correct an up and down alignment, but it could be used for a left and right change also.

      http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/bent-mouthpieces-good-or-bad-part-1/

      http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/bent-mouthpieces-good-or-bad-part-2/

      “however i am trying out for a few drum corps next year and im afraid that they wont accept me because my trumpet is too far left”.

      At your age, you might consider horns other than a soprano for the larger the mouthpiece the more easily you will be able to play.

      “i desperately want to canter it but whenever i do its as if i am in 8th grade again”.

      If your teeth are the issue, changing the position will not make it easier to play.

      “my range goes from a loud double A to a whimpy high C and it sounds terrible. by the end of the month will i have built my range back up”?

      If you are speaking of double high C as five lines and a space above the staff, you don’t have a problem, you need to help me!

      With the limited information you have provided, I would suggest the following-

      • If you teeth are as unusual as I imagine, a bent mouthpiece would be worth a try.
      • Have an instrument repairman bend your mouthpiece for you.
      • Use an old mouthpiece to see if it would help. Do not try it on your good mouthpiece.
      • The amount of bending will be determined by the severity of your angle.
      • This summer would be the best time to make the switch so that your playing would not suffer in band.
      • Consider a larger mouthpiece and horn for drum corps.
      • Find the best trumpet player you can find and ask him/her what you need to do. It is much easier to make suggestions when you are in the same room.

      After you try playing on a bent mouthpiece, let me know how you do. Please!

      • brantley

        thank you.
        “If you are speaking of double high C as five lines and a space above the staff, you don’t have a problem, you need to help me!”
        haha, no the C i was refferring to was the C 2 lines above the staff, and the double a being the A above that.

        “If you are the best in your school and only a Sophomore, I can assume that you are from a small school and your band director really needs your ability as a trumpet player or, you are an exceptional player.”
        Actually we have approaching 250 members in our band. almost 40 trumpets. i just work very hard haha. we have some great instructors.

        i guess the question i have been trying to ask is, will your method work if my problem is my teeth?

        Thank you

        • Bruce Chidester

          Yes, but…

          When considering every variable in the process of trumpet playing, each time one variable is less than perfect, the outcome is degraded slightly.

          In other words- if everything is perfect you will play in the most efficient manner.

          On the other hand- if one element in the playing process is less than perfect you will experience less perfection.

          Many players play exceptionally well even though they have unusual factors in their playing style. Look at Miles and his downward pointing bell. Diz with his extreme expansion of his neck.

          If you are the top player in a 40 trumpet band, I don’t think you have much to worry about! I would love to hear you play some time. Maybe you could teach me some things.

      • vlad

        Im also a teenager , 15 years old and ive been playing for around a year . I play every weekend , friday saturday and sunday for at least 4 hours. When I play it feels as if my lips are in an improper position and the sound comes out all wrong, I didnt have this problem before. it feels like the air is being blocked by my lips but when i put my lips in a different position, my lips dont make vibration, and are too far apart. I dont know if maybe I should switch mouthpieces or if maybe im playing it wrong, but just to remind you i played this way for around a year and had no problem with it until a couple months ago.

        • Bruce Chidester

          A sudden change like yours is not common but as quickly as it came up, it can also go away as fast.

          I would suggest some mouthpiece playing only for a couple days. Keep the horn in the case and carry your mouthpiece around with you. Whenever you have a minute or two, bring it out and buzz some familiar song such as happy birthday or your schools fight song.

          Breaking your problem down to the most basic elements many times will help.

          I do know that many “small” practice sessions are more beneficial than a few “long” ones.

          Let me know in next week if you have solved the problem or not.

  5. Steve

    Here’s a product that could help !

    • Bruce Chidester

      Interesting. I’ll check it out further this evening and get back to you.

      Thanks for the info.

      Later…..

  6. Nditex

    Gud morning house,iam a learner nd i love music i want to play trumpet,am playing wright but if play i cant get my sound well now i want to change to center if can get my sound well

    • Bruce Chidester

      I hope you were able to translate my post and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at anytime.

  7. Braden

    My trumpet mouthpiece placement is very high and my tone is suffering from it. I’m not sure if I should center it or not and I want to sound the best I can next year for band. I feel like the summer isn’t enough time to sound better from centering it.

    • Bruce Chidester

      When you say “very high” I have no idea as to how high that is.

  8. Braden

    I also practice every day for about 40-60 minutes, and it doesn’t seem to improve.

    • Bruce Chidester

      If you are constantly playing for that length of time, the problem may be that you are not letting the blood back into your lips to help build your chops. Be sure that you use the play/rest routine and your lips need to feel fresh all the time.

      • Braden

        Thank you so much for the help. Even though it takes me twice as long to practice, I can notice the improvement in my tone and many other things. I juat wish I’d know about the practice/rest routine earlier!

        • Bruce Chidester

          Sometimes “less is More”.

          Keep in touch…

  9. Braden

    I also have another question. I sound just fine in the afternoon. But whenever I play in the morning everything sounds a lot worse and I’m doing Jazz Band next year in the morning. I did Jazz in 7th and 8th grade but not this year and it sounded fine. But now it sounds worse. I’m not sure what’s changed and how to fix this.

    • Bruce Chidester

      The first thing is to take it easy on yourself.
      Playing any instrument should be fun not an earth shaking event.

      The second thing I would say is that for all trumpet players, as well as most brass players, we all have a harder time playing in the morning than in the afternoon so you are just one of many.
      Trumpet player hate playing a breakfast show, enjoy an afternoon show and tolerate an evening show.
      For the last three months, I played a show which began at 2:00 in the afternoon. That was ideal!
      This Fall we perform at 10:00, 2:00 and 8:00PM. Each show needs different preparation.

      I find that for early rehearsals or shows, playing pedal tones the night before helps to get the chop more relaxed for the next mornings rehearsal. I usually play about an hour on my trombone which does the same thing.

      The afternoon warm up is shorter and the evenings is even shorter.

      One reason that morning playing seems tougher is the fact that during your sleep, your lips tend to dry out from breathing across them and as the day goes by, speaking, moving your mouth, chewing food all ad to the movements of your chops.

  10. Sam

    School is coming up in 3 weeks and I’m trying to recover from a week of not playing due to acne and vacation. Right now it sounds like I’m at a 7th grade level. How long do you think it will take to sound a lot better and get back in shape for the upcoming school year? I’m going to be a 10th grader this year

    • Bruce Chidester

      Sorry it took me so long to get back to you but I recently had a heart attack and have fallen behind on a few things.

      Getting back in shape is a very coon condition for trumpet players and I include myself in this chosen team.

      I start rehearsals with our show “The All Hands On Deck Show” tomorrow evening. Check me out. I’m on the fourth slide!

      When I need to get back in shape, I do the same thing every time.

      I start with the “First Book of Practical Studies for Cornet and Trumpet”.

      I have recorded all of the exercises in the book with a metronome in the background. I have recorded every other line on the recording so that when the first line is over, I come in on the second line and play till the third line plays the melody again. In other words I play every other line through the whole book. I would suggest that youi limit your playing to no more than a half hour for a couple days.

      Eventually you will build your chops up enough to continue to book two.

      Building chops takes time and the worst thing you can do is try to rush the development.

      Thanks for stopping by and let me know how you do this year.

      Your new friend in trumpet,
      Bruce Chidester

  11. Sam

    Also I struggle to play soft and quiet like I used to- It tends to be more airy. My endurance is very bad too

    • Bruce Chidester

      When you are playing in this book, be sure to follow the dynamics carefully!

  12. Efeonah Abraham

    I’m changing my mouth piece placement from the right to the centre of my lips but the issue is that I’m feeling muscular pain inside my mouth towards the right. initially I was playing at the centre of my lips but i later change towards my right, I just decided to go back to playing at the centre of my lip and I’m experiencing this pain… what do I do

    • Bruce Chidester

      Pain is the way your body tells you that you are doing something wrong!

      Without seeing and hearing you play, it is hard to give you much advice.

      When you say that you feel pain, is it in the muscle itself or is it under the right side where your mouthpiece is placed?

      If it located under the right side where your mouthpiece hits, it might be too much mouthpiece pressure.

      Suggestion #1. Read this post and try the hand position listed as “lower hand position”. This hand position will lessen the amount of pressure you are able to place on your lip.

      Suggestion #2. Read “Pencil exercise” and see if you continue to feel discomfort as you do the mentioned exercises. If you sill feel pain, you should mention it to you family physician.

      Just remember, pain is there for a reason.

  13. Mario Mojica

    I am a sophomore in high school and i am good but not nearly as good as i can realistically expect to be as a high schooler. The reason for this i think is because i play off to the right by about 1/2 an inch, and i use extreme amounts of pressure which i realize is horrible for tone, range, intonation, and endurance especially. I have tinkered with playing in the center a little bit over the past 2 years and when i do i feel very natural and as if i can play all day, but my highest note with my most beautiful sound without pressure is a second line G. I realize this embouchure change will take time, and i am willing to be patient and persistent, so please let me know how i can expand my range further and reach my expectations. Thank you

  14. Eduardo

    I am a trumpet player too and like most of you i have some doubts. Some years ago i noticed that my sound has changed, it got worst, so i changed my mouthpiece. At first it was difficult to adapt, but with some practice my sound improved a lot. The sound is fine now, but i still cant reach high notes… Recently i tried a different mouthpiece position. Since always i played with it in the center of my mouth but i noticed that moving it a bit down, closer to the bottom lips, allowed me to reach higher notes. These higher notes come out easily and the sound is curiously great. The problem is that the lower notes sound strange and sometimes dont even come out. I can reach them if i change it back to the normal position, but in a performance i cant do this. In addition, this new position looks and feels strange for me. I have seen some trumpet players and nobody plays with the mouthpiece so low. I dont know if should or not play like this…

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