Well, I dug my old trumpet out of my parent’s attic last week and cleaned it up. I found I had a stuck valve so I brought it to the local instrument repair store to get it fixed and just got it back on Saturday. I was planning on selling it to add a bit to my “Get a flute” fund but decided to play with it just for old times sake. I haven’t played trumpet in 16 years so it was interesting trying it out. I got through scales and “Mary had a little lamb” then after playing around for 30 or 40 minutes had to put it down because my lips were numb.
Anyway, to the point of the thread. About 15 minutes later I was playing with my new Olwell Bamboo F and found that my playing had improved dramatically! I mean I actually sounded reasonable and got through “Dawning of the Day” and “Amazing Grace” without a hitch. Could it be that the embouchure on the Trumpet is so tight and the wind requirements are so high that the flute seems easy by comparison? Has anyone else had this sort of experience? Just wondering if I should keep the trumpet now to make my embouchure stronger or if it’s just a limited effect that will hurt my flute embouchure in the long run. Any help or dieas woul dbe greatly appreciated.
Thanks
I wouldn’t count on playing trumpet as being an effective method of improving your flute embouchure. The only musician I can think of who doubled between brass and woodwinds is the jazz great Ira Sullivan. It’s not that common; however, if playing trumpet trips your trigger, what the heck. That’s the fun of being an adult amateur, you can do whatever you want.
Brass embouchures are actually detrimental to flute embouchures. However, the trumpet embouchure is so much tighter than a flute embouchure that the flute felt easier by comparison.
Also, the flute (at least the Boehm flute) requires the most air of any wind instrument, including the tuba! This is because flutes are horribly inefficient…at maximum efficiency (perfect embouchure), 50% of your air isn’t even entering the flute. (That’s why it’s also the quietest of wind instruments.) Of course, it’s precisely this inefficiency which gives the flute its lovely sound…
Micah
Jim, you had the exact opposite experience. My lips are destroyed by playing a brass instrument anywhere near flute playing time. Same with a whistle - I find that it affects my flute playing as well. Things get very airy very quick.
I play both, cornet and flute, almost every day. After playing cornet for 1-2 hours, I have noticed no problem to play flute for another 2 hours. It’s probably good to have well-trained strong lip muscles. Of course, the embouchure - the way you use those muscles - is very different for the 2 kinds of instruments. But I don’t believe that playing one instrument spoils your lips for the other one. I would rather say that playing cornet regularly makes my lips strong, and the stronger they are, the better my flute embouchure will be.
I concur that the blanket comment that brass embouchures are detrimental to flute embouchures isn’t true. I’ve played mouth-embouchure double-reeds (like dulcian or shawm), Highland bagpipe, and flute, and other than getting tired on the double-reeds, it doesn’t hurt my flute embouchure any.
I think it can actually help, in the long run. At first, you might have trouble switching to flute, but after a while, you’ll get better because you’re working your lips out in two different ways.
Not that those are the only ways to work one’s lips out . . .
I built a rim blown flute once and after finally getting a note out of it, I found that the tradition flute embouchure was so much easier. It’s all relative.
Also, playing trumpet probably helped you with wind control.
Yes !yes, Ira Sullivan was something!Jack Noren, the swedish drummer, brought up in Chicago, used to talk about him all the time.If you press too hard on the mouth-piece, when playing the trumpet, if you don’t do “non-press”, don’t mess. Really funny that one.Mats
