Master Superchops Expanded Instructions Premise ~ After more than 50 years of exhaustive embouchure study I’ve concluded that the prevailing brass instruction of the past 50 years is holding us back immeasurably. We have been taught to increase range by tightening the lips and blowing more air. But not only do most of us encounter severe endurance and range restrictions with this method, those who do achieve high range with the lips and air produce a sound that is less than satisfactory. Careful listening to these players quickly reveals the shortcomings. Lips cannot control air in a stable manner. The sound is pinched, and most clearly, the pitch wavers as the lips quiver under the strain. With this DVD, I reveal the techniques I believe will result in a much more controlled embouchure for all players, one with nearly unlimited range, power, and endurance. Most importantly, the sound will be unstrained with no pinch and no waver. This is because the control of air is moved away from the unstable lips to the stable tongue, a much more powerful and controllable muscle. I believe this technique is the one taught during the baroque era and rediscovered by the select few truly great players of our time. I have very carefully fine-tuned this technique during my 50 years of instruction with thousands of successful students. To institute your new embouchure you will need to relinquish your previous training and start fresh. But after 21 days of careful work with these new techniques I believe you will clearly see the tremendous benefits of the Master Superchops embouchure.
Initial Setup ~ Begin by spreading your teeth wide open then push the tip of your tongue lightly up against the upper part of the back of your lower teeth. Now push the top of your tongue, just slightly behind the tip, up against the backsides of your upper and lower lips. This creates a widened and thickened wedge in your tongue. While keeping your teeth wide open, make sure your bottom lip is up high enough to lightly contact your upper lip corner to corner while also contacting the top of your tongue corner to corner. Make certain your tongue is turned over enough so you can actually feel the top of your tongue contacting the cutting edges of BOTH upper and lower teeth. The top of the tongue approximately ¼” (5mm) behind the tip of your tongue should feel the cutting edges of your lower teeth. The top of your tongue approximately 3/4” (2cm) behind the tip of your tongue should feel the cutting edges of your top teeth. This newly created wedge acts like a spring in your mouth. This spring keeps your teeth wide open while forcing the top of your thickened tongue up against your top lip as well as the cutting edge and back of your top teeth. At first, this spring wants to continuously unwind (pull back and flatten out). But, you must not let it! The more carefully you practice this new technique the easier it gets. Nevertheless, expect your body to require a full 21 days of careful practice before this new technique becomes a habit. -1-
Starting and Stopping the Tone ~ In playing a brass instrument the most important two elements are the starting and stopping of the tone. THE TONE IS NOT STARTED BY STRIKING THE TEETH OR LIPS! Rather, it is started by a very slight release of the wedge of the tongue back away from the top lip and the cutting edge and back of the upper teeth. This action releases the air inside the top of the mouth that has been compressed by your lungs. To build the proper air resistance to make higher and faster lip vibrations the tongue wedge must completely seal off the top lip with the entire width of the top of the tongue. This tongue action will completely stop the tone and begin the process of building great air resistance inside the top portion of your mouth. Practice a spit-buzz without a mouthpiece: start the tone by releasing the compressed air with your tongue and quickly stopping the air and vibrations with the same part of the tongue. This tongue action is done with an absolute minimum of movement, only 1/16 of an inch (1-2mm). When playing from low C to double high C, the lower lip and wedge of your tongue must never pull back or drop downward!
First Spit Buzz ~ Before your first articulation remind yourself that the wedge of the tongue must never release its full contact with your upper and lower lips. There is NO back and forth movement of the tongue tip in Superchops. It is absolutely essential that you observe this rule if you are to master Superchops. Instead of the customary back and forth motion of the tongue tip, the part of the tongue that moves is the thicker part of the tongue that has been created slightly behind the upper lip and upper teeth. The motion of the tongue is of the wedge only - very slightly back and down. In Superchops, we DO NOT BLOW AIR to release the tongue. Rather, we spit a small amount of air directly at the cutting edge of the upper teeth. This action is like spitting a hair off the top of the tongue. The action is NOT like spitting a seed off the tongue as that action is much too large and disruptive. The correct spitting action automatically releases the small center channel of the tongue a very slight amount, roughly a millimeter or two. If the spit is done correctly we do not need to think of the tongue channel; it forms automatically. Check yourself continuously: make sure the tongue wedge moves only the slightest amount when releasing the spit of air. In order to make the spitting action crisp and precise air pressure is built up inside the mouth just prior to the initial spit buzz. If you neglect the buildup of air then the attack will be slow, loose, and sloppy. Listen to your articulation and you should easily hear the difference. Always strive for a crisp, popping attack. With proper practice, articulations should sound like the sharp attack of a snare drum or the ring of a small bell. If you cheat on your attacks you will never develop the tongue strength necessary to master your instrument.
Consecutive Articulations ~ In order to accomplish a proper second attack the tongue wedge must immediately return to its initial setup position. As the wedge only moved a slight amount, the return is also very small. Slightly move your tongue wedge back to its setup position to stop the air. In other words, begin each tone with a TONGUE STOP and end each tone with a TONGUE STOP. The end of each tone must be as crisp and clean as the attack. Once again, do not cheat; this step is essential. -2-
To recap: the only movement in the tongue is the slight release of the wedge that has been formed just behind the upper lip and upper teeth. Continuously check yourself: make certain that the wedge of your tongue, apart from the tiny center tunnel, continuously contacts your upper lip and teeth. Do not allow any noticeable back and forth motion of the tongue. A failure here will be a failure to master Superchops. Expect to take about 21 days to ingrain the above steps. Begin with repeated Superchops articulations in the lower register. Start with one evenly spaced spit attack on each step of an easy scale or half scale. Then, move to two crisp attacks on each pitch. Follow with three then four pointed marcato attacks on each pitch. Move up in range only as far as you can articulate very precisely, cleanly, and easily. After 21 days of this careful practice your new technique should be a fully formed habit. Realize that this initial foundation is absolutely essential in order to succeed with the following important step.
The Bottom Lip as Control ~ Once the initial setup and spit attack have been mastered it is time to add the technique that controls upper range development. The upper range is controlled by the bottom lip! At the upper part of your current range begin to pull your lower lip in a bit more firmly against the bottom part of the tongue wedge. In other words, grip your tongue more firmly with your lower lip. This grip adds even more thickness to your tongue wedge. Observe that as you add this step you do not close the teeth. The teeth must continue to stay wide open. If you close your teeth then you will push the tongue back into your mouth and your new embouchure will be lost. To ingrain this new action practice lip slurs. Begin with easy intervals such as thirds in your middle register. Expand the width of the intervals to fourths, fifths, etc as you become more proficient. Concentrate on making the lower lip and tongue wedge completely control each slur. The inward grip of the lower lip and the forward pressure of the wedge are wholly responsible for changing pitch. As you master this technique your range will continue ever upward. Once again, expect to take 21 days to make this a habit. Once you have mastered the setup, spit buzz, and lower lip control you should clearly see the nearly unlimited potential of Superchops. You will be well on your way to mastering your instrument.
Control of Air ~ As you have probably begun to see, Superchops is NOT about blowing more air. On the contrary, the more air you blow the more you blow your embouchure apart. Increased volume is achieved by compressing more air inside your mouth before the spit attack, not by blowing more air through your lips. Air blown through the lips creates a wide and unfocused sound that is not in keeping with the true sound and real mastery of the instrument. Concentrate on blowing much less air than ever before. But, compress that air inside your mouth before the spit buzz. A modest expansion of the upper chest combined with a moderate pulling in of the stomach just below the rib cage provides all the air that is needed once the air is properly controlled and focused by the tongue and lower lip. Do not tolerate a blatty, harsh sound as this is a clear indication that you are overblowing. Also, do not tolerate a wide, spread sound as this shows that your embouchure has already spread apart and is no longer being controlled by the tongue.
Work diligently with the above instructions and you too will Master Superchops! ================================= -3-
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recommend pedal tones to promote relaxation of your lips, increase circulation, and develop lip feel. The feel you will develop is what I call the “fat feel”. Many of you have never experienced a good feeling in the lips. But with proper use of pedal tones you will. Of equal importance, correctly performed pedal tones are an invaluable aid to proper function of the lips. Pedal tones relax the corners of the mouth so the lower lip can come out further and grip more successfully against the upper lip. This is an essential aid in developing real range and endurance. The more long-lasting the bunching of the lower lip the more long-lived the embouchure before the lips start collapsing into the mouthpiece. Notice I’ve said “bunching” of the lower lip. A mere outward curl or pouting of the lip will not do what we need. Before proceeding, carefully study the diagrams and photographs. Never play pedals with your normal embouchure. Instead, place your mouthpiece 7/8ths on the top lip and with very light arm pressure unroll both lips outward. This lip action is called unfurling. The bell of your horn will rise noticeably. The lips away from the red remain against the teeth, but the red parts are unfurled fully. Maintain an opening between your upper and lower teeth of at least 5/8ths of an inch. Your top lip, as it unfurls, feels like it is being pulled down. Even more important, the lower lip bunches out and up! The more you keep your lower lip outside the mouthpiece the more it learns the proper looseness in the corners that allows it to remain out and up. The more receded your lower jaw the more work this will require and the more benefit you will attain. Begin with exercise #1 which starts on the double pedal C. I do not recommend the single pedal register of low F to pedal Db as it is not part of the trumpet’s natural harmonics. Go slowly. Play with as much air as you need to play with a loud and full tone. Always use light arm pressure. Keep pushing the lips to their fully unfurled positions. The tone on the double pedal C must become loud and brilliant! Try to make your air steady and free. Adhere to the dynamic markings. Notice when the lips are unrolled how the soft inner red of the top lip is fully exposed to your air. The bottom lip will overlap the top lip at the corners. Keep it relaxed in the center and unrolled across its entire width, corner to corner, on every note you play. Descend slowly from the double pedal C as low as you can comfortably go. With practice, you will be able to go lower and lower while maintaining the loudness and brilliance required. Repeat this exercise as many times during the day as you like. It is an excellent first exercise of the day as well as a great warm-down. During performances, use it at the end of each set and at the beginning of the next. It will greatly improve the fatness and intensity of your sound as well as your endurance. -1-
For exercise #2, always play with wet lips so your mouthpiece can easily slide down. Begin on the 3rd space C with your normal Superchops embouchure. As you slur down to the pedal double C fully unroll both the top and bottom lips. Do not stop the sound as you move from the middle register down. As you slide down, smoothly slide your mouthpiece up so it is 7/8ths on your top lip by the time you arrive at the double pedal. As you slide, concentrate on turning your lower lip outward. Expect to take several weeks to develop proper freedom and ease of sound. Duplicate the look of the diagrams and photos. Remember, unroll both lips, check your teeth opening, slide the mouthpiece up. Observe the thickening of your lips as you unroll. When you are playing the pedals in this manner your lips, white and red, will become thick from corner to corner. The thicker your lips before you start your pedals the stronger and better trumpeter you will become. This warm-up will keep your embouchure thick and solid while your corners stay forward and relaxed. Strive for compact pedal tones with brilliance - pure and fat with no spread and no fuzz or grinding in the tone. In review, make sure the unfurling of the lips brings the soft inner red out on all double pedal tones. Push the bottom lip forward toward your horn and up toward your upper lip. Feel the thickening of the both lips corner to corner. Make the most of this valuable exercise. – Jerome Callet
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Questions for Mr. Superchops! Please describe the trumpet sound that you want to hear? Very centered with brilliance, yet where you can hear the total resonance of the sound. Never overblown, but solid. What is meant by a spread sound? In the Arban book it says never play with a du-waaah sound. We want pomp, pomp, like hitting a bell. Never blah, blah, blah. 150 years ago, Arban described the du-wah sound as thick, disagreeable, and flat. Many modern teachers want to hear a so-called symphonic sound, not too percussive. But in starting a student or for a player who wants to correct embouchure problems, they must have a sharp attack with a tongue-stop before each note. The tongue-stop is like hitting a bell: ping-ping. Never slide into or out of a note! Should we sacrifice sound in the early development of SC? You won’t sacrifice sound, but many players, from previous habits of blowing harder to get a tone and play into the upper register, have a habit of overblowing. To conquer this we use a centered sound with the right attack. So, a foghorn or honky or unpleasant sound is not acceptable even in the beginning? Well, those players that honk on the horn are all overblowing. They aren’t getting a centered, perfect pitch to the sound. Anything other than a perfect pitch is violating nature’s rules. What should we listen for to let us know that we are NOT on track? The most important thing to listen for is variation in pitch and lack of center of tone. Most players, as they go up in scale, particularly as they sustain tones, go flat. That proves that their embouchure is not in the right position. When a player is fully comfortable with Superchops, where do you expect the tip of his tongue to be during all playing? Lying loosely behind the lower teeth, but forward enough to make certain the wedge is distinctly against the inside of both lips. When Superchops is fully developed, what is the top lip doing? The top lip is doing practically nothing other than vibrating. What is the bottom lip doing? The lower lip is gripping the wedge of the forward tongue. It is responsible for the changing of pitch and for supporting the tongue itself. What is the best way to develop the bottom lip? The tongue is the strongest muscle in the body. But, it’s not used to being in the fully forward position of Superchops. Traditional techniques don’t train the embouchure to support this strong muscle. The lower lip has to support the tongue up against the cutting edge of the top teeth while the tip of the tongue stays inside the lower teeth. The best way to develop this is with articulation. If you study the Arban book you’ll see that the first 36 pages are nothing but -1-
Questions for Mr. Superchops! articulations, no deep musical things, no slurring at all. That’s because in slurring you can’t feel the action of the tongue as well. In order to develop more tongue strength you must do a LOT of articulations. After one develops more compression with the tongue and takes the strain off the lips do the lip muscles grow weaker in time due to less exercise? No. Years ago I tried to strengthen my lips and it worked to some degree. I could actually put a full sized trombone mouthpiece between my two lips, not my teeth, and hold it while I leaned forward. But, this did not help me play better. Many people use the pencil trick in this manner. This will form a higher register, smaller aperture but not a freely vibrating one. Also, as you increase the strength of the lips pulling together you will have to press and blow harder. We don’t want to have to blow harder as that works against the clear, centered sound that we strive for. Plus, it causes more and more trouble as we get older. I would say 90% of professional players are definitely overblowing. This is all because the tongue is not being used correctly. What is meant by a thick tongue? If you go to the mirror and push your tongue forward you’ll see that it’s quite thin. But as you apply pressure to the tongue just behind the tip, the tongue widens and thickens automatically. It’s the resistance of the lower lip against the forward tongue that thickens it. It’s not natural as in speaking. That’s why people resort to syllables and overblowing in order to try to make the trumpet perform. Once again, they are going in the wrong direction. You cannot use syllables in efficiently playing the trumpet. That’s why I never advocate syllables. You say the tongue is thickened by resistance. Is there resistance from the teeth? There is some resistance from the top teeth. The air you are blowing goes over the tongue and under the top teeth. You want to direct the tongue to come very close to the top teeth and stay there. That gives you more brilliance, more power, and in time, a much easier upper register with greatly increased endurance and less strain. How wide should we keep our tongue? You can’t give a rule because each player’s mouth is a different size. With a narrow mouth you can use a tongue that is less wide. Are you trying to keep your tongue as wide as your mouth? No. Regardless of width, once you are able to maintain your tongue very, very close to the top teeth you will be compressing all the air in your mouth into pure vibrations. The goal is to do all your compression inside the mouth before the air hits your lips. What part of the tongue is used for slurring and how are the lips involved? You should do your spit buzz, then spit slur. There is a slight movement of the tongue just behind the tip that is up and down. It’s best described as a rocking motion.
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Questions for Mr. Superchops! Please define the action and importance of the spit buzz. It is best to see the spit buzz in two phases. Before you make the actual attack, the tongue is stopping the air by touching both lips. We call that a tongue-stop. At the very moment the tongue is released air causes a vibration of the lips. Every time you begin another attack you must stop the air before the articulation. In other words, an air-stop must precede every articulation, not just the first of a series. Most players are trying to blow the air first. You must change this habit. Blowing the air first produces a wider, spread sound without the core, focus, and perfect pitch we are striving for. Do you do anything with the lips in order to slur? As far as the lips are concerned, the lower lip does it all. The upper lip is just receiving the air in order to vibrate. To ascend, the lower lip moves in and up very slightly with the slightly rocking tongue. Do you teach that the tongue, as it sets the tongue-stop for the next articulation, is what actually stops the sound of each tone? Or, do we stop the tone by using the lungs to stop air flow? The air flow is always stopped by the tongue. The tongue-stop serves two equally important functions. First, it sets up the air for each articulation. Second, it stops the air at the end of each tone. The second step correctly sets up the tongue for the next articulation. This technique is essential for rapid, precise, in-tune articulation. If you let the tongue come back after every articulation you let too much air into the cup of the mouthpiece. With this technique the tone goes flat after every attack. The loose, uncompressed air causes you to lose air power no matter how much air you blow. The lip only responds to compressed air, not loose air. If you play with air-starts then you have to blow harder and harder. The lips collapse into the mouthpiece cup. With air-starts, only by progressively increasing pressure against the lips can you hold the lips in place. This is why players fail to achieve the true power and range of the instrument. Many players are taught to start their daily practice with nothing but air-starts. What are your thoughts on this? I would say this is the worst thing about current teaching. I have many students who had good articulation but were taught air-start routines in college. They could no longer play as well as when they were 14. The next biggest problem is that players are taught to squeeze their two lips together to play higher notes. Actually, the lips vibrate much better if the lips are slightly separated by the tongue. With the tongue-stop the lips move very little, less than a millimeter from the lowest note to the highest. Yes, some players can play a double C by squeezing their lips together. But, the tone is thin and screechy as well as out of tune. Only a full vibration produces a full sound. The more you squeeze and press the lips the less endurance you will have. What effect does this minimal movement of the tongue and lips have on double and triple tonguing? Never pronounce a syllable while attempting multiple tonguings. That causes excess movement of the tongue and makes the full tongue-stop impossible. My students use a spit and cough to produce multiple tonguings. The tongue has a gentle rocking motion with minimal movement. -3-
Questions for Mr. Superchops! The student should practice coughing while keeping the tongue in contact with the lips. Get the cough articulation to be as clean and quick as a normal tongue articulation. This produces the fastest, cleanest multiple articulations possible. Before I learned to play this way I could never develop the speed necessary to play the great cornet solos. Now, it’s very natural and easy. As you ascend in range, is there an aperture that gets ever smaller? If so, where precisely is this aperture and how do you control it? You cannot think of aperture. There is an aperture between the two lips but that space is filled up by the tongue. Most players think of the aperture as a small donut hole in the center of their lips. But that aperture won’t vibrate. Tone results from friction, not space. As you consciously try to squeeze the lips together the tongue recedes and the teeth close. Immediately, a full tone is lost. The true aperture is not in the lips. Rather, it’s that very small tunnel down the middle of the tongue. Even while the upper lip continuously grips the top of the tongue the air gets through that very small tunnel in the tongue. But don’t think of it; it happens naturally. Louis Armstrong said that when he played great he could feel his tongue vibrate. That is caused by the friction between the top of the tongue and the upper lip and teeth. That is the correct feel. I’ve noticed that the great players always have a visible bulge above and below the mouthpiece. Is this correct? Most good players do have this. It is caused by the gripping of the lips against the tongue. But if a player can actually feel and hold onto the tongue then I don’t care what it looks like. Everyone’s teeth, jaws, and lips are different. I’ve taught identical twins with very similar teeth yet totally different looks. It doesn’t matter. The greatest players of the century could not teach their own sons to play at top levels. That is because they weren’t able to teach the proper foundation. Once the foundation is in place the rest is easy. This is also the reason that the sound of the great big bands of the 40’s was so much more exciting than today – the sound and the articulation. It’s very hard to find good articulation today. Students are taught to use much too much tongue movement. No one can articulate cleanly and quickly when the tongue is moving noticeably inside the mouth. This even causes problems in sight reading that you can hear. Players fall behind the beat because the tongue can’t keep up with the steady tempo. What do we do to position the face, particularly the lower lip, before we set the mouthpiece? First, set the tip of the tongue behind the lower lip then press the section above the tip forward against both lips. Next, bring the top lip down on top of the wedge of the tongue. This leaves a slight opening between the two lips that is filled by the wedge. Pressure of the lower lip against the tongue just above the tip is what creates the upward wedge in the tongue. By following this procedure the tongue stiffens and thickens automatically. Next, spit buzz. Most current teaching instructs to pull the tongue back and blow more air. This separates the lips. You don’t ever want to do that. In Superchops, we maintain a space between upper and lower teeth that is as wide as the thickness of the wedge of the forward tongue. What do we do about the space beside the tip of the tongue? As the top lip presses down on the tongue the tongue naturally widens and fills this space. -4-
Questions for Mr. Superchops! Where does the air actually go? It goes over the tongue and under the top teeth. This gap should be very small, particularly in the upper register. But if you pull the tongue back, even slightly, then the air goes to the sides. This is why players leak air on the sides. It’s a loss of compression and it is always wrong. By pressing down on the top of the tongue you are also making the lips smaller, corner to corner. This happens naturally without having to manipulate the lips. This creates a natural pucker, a supported pucker. Therefore, it can be maintained. And, you don’t lose control. This is the only correct way to pucker the lips. Did you say that the grip of the lower lip is the correct way to thicken and widen the tongue? Yes, that’s correct. When I first started teaching this technique that was the hardest thing to get students to understand. They were getting the tip of the tongue in between the lips but they weren’t following it up with the proper lip grip. The tongue remained too thin. I believe my newest instruction makes the proper grip much easier for the student to understand and maintain. Would it be correct to describe this as a “hamburger effect” as in the tongue is the thick meat between the two lips which are the buns? One of my students described this as a tongue sandwich. But both of these analogies can be misleading. Only the wedge of the tongue is the hamburger. In other words, the real meat is behind the lips, behind the buns. And the grip is supplied by the lips, not the teeth. Does the position of the lips or tongue change between the setup diagram you’ve provided and the actual playing position? Absolutely not. Once you move the tongue out of the setup position you are done. Overblowing and pressure are the immediate result. This is always wrong. Is there a difference in the position of the lips and tongue for spit buzzing versus actual playing on the horn? Yes, because the mouthpiece forms the actual enclosure. That’s why I like to create a circle with my thumb and forefinger in the shape of the mouthpiece rim. I practice my spit buzz into that enclosure and find it very helpful. It’s really only the top lip that needs to be enclosed. That’s the lip that lets go. The bottom lip is protected by the tongue. Your index finger is used to create light pressure on the top lip so you can spit buzz much more forcefully and gain more strength in the tongue and the grip. The purpose of mouthpiece pressure is to hold the top lip on top of the tongue. Only light pressure is needed. As we ascend in range we need to increase the grip of the upper lip against the tongue. Are we moving just the upper lip that is in the cup or are we moving more of the upper face too? The entire upper face draws down. If you watch the great players as they play an upper register note they close their eyes. This helps draw or push the entire upper face down.
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Questions for Mr. Superchops! Is it okay to play off-center, to the side of the center of the lips? Players with buck teeth usually play off to the side. If they try to play directly in the center their tone shuts off. Play where you feel most comfortable as long as it’s not fully into either corner. What are your thoughts on puffed checks? I don’t advocate it, but if you have a small mouth cavity then you may get some puffing of the cheeks. That won’t disturb the player. But I encourage playing without puffing of the cheeks if possible. Is there an advantage to not puffing the cheeks? If you look at baroque paintings you will see angels playing trumpets with puffed cheeks. When you puff your cheeks the tongue goes right through the teeth. That’s why the players of the time were doing this. But, I like a firmer lip against the tongue. That is best achieved when you don’t puff the cheeks. Do you recommend playing with wet or dry lips? I recommend wet lips. With wet lips the mouthpiece can always seat properly. If you play dry, only the top lip can be dry. The lower lip must be wet in order to move properly with the tongue. However, I also discourage a dry top lip. I find that a dry top lip increases pressure on that lip. Many dry top lip players show scars on their upper lip as do Maynard Ferguson, Louis Armstrong and Maurice Andre. If you are currently a dry player, transition to wet for both. Does your lower lip ever get above the cutting edge of your upper teeth? At times, particularly on the sides. I used to play well up on the upper teeth for the upper register and I got very good high notes. But, the combination of the tongue wedge against the lower lip with the top lip gripping down makes it easier to get the full sound in all registers. I want perfect pitch from the double pedal C to triple high C. I also test to make sure I am getting a very full sound on the high D trumpet all the way through the upper range. Then I know my embouchure is right. What do we do to position the face, particularly the lower lip, before we set the mouthpiece? Push the wedge of your tongue against your lower lip then grip the top of the tongue with both lips. The lower the register the more relaxed the grip of both lips. When you do this setup, do you feel a bulging of the lower lip? Yes, there is a bit of a bulge that I can feel. If you press a finger into the middle of my chin then I cannot play. That’s because you are holding my lower lip down so it cannot grip the tongue. We must have resistance of both lips against the tongue. This is why I use the term tri-labial embouchure. You must have both lips and the tongue correctly performing their duties in order to get full control of any brass instrument. All three parts must produce the correct resistance in order to get the correct sound.
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Questions for Mr. Superchops! What is the proper way to breathe and blow? First of all, lets talk about intake. Many players talk about taking a full yoga breath. In a full yoga breath one fills all the way from the bottom and all the way to the top. This is not necessary for any brass instrument including the tuba. You need only about 1/3 as much air as most players are currently using. I like to use the upper chest while pulling the lower stomach in a little bit. But don’t inhale fully. If you have too much air on the intake you will overblow plus you’ll get light headed. When you inhale you fill the upper chest and pull in the lower stomach at the same time? No. I inhale into the upper chest then set the lower stomach in. The setting of the stomach lets me push the air out more quickly. The stomach should never push out against your belt. You don’t need that much air. Some people describe this stomach setting as similar to getting punched in the stomach. Is it like that? Yes, but very slight. I do an example for every student. I make them play a passage with full breath. Then, I have them play the same passage after blowing out all the air in their lungs. They are left with just the air in their mouths. In every case, they play the excerpt cleaner with their empty lungs. That clearly illustrates to them how much they are overblowing. What is the problem with overblowing? We’ve talked about lightheadedness. But more importantly, when you overblow you cannot precisely control pitch. And, it causes your sound to spread even worse than having a bad attack. Also, let’s say you are overblowing for a high C and need a high F. How much added pressure do you now need? And, where are you going to get it? Additional comments on teaching The problem is that no one can concentrate on the musical part of a performance if the embouchure is collapsing. In order to really teach the trumpet you have to start at the bottom and correct any problem that the student has. That’s my advantage; I started at the bottom and spent 50 years learning how to do it correctly. With traditional instruction, I practiced for 5-6 hours a day but got worse every year. Four of the greatest players in the world, Maynard Ferguson, Harry James, Maurice Andre, and Timofei Dokshizer tried but could not teach their own children to play. A friend of mine spent eight hours in a car with the great Kenny Baker and begged him to tell him something about how he did it. Kenny said he had no idea, he just did it. Are you doing things wrong if your tongue is not getting tired? That’s a hard one to answer. Everyone has a different strength of their tongue. I’ve had beginners grasp the system immediately as they already possessed the tongue strength necessary to implement it at a high level. I have a student with a speech impediment that forced him to develop tremendous tongue strength. He easily plays to double high C with perfect articulation and intonation. Then, I’ve had long term professionals with practically no tongue strength. They -7-
Questions for Mr. Superchops! have to work extremely hard to catch up. Everyone has to be approached as an individual and guided from there. Nonetheless, I would say that everyone’s tongue will get tired at some point. My tongue still gets tired if I put it to the maximum test in all the registers. Are there good ways away from the trumpet to properly strengthen the tongue? Absolutely. I do spit buzzing for at least 20 minutes a day. When your tongue gets strong enough to articulate and do a tongue-stop, stopping and starting the tone with the tongue, then you are well on your way. You must think percussive, like beating a drum or hitting a bell. The tongue is a valve; it must start and stop the note. Most of the more recent high note players have been jazz and latin players. They usually play with special effects going into and out of notes. Classical players want a very clean attack. But, the technique is the same. A tongue-attack and tongue-stop provides the cleanest articulation possible regardless of style. You want a distinct tongue articulation at both the start and end of the tone? Yes. Actually, the stop is the start, the start of the next sound. You must think that way. Generally, do the lips need strengthening? No. The only lip strength is against the tongue. I’ve been playing with a tongue controlled embouchure for about 28 to 30 years now. About 25 years ago I realized that it is much better to think of the tongue first because the lips will properly follow, especially with students that don’t have bad habits to break. Many players that play with lip strength can play very well up to a certain range and volume. But if you push them out of their comfortable zone they can’t handle it. That’s because the lips can never develop the strength of the tongue. Listen to trumpeters without a microphone. That’s where you can easily hear the difference between the really strong players and the rest. Do you recommend the pencil exercise to strengthen lips? I’m absolutely against it. There is no advantage. Rather, it takes you in the wrong direction. In addition to spit buzzing, are there other good ways away from the trumpet to properly strengthen the embouchure, any isometric exercises, etc. No. You really can only do this thing in spit buzzing or playing the actual trumpet. Players want to get instant development. You can’t do that. It takes time. It has to be a natural function. I have a student that teaches 9, 10, 11 year olds. He played me a tape of 4 of them in their little jazz band. All four played to high C with excellent intonation, much better than most graduating high school students. That’s because they developed naturally with the right foundation. They all started with spit buzzing. Do you recommend playing just the mouthpiece? Never. I used to practice many hours on the mouthpiece because I was a traveling representative for Benge and Calicchio. I thought this would save me time at home. I trained myself to play from low C to double C on mouthpiece alone and that’s a hard feat. But when I’d go to play the trumpet the tone would be terrible. The mouthpiece is designed to play with the trumpet. Outside the trumpet, it’s naturally way out of tune. However, you can simulate a mouthpiece when you -8-
Questions for Mr. Superchops! spit buzz. All you have to do is form your thumb and index finger into circle like a mouthpiece rim and spit buzz into that. This will give you much more benefit than playing a mouthpiece alone and you’ll learn to stay on pitch. Are there any special considerations to keep in mind for someone that has a decidedly receding or protruding lower jaw? No. Normally, the tongue will straighten out these difficulties. The horn angle will be affected, but that’s no problem. There are great players with all types of jaws and all kinds of horn angles. It’s all fine if it’s based around the tongue. Are there any special lip conditions such as a Cupid’s bow lip that cause special troubles? This is funny because years ago teachers looked for beginners with a Cupid’s bow, an upper lip that hangs down in the center. They believed this was a great natural advantage. In fact, it was called the “trumpeter’s lip”. And it can be a help because we really are playing on the insides of our lips. That’s where big, powerful tone comes from. Now, students with a Cupid’s bow are often discouraged from the instrument. That’s because it can make it harder to get a firm tightening of lip to lip. But as we know, that method of development is wrong. It really doesn’t matter what shape the lips are as long as the tongue controls it all. Are there any special considerations to keep in mind for someone that has uneven teeth? I have very uneven teeth. That’s why I could never play with the traditional embouchure. I had to find a low pressure system that really worked. Ultimately, that was my advantage. My teeth forced me to find a better way. There have been many great players that succeeded despite very uneven teeth. That’s why I knew that there had to be a better way. It just took me a long time to find it. I’ve been very successful teaching students with braces that act like little knives. When they bring the tongue forward they no longer feel the braces; they no longer get the cutting. Are they any advantages or disadvantages to having a gap in either upper or lower front teeth? It’s meaningless. Roy Eldridge had all false teeth since age 17 and his jazz performances can almost not be equaled by any of the top stars of today. The great Charlie Shavers finished his career with just one front tooth and a small bridge. He was just as great a player at the end of his career as before. If the tongue is used correctly it will seal the air against the top teeth and top lip regardless of teeth formation. Can Superchops be effective for someone who has lost his teeth? I gave a lesson just last week to a student with all false teach. Roy Eldridge played with all false teeth. And don’t forget, the false teeth in the 1930’s were pretty bad. Harry James had total implants put in during the early 60’s. His body rejected them and he had to have them pulled and replaced with false teeth. He didn’t miss a beat because his tongue was always right. What is meant by loose corners and is it important for Superchops? Well, it’s not totally loose corners. All a muscle can do is contract and relax. If you contract your corners tightly as in a smile then try to open your teeth, you can’t do it. And if your lips are pulled flat against the teeth then you can’t bring your tongue forward, at least not enough to -9-
Questions for Mr. Superchops! articulate well. The reason you start with relaxed facial muscles is that they will tighten up according to what the tongue and lips do. That’s natural. That’s correct. Then, they won’t pull. In order to do this correctly you need the chin muscle which is very powerful. It’s below the actual red of your lip. There’s no muscle in the actual lip. A trombone player, with his bigger mouthpiece, can play on the actual muscle. That’s why they have so much more endurance than trumpet players. A trombone player typically has three times the endurance of a trumpet player. A tuba player has five times the endurance. Of course, that’s if they practice at all! Does the lower lip vibrate to create sound or does the tongue cover the lower lip? There’s a lot to be said. The lower lip vibrates in conjunction with the tongue and upper lip. But, the greatest vibration is in the top lip. The lower lip is your control. If you take a dentist’s rubber dam and put it over the bottom lip then play you can get a decent sound. But if you reverse it, with dam over the top lip, then you can’t get a sound at all. A student at Peabody University got his doctorate doing this research. The top lip must be free to vibrate. It cannot be encumbered by heavy pressure or abuse or it will not vibrate properly. Many players use bigger mouthpieces in order to combat their heavy pressure. This is the wrong way to go because it’s merely hiding the underlying problems of the incorrectly formed embouchure. Louis Armstrong said that he when he was playing well he could feel a tickle, a vibration on his tongue. It had to be in contact with his upper lip in order to feel the vibration. There is no other vibration to feel. So, we don’t need to worry that the tongue sitting against the lower lip will stop a needed vibration? Correct. In fact, you can press a finger firmly against your lower lip and spit buzz. You will still get all the vibration you need. Actually, you can press fingers against both top and bottom lips at the same time and they will still vibrate. Check it on yourself right now. How does Superchops affect double and triple tonguing? We don’t pronounce syllables. Rather, we spit then cough in rapid succession. There is actually much less movement of the tongue this way so the speed and cleanness of multiple tonguing improves greatly with this system. But, you shouldn’t work on this until the single tongue is very well developed. Also, keep in mind that we aren’t doing this to get super speed. We are doing it to get extremely crisp and clean articulations. That’s more musical. It’s the sureness of the stopping of the tongue that is most important, not how fast you can do it. By the way, even though I practiced multiple articulations for 40 years, I could never get crisp, clean double and triple tonguing until I started doing it with the fully forward tongue, completely through my teeth. In multiple tonguing, how do you do the cough? It’s in the throat on the very back of the tongue. But when you are doing it correctly it feels like it is coming from just behind the tip of the tongue. During the cough the tongue is rocking a little in its fully forward position. The tongue and lips must always stay very close together. In fact, I must have the lips and tongue together in order to do it at all. To think of a syllable is much harder, much slower, and much less clean even after extensive practice. But, you have to get used to the Superchops method first because you have to build strength in all parts of the tongue. - 10 -
Questions for Mr. Superchops! Is it beneficial to do various exercises that specifically concentrate on developing different parts of the tongue? No, all you have to do is practice the standard exercises. It all comes from that. Ernest Williams, who had a tremendous embouchure 75 years ago, used to have his students play all 23 pages of the Arban multiple tonguing exercises every day. His students all had terrific embouchures, all the ones that could do it. One student writes that when he tries to use the forward tongue his tone suffers, it becomes dull. What would you recommend he do to improve tone quality? To start, I’m not sure he has his tongue in the right position. Hopefully, the illustrations I’ve included will clear that up for him. Likely, he is closing his teeth and pulling the tongue back after every articulation. That’s wrong. At any rate, there has to be something drastically wrong because in correct Superchops the tone and pitch must improve immediately. That’s precisely how we know we are on the right track. Once you do it correctly it seems quite obvious that your tongue is forward of the teeth. Why haven’t more great players agreed to this? Self-analysis takes a great deal of dedication. I don’t think many great players have been intensely interested in this because they are the ones that haven’t needed it. I attended a clinic by Maurice Andre. In the clinic, he expressly said he sets up by putting his tongue through his teeth and lips. To get the correct feel, he actually starts with his tongue in the cup of the mouthpiece. He said he tried to teach his son this way. But he couldn’t get his son to imitate him. Maurice was one of the first people to encourage me to keep teaching this system. What are the common pitfalls that get people off track in their development of Superchops? They don’t dedicate themselves to carefully practicing this way. This is a “doing thing”. You have to do this until it becomes a habit. It takes 21 days to correctly form a habit. I believe if someone with an open mind very carefully practices this way for 21 days he or she will never want to go back to their old ways. I’m not saying they will be a virtuoso in 21 days. But, they’ll never want to go back. However, I’ve had players come to me and expect phenomenal results in one day. Unfortunately, nature doesn’t work that way. Yes, I’ve had students do things after one lesson that they could never do before. They were lucky. It came easy for them. It never came easy for me. It doesn’t really matter. The diligent musicians are the ones that will succeed no matter what. This is purely a physical thing. It has nothing to do with musicality. But, it has everything to do with being a successful player. Is there a preferred lip set for Superchops, for example 2/3 top and 1/3 bottom? No. First of all, it’s how your teeth are shaped. Playing on the side of the mouth is also not bad. The only time I’ve recommended that someone move his mouthpiece position was for a man that played completely in one corner. That was not right. How far apart should the upper and lower teeth be? I can’t give a precise rule. How do we know how thick the player’s lips are? The red is sometimes stronger that the white. It doesn’t really matter. It’s how it vibrates. In fact, most - 11 -
Questions for Mr. Superchops! people that trumpeters would describe as having “normal lips” are actually playing with about 60-70% on the red anyways. It depends on the tongue. We have to make enough room for the tongue to contact the cutting edge of the top teeth and for the lower lip to hold the tongue. That determines the size of the opening. But, I would say that the more open the teeth the better. The average person plays with an opening of about ¼” to start and closes further as he gets higher. That’s why he pinches the high notes. I want to see 5/8” (15mm) or more. And it’s essential to train yourself to think of opening the teeth more as you go higher. In this way, you can use more tongue and lips. As you think “more open” you may still close a pinch for the upper register. But, you keep the closure as minimal as possible. Does it matter if one has thick lips or thin lips? Having thick or thin lips does not determine whether or not you can get a good sound. But, a thin lipped player sometimes finds it a littler easier to find a good position to set on his lips. There are two types of setting: einsetzen with is inside the red and ansetzen which is on the white. A person with thin lips can easily set right on the lips. My teeth angle outward. There a people like Bernie Glow and Bud Brisbois whose teeth angle more inward. For them, it’s easier to find a setting. But these facts are all incidental. It doesn’t matter. We can get a great setup and sound from any of them. How do we use less air and still get sound volume? Volume of sound is based on air compression, not air volume. The goal in spit buzzing is to play from the C below the staff to the 1st C above the staff without horn or mouthpiece. The reason you can’t buzz higher is that you don’t have the aid of the rim of the mouthpiece to help hold your lips together. If you spit buzz these two octaves you will have a strong enough embouchure to play anything. How do we use less air and still play long passages? You learn to ration the air with the tongue. Once you’ve conditioned yourself to use less air for one note you’ve conditioned yourself to use less air for any. In the beginning, it’s much better to play 2 bars correctly, even if you have to break a phrase, than to continue in a less efficient manner. The body has to condition itself. When I first started to do this correctly, many years ago, I could only play 1 or 2 bars. But, it grows from there. Your endurance and power will continuously build. One book says to play 64 bars without a breath. What does that prove? What does it sound like? It’s much better to play 8 bars with good sound than 64 with bad. Do you suggest breathing through the nose to combat overbreathing? No, nose breathing is usually too strained. Breathe through the mouth, take your time. With Superchops you need much less air. So breathing can be very quick when you need it. I know some people are worried about disturbing the embouchure. But all you have to do to get the embouchure back is use your lips to grab the wedge of the tongue. What about circular breathing? As a teacher, I’m against it. Once again, what does it sound like? I want the player to always be in control of the breath and compression of the breath. You can’t energize the sound with - 12 -
Questions for Mr. Superchops! circular breathing. It’s fine if someone wants to show off an entertaining gimmick, but it’s not going to produce the best musical result. It’s not developing anything musical. Is there a way to flutter tongue with the Superchops technique? First of all, I don’t really know how to flutter tongue. I’m not interested in unusual techniques. But if a player can play with ease from double pedal C to double high C with a big, full sound and excellent intonation plus make all the articulations then he can add whatever additional entertainment he wishes. But, we have to make sure that techniques such as flutter tonguing, half-valves, and plunger are not being used to hide technical deficiencies. As trumpet players, we all know why the plunger solos come out in the 3rd and 4th sets. But with the proper embouchure we won’t run out of endurance. For entertainment value, these extraneous techniques are perfectly fine. But I believe in the Arban book. In other words, master the standard technique first. Do you have any tips for transitioning from an air oriented technique to Superchops? First of all, you have to train your ear to hear the improvement. With this training most students can learn to play one octave with clearly improved center and pitch in one lesson. Unfortunately, most players have not been trained to hear their pitch precisely so they don’t even recognize they are out of tune. This is not only the #1 problem in junior high, high school, and college bands; it’s the #1 problem in professional bands as well. I believe that a primary reason the trumpet is less popular than it once was is because audiences are no longer hearing the exciting sounds of players like Harry James, Bunny Berigan, Roy Eldridge, Al Hirt, Billy Butterfield, Fats Navarro, Charlie Shavers, Louis Armstrong - the true sound of the trumpet. Young people who take up the trumpet are getting discouraged because they aren’t being trained to get a good sound with ease. We’ve accepted the idea that the trumpet is hard to play. That’s not true. Do you have a comparable list of symphonic players that you suggest we listen to? Sure. Horst Fisher, Bud Herseth, Harry Glantz, Maurice Andre, Gunther Beetz, Rafael Mendez, Timofei Dokshizer. It doesn’t matter what style a player plays. It’s what comes out of his horn that matters. Are pedal tones useful practice? Always. Pedal tones gave me my start. For pedal tones I do recommend two embouchures: einsetzen for pedals and ansetzen for the regular register. The only pedal tones that are useful on the trumpet are the double pedals because the 1st octave is not present on the modern trumpet. When done correctly, the double pedals train the lower lip to bunch properly. And, they are very useful to relax the lip and provide blood circulation. What role does the diaphragm play in Superchops? We use all the muscles of the breathing mechanism to play but there is no need to huff and puff. In Superchops, we use much less air. To propel the air, I start with the stomach slightly in. I use about 1/3rd the air of traditional methods, but it took me years to work this out. It’s very difficult to break the pattern of “use more air”. But if we are to improve the quality of sound we must do that. Take a look at the list of fine trumpeters mentioned before. Towards the ends of their - 13 -
Questions for Mr. Superchops! careers a number of them were in very poor health. They didn’t have the fitness or air to run across the street. Yet, they still played at as high a level as ever. I’m now in my mid 70’s and have only a fraction of the air of my young students. But, they can’t begin to play with comparable range and power. It’s not about the air. Yes, the trumpet is a wind instrument. But I have French horn, tuba, trombone, and even flute players that have learned to use much less air in order to greatly improve their sound, range, and endurance. You must learn to play the instrument without strain. How does one keep the tongue from touching the roof of the mouth when tonguing? If the tip of the tongue is behind the lower teeth and the wedge of the tongue is forward enough to contact the cutting edge of the top teeth then the tongue can’t touch the roof of the mouth. Is there a recommended or expected horn angle for Superchops? No. There is a natural position that the horn will take based on the individual facial structure. I don’t recommend a change unless a student is having a specific problem. And usually, we’ll fix that problem by correct use of the lower lip and tongue. Do you use or recommend a pivot? I don’t use a pivot and I’ve never instructed a student to use a pivot. However, I’ve never stopped a student from using a pivot if the response is right. Everything is based on the sound. Is he playing in tune with a centered tone? Is he straining? Is he overblowing? Do you recommend a gripping of one lip to the other? I never want players to squeeze their lips together. If you squeeze your lips together then you can’t put your tongue in the right position. I’m not saying that players can’t play high by squeezing their lips together. I’ve heard many do it. But, it’s not with the tone that we want to hear. And there are many players who use two different embouchures, one for high notes and one for the regular register. This causes even more pitch problems. In my system, I always start students from the lower register. It doesn’t matter if they are 10 years old or a professional symphony player, we always start the same. The problems are the same, just different degrees. Once we can control the first octave, C to C, then we build. Of course, it’s always with the same embouchure. Do you recommend rolling the lips in to help compress the air? To roll the lips in so they can squeeze against each other is wrong. The lower lip comes up and in slightly, but it’s against the tongue. The purpose of the lower lip is to direct and hold the tongue as it vibrates and compresses the air. The goal is air compression inside the mouth before it hits the lips. If many of the exercises in the Trumpet Secrets book are out of my range would you recommend staying with the first exercises for a long time or move on in the book and play what I can? Never play what you can’t play right. I’ve had students who stay with 2 pages for 6 months to a year. It doesn’t matter. If you aren’t doing it right you aren’t going to advance. Once you do it - 14 -
Questions for Mr. Superchops! right you’ll never be afraid of high notes. It can all be worked out; you just have to do it according to the rules. I don’t make the rules; nature makes the rules. It all has to be easy, brilliant, clean, and in tune! What about practicing at p or pp dynamics as suggested in Clarke's Technical Studies? I don’t think that’s a good idea. I believe you have to practice at all volumes. But super soft playing is not going to do it. No one has ever developed a super strong way of playing with a big tone by training primarily this way. Can one play pp with Superchops or does Superchops alter the dynamics of trumpet playing? With Superchops you’ll have much better control of pianissimo. The curse of pianissimo is overbreathing. Prove it to yourself. Blow out all your air then play your soft passages. They will improve immediately. What are your thoughts on a "hybrid" approach where one uses a traditional articulation in the standard register but changes to a forward Superchops articulation for the upper range? For optimum development, it’s very important to develop the same articulation throughout the range. In fact, it’s only by developing the correct articulation in the standard register that we are able to master the correct articulation for the upper range. Everything is built upon a correct foundation in the standard register. It’s merely more relaxation in the normal range that results in the slower vibrations we need there. You still want to pressurize the air the same way. The reason players want to try this dual technique is in order to keep their so-called big sound on the staff. But once again, their concept of big sound is coming from more air. This high volume of air is actually blowing their lips apart which results in a smaller sound and greatly reduced endurance. This kind of sound doesn’t carry. You never want to spread the sound; you must center the sound. The reason I backed away from the super large bore horns I used to make was for this same reason. It’s much better to control and center the sound. I’m a big fan of the vintage small bore Conn 22B because it is so well focused that the sound is actually much bigger and carries much better. In practice, what percentage of time should be give to staccato, slurring, multiple tonguing, long tones or ballads? Developing players must spend most of their time on staccato exercises. For an advanced player, I would say 30-40 % staccato, 10% slurring. That’s your first 50%. Then, advanced technique in triple and double tonguing for about 10-15%. The rest is devoted to etudes and music. That would be a good balance. What musical exercises or etudes should we use to develop Superchops? Anything that emphasizes articulation as long as you don’t play too high or too fast. The first 37 pages of Arban’s Complete Conservatory Method are a great place to start. But as long as you give your concentration to tongue control then you can play anything
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Questions for Mr. Superchops! How fast should one expect to progress with Superchops? I’ve trained dedicated younger students with few bad habits to play in a symphony setting with solid high Ds and Es in a month. But older players, especially ones that have deeply engrained bad habits can take much longer. About 5% of the people that come to me will fail. That’s not because they aren’t smart enough. They do the things correctly in their lessons then go out and revert to their old playing habits. They don’t apply the discipline necessary to make the change. People that really do this should expect a 95% success ratio. As I said before, in 21 days the new habits should be deeply enough engrained that a player will not consider going back to their old way. If this hasn’t happened then we have to figure out which part of the instructions are not being followed and why. The solution is always the same, go back to the correct basics until we make them a habit. How do you characterize a successful student? One that can play all over the instrument without strain. One that can practice everything he or she wants without getting sore or tired. In practicing Superchops, where do you feel the strain or muscle development? This is very important. The tongue and lower lip must give out first. The top lip should never feel strain. It should never be sore even after hours of playing. If there is any swelling of the upper lip it should be very slight. It should come from pressure of the upper lip against the tongue, never from pressure of the mouthpiece or teeth. A tickle of the tongue or upper lip is a good sign that things are on the right path. After a lot of playing, the ring of muscles around the lip may feel a little tired. But once again, never the top lip itself. Is there a disadvantage to using Superchops in an orchestral setting? I have many students playing in orchestras all over the world. This month alone, I’ve taught players in the Dresden Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, and Hungarian National Philharmonic. It’s interesting that players in Europe and Japan are often much more receptive to new ideas than many of those with much easier access to this information. For some reason, they are not as resistant to learning new things that will allow them to play better and easier. Superchops is equally important for every type of music. All musical results are improved when you can play the entire range of the horn with greater ease and better sound. Mechanical Issues: Do you recommend a particular left hand grip on the trumpet? No. I just recommend you don’t squeeze or press. Light pressure on the upper lip is all that is needed. The cradle grip that is very popular now reminds players not to press. That’s alright. Like Harry James, I put one finger under the 3rd valve slide. I don’t really use the 3rd valve ring. But if I did, I would have the ring finger in there. Some players put their middle finger or index finger in the ring. These variations are all fine as long as you don’t press.
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Questions for Mr. Superchops! What are your thoughts on using the 1st or 3rd valve slides for correcting intonation? August Schaefer, the great classical high note teacher and author of the book, Stratosphere, said never use them. On many of the older horns these slides were fixed. I believe that if you have the right embouchure you should correct all intonation with the tongue and lips. Of course the Baroque players all did this. I don’t believe Bach and Handel would have allowed their trumpeters to play out of tune. Intonation should be corrected by embouchure and ears. This is fastest and best. Mouthpieces: What are you looking for in a good mouthpiece? Balance. The blow and the feel of a fine mouthpiece requires the least amount of strain to produce the most centered, brilliant, in-tune sound throughout the entire range of the instrument. Most players evaluate the sound between low G and maybe a high D or E. I expect a mouthpiece to be balanced from F# below double pedal C to at least triple G and A. Unless you have the embouchure to test mouthpieces like this you really can’t tell if it’s balanced. Mouthpiece makers, as a rule, aren’t able to test their own products. That’s why there are so many faulty mouthpiece designs. I have a tape of a cornet solo by one of the primary mouthpiece makers playing in his prime. Every time he goes above the staff, just a G or an A, it’s all flat. Like so many mouthpiece makers, he got started by trying to design pieces that assist incorrect embouchures. That’s not the way to do it. A good mouthpiece works in combination with a correct embouchure. Otherwise, you are merely masking your problems. For our own knowledge, do you recommend the very popular Bach mouthpieces? Don’t forget, playing in a symphony orchestra doesn’t require super power or super range. If you do more strenuous work – big band lead, the circus, extended solo work – the Bach mouthpiece won’t serve you well. That’s because they cause you to tire. You tire because they take too much air. To begin with, the backbore is too open. This causes the lips to collapse and the tongue to retreat. In an effort to overcome this, the player resorts to too much pressure. Vincent Bach did a great service to brass players by instituting his numbering system to categorize mouthpieces. But if a mouthpiece is not balanced it’s going to work against rather than for you. What problems are created with a wide diameter mouthpiece? The problem is range and endurance. I’ve only met a few people that can play from low G to G above high C in tune with a 1C. And that’s the minimum range for today’s trumpeters. I have many advanced students who now say they were foolish for struggling on wide mouthpieces for years and years. It’s foolish to seek out equipment that makes your job harder and your end result weaker. What problems are created with a deep mouthpiece? A shallower mouthpiece is harder to play on than a deep mouthpiece. Any novice can play on a deep mouthpiece because it will accept the collapsing embouchure. Once you learn to play correctly your lips won’t collapse as before so you can play a shallower mouthpiece. Once players learn that the big sound comes from air compression inside your mouth then the old lore - 17 -
Questions for Mr. Superchops! will die. A wider opening between the teeth with a thicker tongue is what gives you a bigger sound. A smaller mouthpiece makes this much easier. Plus, a shallow mouthpiece instructs. It tells you when your lips have collapsed because it shuts off the sound as soon as your lips enter the cup. What throat do you recommend and why? I recommend a 27, the standard. A large throat speeds collapse of the lips plus it makes it much harder to control pitch. You hear this all time. Trumpet players have been trained to accept bad pitch. That’s the curse of our time. What mouthpiece would you recommend for beginners? If you could only get a stock mouthpiece then I would recommend a Bach 10 ½ C. A 10 ½ E would be better still. This should be the prime mouthpiece for young players. And, I would recommend that size for adult beginners too. The size of the lips doesn’t matter. It’s how you use them that matters. If the tooling was available for the authentic NY Bach mouthpieces in these sizes that would be better still. But, a student will progress much more rapidly if they have something better than merely adequate. My latest project was the design of a new mouthpiece, the Superchops 1, that addresses this great need. Trumpets: What are you looking for in a good trumpet? Same thing as a mouthpiece, it has to be balanced. You should be able to play a centered pitch from the lowest pedal harmonic to Gs above double C. If you ask me how many of the huge number of instruments available today can meet that test, I can tell you: almost none. Despite current improvements in engineering and manufacturing there are old instruments that clearly outplay most of what is offered today. I just bought 30 older trumpets. This is how you learn. But once again, you have to be able to play correctly throughout the entire range in order to test these instruments. In most cases, the designers and makers aren’t able to do that. Do you have a recommendation about bore size? I used to think that a large bore instrument was best. I played a super large bore for years. Now, I play a small bore trumpet. The greatest trumpet in the history of the world – for quality of tone, overall balance, scale, construction, valves, everything about an instrument – was the pre-World War II Conn 22B. And it’s a small bore horn, .433. Another wonderful trumpet from that era, the King Liberty 1050, has a .448 bore. Do you look for something special in a receiver or leadpipe? No. If the instrument is balanced it already has it. What are you looking for in a bell? With the exception of Bach C trumpets, I don’t generally change bells. I’ve done lots of experiments on the Bach Cs in order to address intonation problems and slow response. The best on those were the Reynolds Contempora copper bells. That bell and an Olds leadpipe really - 18 -
Questions for Mr. Superchops! make those horns come alive. But, I can’t get those bells anymore. Once again, the really great trumpets are balanced to begin with. The stock bells fit the rest of the horn. The bell on the Conn 22B and its copper version, the 12B, are both exceptional because they balance correctly with the rest of the horn. Lessons: For those outside the NY area, are there students of yours successfully teaching Superchops? Not too many. I can’t transfer 60 years experience and 37 years of actual teaching through lessons. Also, most of my students are devoting themselves to becoming really fine players. Teaching is a very different thing. Are your students finding telephone lessons with you to be helpful? It is best to have a student here with me. I can show them so much more. But yes, we are having great success with the telephone lessons. It’s the next best thing. How does one arrange telephone lessons with you? Call me up and schedule a time. Do you intend to offer lessons via Skype or similar video connection? No. I don’t need to see the guy’s lips. Hearing is the true test. I’ve spent a lot of time learning to hear correctly over the phone. I don’t want to add in a new variable; that’s not fair to the student. Here’s how I know which of my students will become the best teachers: how well do they hear it? Pros are the most difficult because they know musically how to adjust their embouchures even when they are dying physically. Astute listening reveals these embouchure deficiencies. If you are going to really help a pro player you have to hear these things. Seeing is not the answer. It was the same thing when I was making trumpets. It’s the same thing with my new mouthpiece. I didn’t design these things by looking. I designed by hearing. When my ear told me they were right, I knew they were right. Why have you reverted to calling your system Superchops instead of the Tongue Controlled Embouchure? I’ve always used the word Superchops. I have people all over the world that know me by that name. But there is a difference between the two terms. I teach the tongue controlled embouchure in order to give the student super chops, something very powerful. My new DVD, Master Superchops, is designed to help more students become the master of their own chops. This is my contribution to the study of the instrument that I so love. It’s the best summation I can make of my 60 years of study. I wish everyone Master Superchops!
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~ Biography ~ Jerome Callet
In 1947, after many years of struggling to play the trumpet at a top level, Jerome Callet began exhaustive research into the physical elements necessary to develop a “Super Power Embouchure.” After much trial and error, he developed his new embouchure system and named it Superchops. Today, Jerome Callet is one of the most in-demand brass embouchure clinicians in the world. Born April 24, 1930, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jerome began his trumpet studies at age thirteen. He was greatly inspired by two fellow students at the Herron Hill Junior High School in Pittsburgh: Cal Massey and Tommy Turrentine. He studied with numerous famous trumpet teachers and painstakingly worked to master the instrument. But at the age of thirty, Jerome could still not play a high C! Determined to succeed, Jerome developed his own methodology and named it Superchops. With this new system he quickly developed into one of the most powerful trumpeters in the world, a player with world-renowned range and endurance. His exciting new DVD demonstrates and explains in detail the complete Superchops system so you too can master any brass instrument. Armed with his new Superchops embouchure, Mr. Callet embarked on a quest to design and produce the best trumpets and mouthpieces available. Jerome’s involvement with the instrument business began with sixteen years in sales for Elden Benge (1953-1968) followed by eight years with Dominick Calicchio (1968-1975). He absorbed much of his knowledge of trumpet making from these two brilliant men. With this rich background and his talent as an accomplished machinist, Jerome launched an experimental trumpet design in
1956 and started selling his own trumpets in 1984. In 1973, he developed a line of mouthpieces to complement his embouchure system. Simultaneously, he taught embouchure technique in Pittsburgh (1960) then New York City (1972 to present). The fulfillment of his quest to create the best brass instruments possible is represented by his “Jazz ”, “Superchops “, and “Stratosphere” Bb trumpets, his “Symphonique” C, and his “Jazz” flugelhorn. More than 6,000 Callet trumpets and 15,000 Callet mouthpieces have been manufactured in the past twenty-eight years. Though he retired from manufacturing in 2002, he continued working to create the finest trumpet mouthpiece ever. He released his brilliant design, the “Superchops 1”, in April of 2007. Mr. Callet has written four books on trumpet embouchure and technique including the internationally acclaimed “Superchops”. His latest book “Trumpet Secrets Vol. 1” (subtitled “The Secrets of the Tongue-Controlled Embouchure”) provided expanded insight into his Superchops embouchure. This DVD, his latest work, takes the Superchops system to a completely new level. It is now easier than ever to master Superchops! Jerome Callet continues to teach telephone and private lessons from his Staten Island, New York studio. In addition, he has conducted clinics in the United States, Canada, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Hungary, and Japan. ============================
