Troubleshooting - The straw technique
With
Kay Charlton
What's in the course
13 lessons (0h 23m) · 1 free
01. Welcome to the course
0:36
02. Parts of the trumpet explained
1:09
03. How to hold your trumpet
1:07
04. It all starts with a buzz
Free lesson1:29
05. Buzzin through the trumpet mouthpiece
1:15
06. Troubleshooting - The straw technique
You are here0:58
07. Make your first sound on the trumpet
2:05
08. Fundamental trumpet techniques
1:43
09. Practice playing your first notes
1:56
10. Now let's practice some melodies
2:35
11. Improvise your very own tune
3:30
12. Caring for your trumpet
2:16
13. Next steps
2:59
Lesson transcript
Techniques for Producing a Buzz on Your Instrument
If you're finding it hard to make a buzz or produce a sound through the mouthpiece or the pea trumpet, here's a technique you can try:
-
Gather Your Materials
- An ordinary plastic straw (preferably thin).
-
Initial Exercise with the Straw
- Blow through the straw quite hard.
-
Using the Straw with the Mouthpiece
- Insert the straw through the mouthpiece.
- Ensure you can see it poking out the end.
-
Practice the Buzz
- Put the straw in your mouth and blow hard.
- Draw the straw out while simultaneously placing the mouthpiece onto your lips.
- If done correctly, your blowing should transform into a buzz.
Steps Recap:
- Straw through the mouthpiece
- Straw in your mouth and blow hard
- Gradually bring the mouthpiece to your lips
You should start to produce a sound!
Good luck!
13 lessons
0h 23m of structured video lessons
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Kay is a trumpet player, composer and teacher of brass and curriculum music, specialising in primary classroom teaching - KS2, First Access/WCET (whole-class ensemble teaching, where a class learns an instrument together) and teacher CPD (continuing professional development). She completed a Masters in Music Education - 'Teaching Musician' at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in 2018.
Kay plays trumpet with the Bollywood Brass Band, a 9-piece band of brass and drums whose 2017 CD Carnatic Connection was nominated for a Songlines Magazine 'World Music Award' and given a 5-star review in the London Evening Standard. Kay composes and arranges for the band and leads on their education work, founding the Bollywood Brass Academy in 2017.
Kay has presented her research into whole-class teaching at the Music Education Expo and the First Access Forum. She has designed and led CPD for LSO Discovery, Trinity College London, Music Education Solutions and the Bollywood Brass Band, and is an education consultant for Warwick Music.
Kay's book of beginner repertoire, 'Are You Ready?', is published by Warwick Music; in 2017 Kay was commissioned by Warwick Music and Music Education Solutions to compose songs for a new KS1 scheme of work for the pBuzz, which was nominated as 'Education Resource of 2018' by the 'Education Awards'.
Other publications include pieces for Trinity's Initial (2015/2018) and Grade 1 (2018) piano syllabus, Bollywood Blast! (Spartan Press) - a series of brass and wind tutor books with backing tracks in a Bollywood style - and Whole Class Bollywood Blast with David Rose (Bedford Music Hub), which is aimed at teachers of whole-class instrumental lessons and includes an Arts Award Discover programme.
Her MusicGurus courses bring that classroom experience straight to you: from your very first trumpet lesson through two sets of tunes for beginners, Kay sets out exactly what to play and how to play it.
