How do you strengthen a brass player's lip?

Answer 1

Any professional Trumpet player will tell you that the key to strengthening a brass player's lip is just plain practice, practice, practice!

However, there are some practicing exercises that are more efficient than others.

1. Play high! Just the act of playing high more often will train your embouchure to be able to play higher. So don't be afraid to flip something up an octave. You'll miss a few notes at first, but that's the only way to improve.

2. Lip slurs. Using only one fingering at a time, play all the notes that you can with only those fingers down. For example, start at low C and play all the open notes as high as you can, then come back down. You can also do the reverse. Do this with each fingering.

3. Chromatics. In my personal experience, practicing high by easing into the high register is the best. If you can't hit a high C, you better be practicing up to B!

Now, there are just a few tips and tricks that you can do without a trumpet. Some players suggest these, and some swear they're useless.

The pencil trick. First, close your teeth so the pencil can't go through. Then take a (clean!) pencil and put it between your lips, with just the eraser part between your lips. You might want to start with a shorter one at first. The pencil's eraser should lightly rub against your front teeth. Now, there are two things you can try with the pencil. First, you can try using only your lips to hold it perfectly horizontal for about a minute at a time. Second, you can also try tilting it up and down with your lips. It's like lifting weights with your embouchure!

While some professionals dislike this trick, I have found that it does work. Just like at the gym, though, don't overdo it. You'll hurt yourself.