While most wind instruments use wooden or plastic reeds to vibrate the column of air needed to create the sound, the trumpet player s natural double reed is their own lips. A trumpeter must train the muscles around the mouth to produce a wide range of timbres and notes without causing fatigue and damage. This is called embouchure. Once embouchure is mastered a student can move onto tonguing. This method allows a note to start more clearly by making a da or ta sound against the top of the back teeth.
Many jazz trumpeters shake the trumpet against their lips to produce a trill sound.
By depressing the valves and changing the embouchure, a trumpeter can produce seven basic notes. Using mutes, an item used to muffle or obstruct the movement of air through the trumpet, the player can further alter the sounds emitted by their trumpet. These many variables contribute to the various styles and sounds found in trumpeting today. A history of the trumpet in jazz, as well as its inner workings. Inc. PageWise makes no representations about the content published on this site.