Welcome to BAHB’S Tongue Controlled Embouchure Clinic For All Brass Players.

Jerome Callet developed the tongue forward embouchure method after 50 years of research into the problems of brass playing. I have studied his method in depth and I am co-author of the book “Trumpet Secrets” (Secrets of the Tongue Controlled Embouchure). I have also authored the “TCE Training Manual”, a systematic approach to embouchure development. I have mastered the TCE method. This is evident in my playing and demonstrated by the many successful students I have all over the world. The purpose of this Blog is to introduce the technique of the TCE to as many people as possible and to help them understand what it sounds like to have a centered sound, perfect intonation and a high playing range.

Why would you be interested in the tongue-controlled embouchure TCE?

There are many reasons to have an embouchure that is strong and dependable. The most obvious one is to be able to play in the extreme high register of the instrument. The TCE will not only develop this aspect of playing, but will also help make you the virtuoso you want to be. It has always been said that practice makes perfect, and of course we know this to be true. The only trouble with long hours of practice (and you must put in long hours no matter what method you play) is embouchure fatigue. Just when you seem to be making progress, your embouchure caves in. The whole idea behind the TCE is to build a “Virtuoso Embouchure” that will enable you to practice those difficult passages over and over again.

In my trumpet-playing career, I had always sought out the most difficult concertos and sonatas. If I heard a great virtuoso play them, then I had to play them also. Jerry showed me the SECRETS to embouchure development. I now play the Natural Trumpet (also referred to as the Baroque Trumpet). This instrument without valves is the perfect instrument to prove that the embouchure is paramount. I am able to play the most beautiful and difficult music from the 17th and 18th centuries with no difficulty. In the past these works were only playable on the piccolo trumpet. I now believe that the Secrets of the Clarinblasen players from the 17^th century have been discovered. At this time in my embouchure development I am the only Baroque Trumpeter in the world today who can play the 2 Reutter concertos, the Riepel concerto in D major, and the J. Michael Haydn concerto in D major back to back. With practice, dedication and an open mind you to can reach these heights. All the best, BAHB!

HARMONICS AND THE TONGUE MUSCLES.

 

The practice of harmonics with the seven valve positions on the trumpet has been around for a long time. In my earlier years I would play them for hours. Afterwards, I would fell that my top lip would be very stiff and swollen. What I now realize is that the Orbicularis Oris muscle ( the muscle that circles your mouth ) was becoming exercised and made stronger. When I used to practice harmonics I did not think of my tongue as being part of my embouchure. I thought I was practicing Lip Flexibilities as prescribed by many trumpet methods. After having spent more than fifteen years learning to control my playing with my tongue, I am reintroducing the harmonics in a new light. If you change your thinking about harmonics and move each note with the different areas of your tongue, you will find that your tongue will develop the muscles that it needs to keep it in the forward position.

The benefits of a TCE Embouchure.

 

The benefits of a TCE embouchure are a focused tone, perfect intonation and extreme high range development.

During my trumpet playing career I had always noticed that I had a very strong embouchure. From the time I was 11 years old I could play for hours. I never gave it much thought until I started teaching. I remembered what my father had told me about putting my tongue in between my teeth and blow. When I started to study the tongue forward technique and the Super-chops technique I became aware of what I had been doing most of my trumpet playing life. With my tongue in this forward position I always had a great sound and a centered tone. Some of the best trumpet players in the world are playing with their tongues in between their teeth. The simplest way to identify the TCE in a great trumpeter is to listen closely to their sound. If you hear an immediate execution of sound in the articulation and not a doua sound as if the pitch goes flat, they are playing with their tongue in the forward position. With the tongue in this position you are able to control the air speed and the size of the aperture. If you train your tongue to stay forward and in between your teeth you can develop total control over your playing.

 

 

 

Why a TCE blog?

The TCE is the most successful brass embouchure method in the world, and is endorsed by some of the world’s most famous brass players. I have mastered the TCE method. This is evident in my playing and demonstrated by the many successful students I have all over the world. The purpose of this blog is to introduce the technique of the TCE to as many people as possible and to help them understand what it sounds like to have a centered sound, perfect intonation and a high playing range.

To learn more about TCE Virtuoso Embouchure, visit my web studio at http://www.tce-studio.com