How To Play Lip Slurs
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- Опубликовано: 14 апр 2025
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If you'd like to learn how to play trumpet lip slurs then watch this video. I share some tips that may help help you get over the hump of playing lips slurs. One thing to understand is that the tongue does most of the work!
In this video I describe the technique behind playing lip slurs on a brass instrument (in this case, the trumpet).
i'am new to trumpet and have been struggling with lip-slurs for a month (i'am pathetic) but after hearing ur comment "the embouchure is set and the heavy lifting is done with the wind and tongue" i saw the light and slurs are actually EASY now:) it's ironic how hard it was until i finally got one right? i mean, two days ago i could hardly slur from low C to G ...and now i can slur C-G-C-E and back down... i'am happy... thank u sir! umm.. not bragging, i jst want people to know there's hope :)
Thanks Amanda! Your comment here has actually given me hope in return. So, thank you for taking the time to post this here! I appreciate you!
Tassafonti I’ve been playing for almost 30 years and it sounds like you’re making terrific progress! Keep going my friend!
Amanda S mme too 🤔🤪
Hi Chris. I am 83 yes old and I play rhythm guitar in our church band. I also play keyboard and harmonica. I started learning to play the trumpet 4 months ago and I practice everyday sometimes twice a day. Just want to say your lessons on Utube has been a great help to me. God bless you . Have a merry Christmas and a happy safe and successful new year.
Thank you, Samuel, for taking time to tell me of your experiences. It means a lot to me. I'm happy to know that the video lessons are helpful! Along the way, let me know what you need. Talk with you soon and Merry Christmas!
@@ChrisDavisTrumpet Thanks for replying to my text Chris. I have a problem with my air. Cant seem to keep enough air inside of me to hold out the notes. I run out of air quickly and have to stop often and rest. I think i need to do some physical exercises to strengthen my lung capacity. I am not as young as i wish i was. Merry Christmas to you and family.
I came back to trumpet a few months ago after a 42 year lay-off (I played for a couple of years as a kid). And I've been spending my Christmas holidays doing a couple of slur exercises in Arban, and struggling. I went online (love the web) and found your lesson. The tongue position!! The tongue position!! Hooray! It worked! Ah ee ah ee ah ee. Thanks very much.
Toranaboy634 I can feel your excitement even through these texts! I'm so happy that it's helped you. Please, stay with it. If you have anymore questions just leave them in the comments of any of my videos.
Thanks very much. It's so great to be playing again, even as a beginner. I've subscribed to your channel. May I say that you radiate just the right sort of encouraging, knowledgeable personality that this stuff requires. Even on a screen :)
Toranaboy634 thank you for your kind words!
This was the most helpful video I've ever watched on lip slurs. Thank you for taking the time to teach about the tongue position when playing.
Sure thing! It’s my pleasure.
Wow I didn't know it was so simple I've been playing trumpet for quite a while and lip slurs have always been the thing I suck at but after watching this video and applied it to my practice it couldn't be easier thank you so much for the advice!!!
Daniel Hernandez I'm so glad that this made a difference for you! Perspective changes things! Happy practicing!
Lol behind the note and tuning in the such a great opening!!!
Behind The Note: Advice For A Successful Music Career is the podcast I host. Chris Botti and Terrell Stafford were two of the past guests.
You are amazing! Great teacher - thank you!
Hey Chris! Thank you so much for this video. In marching band we have some new mellophone and trumpet players who joined the high brass section and I think this will be very helpful to help them learn the instrument. I found it a bit difficult to explain slurs but I will show this to them! Thanks!
Thanks Marissa! Good luck this marching season!
Marissa, it's my pleasure to be able to help! Let me know if you (or anyone in your section) have questions about trumpet playing. I'll do my best to help.
+Chris Davis For sure. Thank you so much!
Sooo, I wanted to read upon some info on lips slurs and the first thing that popped up on Google was this video! Great vid!!
I'm glad you liked it Randle and I hoped that it helped you. See you soon!
Hi Jon! I'm glad it was helpful for you. Stick with it!
Glad to have found your channel Chris, just subscribed! I started learning the cornet 5 weeks ago and hopefully pick up the trumpet somewhere down the line too. Love your videos, super helpful, thank you
Julie Cheung thank you for subscribing and I am glad to help! Please, reach out any time. Good luck on this journey!
HK? :)
Hi Chris! I’ve been playing trumpet for a while, but I’ve always had trouble with slurs. I have a school concert tomorrow and I’ve been up late trying figure out how to slur notes. I’ve watched numerous videos and they didn’t work, but yours worked and explained it perfectly! Thanks soooo much!
Ps, what mouthpiece do you use?
Cat Lover I’m glad this helped you. Also, I play a Monette B3S3 ... for now. 😊
Great lesson, Chris! From Russia with love!
Thank you Vladimir!
Chris my sincere blessings, I thank you for your beautiful tutorials you’ve become a main staple in my daily quest to improve my trumpet playing. 🎶🎺
ChéChé R. I am thankful for this; it’s my pleasure to help and there will be many more to come.
The tips in this video is on point!!
Thank you! Thanks for coming through!
Yeh. Mate, well done bro. Got it!?! I been struggling with just that 🤪👍🕺
Man you're awesome in teaching!
Stratocastering thanks for the compliment!
Very clear et simple. merci beaucoup
It is my pleasure to help!
Like it..thank you..and you have a great level on the audio. So many are hard to hear.
J. S. Thanks! This video is one of my first videos (2013). Today, the audio for trumpet 🎺 and voice are both better. Thanks for noticing! 😀
Thank you for this video, it really helped me
It’s my pleasure to help! Keep pressing!
Great tip for a beginner.
I may be wrong but it seems to me that the muscles involved in single high notes (around the lower jaw or lips) are those involved in the slur (even in lower tones).
Hi Ross,
What you say is true but really should be an after thought (if thought of at all) and not the focus. The embouchure is set and the heavy lifting is done with the wind and tongue. I hope this helps. Thanks for your comment!
Great instructor!! Thank you.
Thank you; it's my pleasure!
Thanks.
The wind is faster or slower?
Do you mean the wind THROUGH the aperture?
How did you measure it?
good video. great musician.woderful teacher.thank you.
My pleasure, Pablo!
It's still amazing to me how most players - whether beginner, teacher, professionals - insist on using the term "lip" slurs. Like @amandas1270's comment, I too struggled mightily with this concept until a Claude Gordon clarified that it requires disciplined use of the tongue, with the lips simply maintaining a secure embouchure. I'm a literal thinker and when I heard "lip slur" I actually tried to accomplish it by flexing/relaxing my lips! Of course, no player can do that without involving the tongue. I wonder how many other young players like me have trouble because of the totally misleading term "lip slur".
Great lesson gotta practice it though...
Please whats the make of your trumpet??
you are awesome Chris
Thank you Wero!
I have been learning how to play my brass instrument for 4 years and lip slurs seem so difficult to do without slurring to the note that is a few tones higher than the note you were aiming for. Whenever I want to slur a Bottom C to a G I always end up clipping it and hitting the Higher C before hitting the G. It's also harder slurring up than down and I just can't see any improvements.
Regarding over shooting your notes. Slow down. Notice where your tongue is positioned for each note. It sounds like you're able to play the notes as individual notes so slow down and gradually build speed up. Are things any better lately or about the same as they have been?
Chris what are harmonic lip slurs ?
Hi Chris,Thank you for the great videos. I just saw you have a gap between upper front teeth . Do you think is it make you easier to play trumpet especially at high register? I just wonder...because I have an over bite and big front teeth that they seem bothering me or it doesn't matter at all? Thank You.
If you're having challenges then play with different horn angles. You may need to angle the bell toward the sky a little. . . maybe. Play with it to find what's best for you. Let me know, please!
Please help me. I got a packet from my teacher for exercises to improve on trumpet, I have been able to greatly improve my range (almost double C!) with my own exercises i found online, i have difficulty in double tonguing and the DREADED LIP SLUR i have practiced on it for 2 days, usually i learn quick, but this is just so frustrating that i cant do it, my packet is by Claude Gordon, and mentions AH and EEE, and faster air to get up, i can do it but without any speed, if i try to go any faster i just have this block, i just get stuck on the low note (ive been practicing notes C2 to the E above that)
I will ask my teacher for help tomorrow, but do you have any tips?
(it it helps im 15 and this is my 5th year playing)
Thanks for the tip!
It's my pleasure! I'm glad to help and thank you for sharing!
Hey Chris I will be getting my first Monette mouthpiece next month are they better than other mouthpieces? What size Monette to you play on?
I won’t say that they are better but certainly are different! I play B3S3. Has yours arrived yet? If so, how do you like it?
@@ChrisDavisTrumpet Practicing Clark Techincal Etude 3 with it now. I would say it helps with intonation and pitch center.
Great video, confirms what my teacher has been telling me :) Just a quick question, I'm 34 and 9 weeks ago I started learning the trumpet. Every day I have been practicing between 60 - 120 minutes (with plenty of breaks), lip slurs, long tones, scales, pedal tones, tonguing etc. and the highest note I sometimes (very rarely) hit is the A above the staff and it sounds weak...what exercise would you recommend I do to get to high C in the shortest time possible (I recently purchased a few Hal Leonard Jazz Play Along books and it broke my heart when I noticed most of the songs are in the higher register). Thanking you in advance!!!
Carmine Carruso book for trumpet players. You'll have to take it easy though especially since you're just starting out. The concepts in that book helped many players get right, including myself. Good luck! You're making great progress it sounds like.
+Chris Davis Wow thanks so much for the quick response! Where in the world are you :) Great, I'll look for the book and get it ASAP! Hope to see more of your videos. God Bless and Merry Christmas from Warsaw, Poland!
+Janusz Bialek Merry Christmas to you too! I'm in Chicago Illinois. Yes, many more videos to come.
+Janusz Bialek how is your range progressing? Have you reached your goal yet of playing a high C ?
Random question: why do trumpet players blow into the trumpet when not playing. Like, in between playing on stage, they blow in without making sound. Why do that?
Hi Eve! Trumpet players blow into the horn like that because there is a condensation buildup that adds an undersirable rattling to the the sound. Blowing into the trumpet eliminates that. Thanks for the question!
You shouldn't thank me for wasting your time with silly questions like that. But I thank you a lot for answering .
Should your embochure be changing while doing lip slurs?
Hi Jay! It's always good to keep your embouchure as stable as possible. There will more than likely be a small amount of movement when reaching for wide intervals because your tongue is moving. However, over time, that movement will be minimum. I hope this helps. Thanks for your question!
Hello, Chris. Question. What is a good and "afforadble" trumper that I can gig with. My aim is to follow in the footsteps of Chet baker and the like but good Martin Committee trumpet are too pricey for me. Look forward to a reply. Thanks.
Do you already own a trumpet? If so, what is it? Generally speaking, I think Yamaha has a great student model trumpet while there are many others. Let me know what you think of it.
@@ChrisDavisTrumpet I do have a trumpet. I have been playing for a year now. I have a yamaha student trumpet and have gone through several other trumpets. Thanks.
The Yamaha student trumpet is definitely great. I guess I am just looking to step up to the next level and find a more unique voice. Thanks for the reply.
German Duran Did you end up buy a new horn? If not, also consider Bach Commercial Trumpet and the Bach. 50th Anniversary Trumpet or one of the newer Yamaha models (Bobby Shew) .... there are so many! Reach out to Trent Austin his company is Austin Custom Brass and he has plenty of videos here on RUclips. Let me know what you end up doing!
Chris how long do you think I should practice lip slurs daily?
Just a few minutes. Take your time and be patient. Without knowing you or hearing you play I will suggest 6-12 minutes. Thanks for your question!
Cool lesson. What kind of horn and mouthpiece do you use? Thanks.
I play Edwards. In this video its the Gen III but I recently purchased the X-13.
@@ChrisDavisTrumpet I'll have to check this horn out in more detail. From the looks of it, it appears to be a really sweet horn! Look forward to more lessons and tips from you. Keep blowing.
Omg that Dah thing is so hard! How do you even know if your doing it right?
Imani, say "dah" normally without your instrument. Pay close attention to where your tongue is touching. Reproduce that feeling while playing your instrument while keeping the throat open (as if you're about to take a huge bite from an apple).
that dah stuff
the lip slur is called lip slur because it has nothing t do withe lips... my teacher said :-) very nice video!!
Hey Chris, COOL Horn, what make is it, and is that a Monette M/P?
The trumpet is an Edwards Gen. III and the mouthpiece IS a Monette ... a B3S3. Thanks for asking!
Is that a Monette mouthpiece?
yes, it is.
Is that a monette
No it is not. I play Edwards Instruments. This one is the Gen 3 but now I play the X-13
What trumpet is that Chris? Cheers
I play Edwards Trumpets.
Thanks for your answer!
Thanks for the answer!
❤❤❤❤
Great advice. Thank you and beautiful trumpet. I just got a getzen 590 capri and just started about 4 days ago but already am addicted. I love the sound of the trumpet and also the flugelhorn. Is the flugelhorn more difficult to play or is it similar? I am thinking about getting one down the line after I get some trumpet skills because I really love the sound. Check out this flugelhorn player video if you want that I thought sounded really good. ruclips.net/video/WmOAjFykyHs/видео.html I am getting some scales and when the saints go marching in but have noticed because of being brand new to this it is hard to bring the open nature tones higher sometimes. Thanks again.
The flugelhorn is similar because the fingerings are exactly the same as trumpet but the blow is a lot more open. There isn't as much resistance on the flugelhorn as there is on trumpet so for that reason it may be considered easier to blow. But, if you practice your trumpet and buy a flugel down the line you'll be alright. Thanks for the comment!
Thank you Chris for taking the time to respond. I really like both instruments. I look forward to more trumpet uploads.
Air doesn't go into the stomach, it goes into the lungs.
Steven! This is a funny comment. I laughed when I read it because what you said is absolutely true. I said this to create imagery for the person watching this. It helps some people. Thanks for your comment.
Its about playing with belly feel instead of throat/lung feel
Not to contradict here but in essence I agree with you except it's not the back of the tongue, it's more central.
im lost
bern bren do you have Skype? Maybe I can help you live.
did not get it at all
Bode . . . but when u finally do get it? (and u will if ya keep trying) it will seem sooooo easy:) thats wat happen to me. one day i was able to do slurs and actually laughed cuz they r so easy! good luck
Bode Gorge how long have you been playing trumpet? I'd like to see you if I could. Maybe I could help.
Chris davis !!! i got it already .....i was frustrated when i tried it at first, thus the comment came in.
i got it, thank you so much
Amanda thanks for the encouragement.....i got it already...(they are easy)