Suggestions like “practice lip flexibilities”, “bash the face”,  “ practice Arbans”, etc .are all usually made by those who don’t know anything….they know how to do it, but not how to explain how to do it. 

This “shake/trill” thing, according to Don Reinhardt, done wrong  (like the “kiss off” ala Arnie Chayofsky and other effects) , sent many a student to him for help , as it upset so much of their  basic embouchure set up that it affected all of their mechanics.

First of all, Doc said that one should keep the “shake” (“hand” shake he called it that I will explain later) as close to the “legit approach” as possible.  By that he meant that using the valves and/or tongue level changes would keep embouchure from getting into as little trouble as possible.  Of course, taking this “legit” approach too far made one sound TOO legit, if you know what I mean.  The “shake” as we know it (Ferguson-style) is “down and dirty”!

Let’s get the valve part out of the way right of way…the most legit and “corny” way to make a shake…if one is playing in the trumpet section on a lower part, one that doesn’t go above the staff, matching a “flinger trill” with the lead player’s shake should be the correct approach…keeping the embouchure safe (all of that low and middle register movement is unbelievably destructive to the chops!).  It is the lower part trumpet players’ task to  “match the interval” of the lead player’s shake…[more on intervals later] )

Playing lead is another matter.  Being mostly in the register above the staff, the embouchure is sufficiently firm, the mouthpiece pressure is sufficiently strong, and lip pucker has that more pronounced “grip on the mouthpiece rim” to handle some movement. [I need to insert here that any type IV must avoid excessive movement at all costs in order to maintain such a compressed embouchure.  So the “legit approach” will be the first thing to consider.]

Using Doc’s ELASTICITY Routine, and NOT the Flexibility approach is how to begin.  Take middle “C” whole note and sustain it…gradually get sharper on the C until it melts into the E above…insert a “w” between the two notes and strive to eliminate any “bumps” or “clicks” between the C and the E…

After perfecting the C up to the E, start on the E and “flatten” it so that the middle C plays…do this many times, inserting a “w” between this downward interval …

Move on to quarter notes, C to E to C to E etc…sharpening the C, flattening the E, until this elasticity occurs between these two notes…

The syllables for the above will be TOO –w- EEE –w- 000-w- EEE. Etc…

Repeat all of the above steps for C to E (no valves) with D to F (first valve only).

Now comes the “hand shake”…once the Elasticity Factor is firmly entrenched in the sub-conscious, play an F, last line on staff, with valves 1 and 3 …do a “lip slur” legit between the F and the G above (both 1 and 3) many times with the Elasticity “feel”…This interval, the closest for a good “shake”, is a major 2^nd.

Practice F to G 1&3, F# to G# 2&3, ascending to the G (1&2) and A 1&2, the G# (1^st valve) up to and back from the A#(1^st valve),  the A natural (2^nd valve) and the B natural(2^nd valve), the Bb open horn to high C open horn…for now only go this far up….

Gradually, play the above major 2^nd intervals using an exaggerated “hand vibrato” …to and from the face…NEVER an up and down movement of the horn (this violent action upsets things)….The hand vibrato (I hope you know about and it’s proper RIGHT HAND position)…is a slight increase, decrease of mouthpiece pressure against the lips…with a Type IV, any exaggerated hand vibrato will automatically turn into a “shake”…due to the very “tight” and “sensitive” make-up of that type.

Shakes over a minor 2^nd, as the master Maynard uses, are in the next installment…

The next step is to use regular fingering on the first note of a shake.   Using false fingerings has its problems, notably intonation at loud volumes of sound, necessary in this effect.  Although a false fingering is necessary on the 2^nd note of the shake it doesn’t affect the intonation…It’s advantage so far of false fingering in usage is that it plays “stuffy” i.e. adds resistance to the blow.

Take the A above the staff, 1&2, and shake up a minor 2^nd to the B natural and back. At first, hold the 3^rd valve down half way, causing a back up, or resistance, to the sound and feel on the lips…play this at a louder than usual volume, say ff. After this 3^rd valve halfway thing, release the 3^rd valve and play just 1&2.  Practice this, the Bb to high C 1^st valve combination (yes or no on the valve half way), the B natural to high C# 2^nd valve combination (valve squeeze or not) , and high C to high D open horn ( valve half way or not). The final use of the shake uses NO half-valve stuff…this is only for the “feel” of the technique of “melting” two notes together.

As the lips develop, become stronger, and the above occurs “naturally” with the hand vibrato technique, take on the A above the staff to C# 1&2 valve combination…your first major 3^rd shake!  Loud volume, INCLUDE ALL PARTIALS IN BETWEEN…move on to Bb-D 1^st valve combination…then B natural - D# 2^nd valve…then high C - E open horn.

The next wild area to develop is the perfect 5^th interval A to E 1&2^nd …Bb to F 1^st valve…B natural to F# 2^nd valve…C to high G open horn…

For the brave and Maynard-ites go with the octaves…wide and wild intervals for shaking…A to A…Bb to Bb…B natural to B…C to cc.

In summary, these are the key points:

·     Be as “legit” as possible without sounding “legit”, using valves and/or tongue levels ooo-eee as much as possible.

·     Work from the ELASTICITY approach rather than the FLEXIBILITY approach.

·    Naturally evolve into the “hand shake derived from the hand vibrato” technique…motion to and from the face.

·     Using “half valves” in the upper register to simulate the feel of the elasticity perfected between the C and E in the staff.

·     Keep movement to a minimum, especially type IV’s.

·     Musically, the WIDTH and SPEED of the shake must fit the style.  For example, a slow, wide shake sounds great at a slower ballad than an up tempo piece. Let the width and speed coincide with musical tastes.