books

I have several books in various stages of development, but only one is finished and available for purchase: "The Balanced Embouchure." There is no other trumpet method book like it. It includes, to the best of my knowledge, information that has never before been revealed in print.

"The Balanced Embouchure" is the core text of a projected series of books dealing with unique dynamic range of motion exercises. These exercises tend to enhance every player's embouchure development - often dramatically. After years of teaching thousands of trumpet lessons in the "real world," ranging from beginners to students who had struggled for years, I confidently make this statement on the first page of the book: ("The Balanced Embouchure" is...)

...A Dynamic Development System That's Easy To Learn And Works For Every Trumpet Player...

> Regardless of your age or number of years played
> Regardless of how weak your current embouchure
> Regardless of your lip architecture
> Regardless of how confused you are
> Regardless of what you've been told

The book is 149 pages in length. Here are some of the topics (several are printed-in-full on this website):

Mechanics - a detailed look at all embouchure elements - lips, tongue, and air.
Philosophy of Teaching - focusing on learning universal principles and letting the unconscious mind do the rest.
Health - the least invasive ways to maintain your health and well-being.
Performance - overcoming fear by looking at the bigger picture.
Hardware - horns and mouthpieces, philosophy and products.
Exercises - Thirty pages of exercises, including the fundamental range of motion exercises (Roll-Out, Roll-In), 17 specifically designed Lip Slurs, Double Tonguing exercises, and other exercises that are difficult to explain in this short space. Included are photos and text which explain in depth how the exercises are done. Finally, most of the exercises are performed by my students on an enclosed CD, so that there is no guesswork regarding how the exercises should sound.
Lesson Plans - samples of how the exercises are organized in a practice routine.
Troubleshooting - the information here is alone worth the price of the book. Topics of discussion include focusing the double pedal sound, keeping the rolled-in lip position from collapsing, the broken embouchure, protruding top lips, big lips, braces, throat tension, excess mouthpiece pressure, double buzzing, and so on.

Comments about the book:

"I have to say, this is the best written and clearest book on the subject of embouchure I've seen. The pictures and the CD are great."
J. Lisbeth

"Your book is a great contribution to trumpet pedagogy. Really a step forwards. I've used the word "balance" in TPIN postings. Reading and trying out your concepts brought new meaning to it."
Ole Utnes http://abel.hive.no/trumpet

"...I wish this book had been available to me when I first started playing trumpet. You will still need other method and etude books like Clarke's, Charlier, Laurent, Bugs Bower, Arban and books on scales and chords, etc., to develop all the musical and technical skills required on the trumpet. But the Balanced Embouchure will give you what none of those others do: the ability to play the notes that are in those other books."
Charly Raymond www.charlyraymond.com

"Go to www.trumpetteacher.net and buy Jeff Smiley's book, "The Balanced Embouchure," a great read, and (it) describes the drawbacks of the flat chin approach along with (tah-dah!) solutions you can use. His method can be integrated into your routine, and he describes what and why more clearly than just about anybody out there. Besides, he can actually spell "embouchure"...
Don Herman, moderator of Chicago forum, www.trumpetherald,com

"I have studied out of SO many embouchure books over the years...some books were good...a couple were very good...but I feel that there has been no trumpet embouchure book written like Jeff's and it is my opinion that it is the best book on trumpet embouchure I have ever seen written to this date: 02-17-02.
Lex Samu, NYC freelance professional

How do you put a price on a book with this kind of knowledge? I've watched player after player be transformed by the exercises it contains. Including the CD, it's only $45.00 plus shipping - all for about the cost of a standard Bach mouthpiece.

This process will make a difference in your playing ability. You will play higher, easier, with more stamina and with a better sound than ever before.

To order, send a check or money order for the book price ($45.00) plus shipping.

Shipping and total costs are listed below:

Inside the US - $5.00 (a total of $50.00 US)
Canada & Mexico - $10.00 (a total of $55.00 US)
Other countries - $12.00 (a total of $57.00 US)

NOTE - BE is only sold through dealers who are experts in the method, and who can assist you with any questions. If you live outside the US, and seek a book source closer to you, then please e-mail me for more details. I currently have one dealer in Europe, one in Canada, and one in New Zealand.

US shipping is via Priority Mail, which is a very reliable service from the US Post Office. For orders outside the US, I use Priority Mail International, also from the Post Office. Surprisingly - because government post offices are not known for efficiency - this is also been extremely reliable. Please e-mail me to find out if Priority Mail International ships to your country.

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