My Music

Recently, I decided to begin playing the trumpet, many years after having given up playing the tuba. In doing so, I needed to develop a new embouchure now that I’m playing a new instrument. I started practicing my buzzing with and without a mouthpiece and was having quite a hard time getting my lips to do what I need them to do. My lips were tiring very quickly.

In my quest to develop the best embouchure I can, I came across the P.E.T.E. and BuzzMaster tools by Warburton Music. There isn’t much online about these tools by way of reviews and experiences but I thought I’d give them a try anyway.

The P.E.T.E. (Personal Embouchure Training Exerciser) is a pretty good tool. Although I can honestly say, you could definitely come up with something cheap or free that could used in substitution for this tool. Sometimes it is nice to have a tool designed specifically for what you need but for the sake of honesty, this isn’t one of those tools you just can’t substitute.

Does the P.E.T.E. Help? Absolutely! There, I said it. *Smile* It does indeed help you strengthen the muscles of your mouth and surrounding areas. The muscles of my mouth were definitely weaker before I started using the P.E.T.E. and I’ve since been using it nearly every day for just a few minutes. I can feel the difference. You can certainly achieve the same results without the tool by simply practicing and practicing. However, having and using the P.E.T.E. makes it a little easier and faster so you are less likely to get frustrated with your progress.

The Buzzmaster is a cylindrical tool in which you place your mouthpiece and buzz. It essentially creates more resistance than just buzzing through your mouthpiece. It does not, however, feel the same as blowing through your trumpet.

Is it useful? Absolutely! The reason I like the Buzzmaster is because it focuses your air stream a little more and it creates much better buzz pitches so you can do exercises that sound very similar when you switch to the horn. I’ve always thought buzzing the mouthpiece wasn’t very good for helping to develop a better ear for what you are playing. The buzz pitches produced while using a Buzzmaster is much better for exercises where you also want to concentrate on pitch.

So, what are the cons? Both tools are too expensive. The P.E.T.E. is $39.50 and the Buzzmaster is $49.95. I would price the P.E.T.E. at $12 and the Buzzmaster at $12-18. You could easily become a great trumpet player without them and the results of using them aren’t so remarkable as to command the kind of prices they are being sold for.

In addition, they are poorly shipped. When I received my package it was torn nearly in half and the case to the P.E.T.E. was crushed and broken. The items were shipped in a standard, cardboard, priority mail envelop which has no padding to protect its contents. A padded envelop at the least should have been used.

I hope in the future, the prices become more reasonable and the shipping is improved. At that time, I would highly recommend these tools.