Personal Embouchure Training Exerciser (PETE)
- Posted on
- By Shane Gillard
- Posted in Embouchure, Training Aid, Trumpet
Shane took the PETE for a test drive of a month. Here's what his though of it.
About a month ago I was given the Personal Embouchure Training Exerciser (P.E.T.E.) challenge here at The Music Place. For those of you who don't already know, the PETE is produced by the Warburton Company - famous for their world-class mouthpieces.I was asked to try out the product and give my opinion on whether it is a useful addition to a brass/woodwind player's bag of tricks.
I have always practised by playing my trumpet or at the very least buzzed my lips or mouthpiece, so the concept of practising with (what looks like) a plastic mutant golf tee seemed quite unnatural to me. However, years of traditional practice methods have not ascended me to the dizzy heights of Guru Trumpet Virtuoso so I agreed to give the P.E.T.E. a try.
After a month of using the P.E.T.E. surprise, surprise I am still NOT a Guru Trumpet Virtuoso! BUT I did find the P.E.T.E. to be useful.
There are periods in life when regular practice time is simply not available. Over the last month I have not been able to keep up my regular time on the horn, so I used the P.E.T.E. as a substitute. I found the times when I was driving to be particularly good for doing the prescribed exercises on the P.E.T.E. Maybe the poor young lad who copped that hefty fine for practising his trumpet in the car on the Westgate bridge should have popped into The Music Place for a P.E.T.E.!
Results?
I felt as though the P.E.T.E. helped to keep my embouchure muscles toned. This meant that when I was able to find time to play my trumpet I didn't feel like I was starting from scratch, as is usually the case for me after I take a few days off. For me, that’s a real time saver and has allowed me to be thinking of things like music and sound rather than how bad my chops felt.
Thanks P.E.T.E.
You can find out more ab out the P.E.T.E or purchase one here
Shane Gillard is a versatile trumpeter with extensive experience gained through decades of working as a 1st call session musician. You may have heard him providing music for a theater production or on recordings for the MSO, ABC or on Universal Pictures release 'Love Never Dies'. He also has extensive credits in TV show bands, and backing many international artists such as Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr, Wayne Bergeron, Ray Charles and Tony Bennette to name a few.