Does facial hair make brass playing worse??? 

Keep the beard, man. Just trim it. It suits you. Also, I have been growing out my beard and at first I didn't understand, why I can't get the high notes as I did before. Now I have my answer...

You scare me good sir. I made an arrangement of Don’t Stop me Now for my trombone choir and soon after, you uploaded your own video of it. Recently I let my facial hair grow out for the first time in a while and was telling people about how it was hard to play with more facial hair. And now you’ve uploaded this video on the same topic (coincidentally the night after i shaved). Coincidence? Probably, but either way it’s just strange Regardless, great video! I love your perspective on so many different things, some things i would never think for myself

I've been playing with facial hair for a few years now. I've never felt it was leaky or wierd. The times I have buzzed it off I've actually felt more pain, like the tiny hairs left behind stabbing my lip. I guess it's all personal to each individual. 🤷‍♂️

Trent Hamilton has a great tutorial on beard grooming for brass players! 😜🧔🏻

I did No Shave November last year and I hated the way it felt with playing the trombone. I definitely agree with what you’re saying

I would love to have a Van Dyke beard. But when I get enough mustache/beard growth, I can't get a good seal around my mouthpiece. As a tuba player, this really hits home in the lower register. And, I would need to trim even more off (due to the larger mpc). I might try it though, just to see if I can make it work and channel the evil tuba player from the mirror universe. I know several other brass players who seem to have no problem with facial hair. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them.

Granted I play trumpet, but I play a bit of baritone too. Never had a problem playing with a beard

Does that mean girls in general should play better cause there's a better seal? 😂

Is it really worse to play with facial hair, or is it a matter of getting used to and adapt to it?

Good video! This is something I considered when I picked up baritone, but opted to keep everything and fight through the mustache. Probably could have done better haha. I am curious about your inspirations for the gauntlet. At the beginning 8:30, it kind of sounds like a Pokemon song. And at the swing section 9:16 it sounds nearly identical to a jazz standard I can't put my finger on, likely Glenn Miller. Edit: Yeah, it's totally "A String of Pearls"! I love how you adapt that into a piece! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jg2vtWezWbw.htmlsi=RTzYMq6Y6rjE85n-&t=122

I've been playing unshaven for most 45 years. I didn't notice any difference when I shaved for a bit.

What if you just shaved the area where the mouthpiece is. It may not look normal but could be practical and still keep your cheeks warm.

It sounds less airy in the quieter dynamic clean shaven

Where's the transposition for Euphonium? I know euphonium and trombones can read the same music but not all Euphonium players can hit that high Eb or F my range is probably an octave lower than the highest note which is F.

What a huge help! Tested it myself and it made a massive difference. I honestly can't believe it's not already part of my playing ritual to shave around my mouth beforehand, and probably explains why I keep having random off days haha

I've been told the Amish-style beard is best for tuba playing -- no mustache or soul patch, but keep the rest. I'm not quite willing to look *that* distinctive.

What is worse is wearing braces. Up through college. What a difference after they were removed.

For me, I trim the soul patch off and keep the mustache trimmed short with a slight cutout for the embouchure. Works on bass ‘bone and tuba. Doesn’t work well for tenor. I shaved off the mustache and instant improvement on bass and tenor. However, everyone has different results and from my experience, it comes down to personal preference.

I didn't know facial hair would affect brass players. Thanks for the tip!

Good idea for a topic. Liked the Gauntlet. Definitely a better sound after the mini-shave.

I thought I was the only one! A little stubble and everything feels twice as hard and my sound is all airy.

Watched this. Shaved. Rockin a chinstrap now. Trombone feels all snuggly on my chops now, yay!

Look at Ronald Romm from old school Canadian Brass. He's got a big mustache and used to have a fairly full beard and he played amazingly. Playing an instrument is mostly mental, and if you don't normally have a beard, then of course it's going to affect your playing because you're not used to it. I don't think there really is a fair argument for facial hair making your playing worse because there's plenty of amazing musicians out there who play with facial hair and the same without, it's more of a matter of if you're used to it or not.

Your facial hair is very cool! 😎 You been having it for a few years now! You got a song for it! 🎼🎵 I hope you can a song for your facial hair sometime on your trombone solo! 🎶🎹 Your beard is awesome! 😎👏🤩 You look 👀 handsome dude! I miss your handsome self in the past! 😘 You look handsome Chris!

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