Hi James: This is a long comment. I studied with Roy Stevens from 1972 to 1975. He saved my trumpet career. It took me almost 6 months to convert to his mechanics. I taped most of my lessons. But I was able play for almost 50 years with no chop issues playing big bands, combos and concert bands. In some of my lessons I scared myself playing into the triples. I almost got to the quad “C” like Roy could in the exercises. Roys palm exercise: To do the palm exercise your palm must be flat so you can’t hook on any part of the horn. Also do not tilt your head back and lift the horn which could create more weight on your chops. Roy only used the palm to squeal the high statics into a 1/4 inch open teeth to teach muscle contractions and memory. Roy did not use a pencil to build muscle strength. He used a popsicle stick as the horizontal base and coffee stirrer as the vertical like an upside down T. This allows for more air displacement and a better fight between chops and the air. If I were having a problem Roy could re-create the problem inside his mouth explain it and demonstrate how to correct it. Everyone who took a lesson was seen by all the players who were waiting for their turn. I saw many of the top players in the world take their lessons. I would see him once a year after 1975 as a check up. There is so much more involved that this was only the tip of the iceberg in learning to get the method. Hope this helps you P.S. On a sad note for me was that I had to retire from playing 2 years ago due to an accident where my bottom teeth (which took 55% of the mouthpiece seal) were loosened and never healed. Keep it up
