Warburton P.E.T.E. Personal Embouchure Training Device Silver Plate

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Price: $34.50   

Product Description

The Warburton P.E.T.E. Personal Embouchure Training Device is an isometric trainer for your embouchure that directly targets the exact muscles that tire toward the end of a performance. Available in silver, gold or plastic finish.The P.E.T.E. is intended for use in addition to your regular instrumental practice, and not as a replacement for any part of it. Regular use of the P.E.T.E. will strengthen and support muscles of your embouchure. It is recommended that you should not use the P.E.T.E. immediately before playing, as the exercise will leave you tired. A rest period of 1-2 hours before playing should be sufficient.

Warburton P.E.T.E. Personal Embouchure Training Device Silver Plate Review

Warburton Brass Player's PETE

This Personal Embouchure Training Device is a high quality product - perfectly machined, sturdy, and silver-plated brass. It's also available in a gold plated model or a much lighter-weight plastic model.

The stated goal of this exerciser is improved endurance and range, but other benefits should accrue such as better control and flexibility, and less corner-of-the-mouth air leakage (if that's a problem for you). Regardless of what you play, properly used, this device should strengthen the facial muscles supporting your embouchure beyond what you've been able to achieve by just playing your instrument.

My advice is to ignore Warburton's designation of "brass" or "woodwind" player models. Instead, there are two sizes: small and large:

- Small: called the Brass Player's PETE
- Large: called the Woodwind Player's PETE

Warburton asserts that trumpet, trombone, and tuba players all need the small exerciser and that woodwind players all need a larger PETE than brass players. That makes no sense. How could an oboe player need a larger exerciser than a tuba player?

I originally bought a silver plated Brass Player's model directly from Warburton and tried it for a few weeks. For ME, the flared end was too small for my lips to hold onto tightly while tugging on the PETE handle. As a result, little muscle workout was possible since the maximum tug force (pulling the exerciser forward without it exiting my lips) was insufficient for an isometric exercise. The small PETE's rim is only 1/4" wide. The only other brass [trumpet] player I know who bought a [small] PETE had the same experience and gave up on it.

Within their allowed 30-day-return period, I had Warburton exchange it for a large PETE, and have been using that one for a couple of months. Using it has strengthened my chops, making me very glad I own one. Noticeable improvement occurred within the first week.

Warburton recommends two exercises; see Customer Images.

Exercise 1: This is fine, but doesn't go nearly far enough. I also put the flared end of the PETE in a corner of my mouth in front of the teeth, and pull firmly to that side, resisting the tug force with my lips and facial muscles. I then do the other corner. I "tug" for a minute in each location, until it becomes uncomfortable or my lips weaken; then rest for a few seconds. I repeat each variation multiple times.

Exercise 2: Although this exercise is possible without using a PETE, using it will focus you to compress your chops toward the center of your embouchure. Press inward with your lip muscles as tightly as possible for a minute or so at a time. Rest, and repeat. I use the flared end, resting it against my teeth, allowing my lips to fully support the PETE. Don't crunch your teeth during any exercise; simply keep your mouth closed.

My routine is to do these exercises every two or three days for 15 minutes or so, after I'm done playing for the evening. You may require more, or less, time. Exercising for too short a period, too infrequently, or without significant lip tension won't produce results. Consider exercising while doing something else, like driving or watching TV, since, let's face it, these exercises are boring. (Wear a seat belt & shoulder strap while driving -- if the PETE is in your mouth and you hit something, it could damage your teeth.) Not exercising every day allows the muscles to recover/rebuild on the off days; the same principle espoused by my high-school weight-lifting coach.

As time has gone by, I've been able to tug noticeably harder on the PETE while doing Exercise 1, confirmation of increased embouchure muscle strength.

The principal benefit of these exercises has been improved playing endurance. Also, while my range [so far] has not expanded, I am able to play higher notes with more certainty, longer, and louder when called for.

Summary:

Warburton claims thousands of satisfied [small] PETE customers. However, the small size didn't work for me. Based on MY experience, I recommend the large size ("Woodwind Player's" model), sold on the Warburton web site.

The 5-star rating is for the large PETE.

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