Super interesting! Swap out "Trumpet" with "Voice Box" and it's a dead ringer for what's going on here. How many of you speak from your chest rather than diaphragm? Seems very analogous tnx for sharing that :-) "Playing the trumpet while the Valsalva maneuver is activated is one of the most destructive performance habits of all. It ruins range, endurance, and sound and makes performance at the highest level difficult or impossible. It sneaks into the habits of young players under the pretense of being correct support, but it is a parasite that robs us of our full power. Though it is among the most common problems in trumpet performance, many trumpet teachers and public school teachers know little or nothing about it. It is rarely recognized as the cause of poor performance, but it is often at the root of chronic and seemingly impossible-to-solve problems. What exactly is it?"