Install UseePlus
Download the app on the phone or tablet you will use with the TLC.
The Lip Cam - Getting Started
Get Started with Your TLC
Your Trumpet Lip Cam lets you see your aperture while you are actually playing. This guide will help you set it up, record what you see, and begin using that information productively.
The Quick Start
You do not need to understand everything immediately. Get a clear image, make a short recording, and observe before trying to change anything.
Open the live view
Connect your TLC and confirm that its image appears in UseePlus.
Position the image
Fill the screen with the aperture view and rotate it so the upper lip is on top.
Record and review
Play something familiar, then watch the recording afterward.
1. Download UseePlus
The TLC camera uses the UseePlus app.
2. Record Your TLC View
First open UseePlus and make sure the live TLC image is visible. Then start your phone or tablet’s built-in screen recorder. Your recording will normally be saved in the Photos or Gallery app.
Want to hear your trumpet in the recording?
Turn on the phone’s microphone in the screen-recording options before you begin. Otherwise, you may save the TLC image without the sound of your playing.
How to screen record
- Open UseePlus and display the live TLC image.
- Open Control Center. Swipe down from the upper-right corner. On an older device with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom.
- To include trumpet sound, press and hold the Screen Recording button, then turn Microphone on.
- Tap Start Recording. After the three-second countdown, return to UseePlus and play.
- To stop, tap the red recording indicator at the top of the screen and choose Stop, or tap Screen Recording again in Control Center.
Button missing? Open Control Center, press and hold an empty area, choose Add a Control, and add Screen Recording.
How to screen record
- Open UseePlus and display the live TLC image.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen—usually twice—to open the full Quick Settings panel.
- Tap Screen record or Screen recorder.
- To include trumpet sound, choose Microphone or Device audio and microphone if your phone offers those choices.
- Tap Start, return to UseePlus, and play. When finished, swipe down and tap the recorder’s Stop control.
Optional selfie view: Some Android phones can place the selfie camera over the screen recording. This can capture your face and posture at the same time as the TLC aperture view.
Android labels vary slightly by manufacturer. If Screen record is missing, edit the Quick Settings buttons and add it.
3. Position the Image
Use the screen’s diagonal
Try to line up your aperture with the longest diagonal of the screen. This usually gives you the largest possible view while playing.
Put the upper lip on top
Once the aperture is lined up, use the app’s onscreen rotate button to turn the image so your upper lip appears on top.
A foggy or unclear image at first is normal.
The camera can take up to about one minute of playing to adjust to the warmth and moisture of your breath. The image should become clearer as it adjusts.
4. Watch the TLC Video Series
These short videos feature Justin Powell, an exceptional Atlanta trumpet player. They are arranged as a learning path: begin with what the TLC can show you, establish a useful view, then explore specific playing behaviors and common problems. Watch from left to right; on a phone, work from top to bottom.
Start Here: Purpose and Setup
1. How Can This Help My Playing?
2. Line Up Your Aperture
Understand Basic Aperture Behavior
3. Aperture Size
4. Starting a Phrase
Transitions, Articulation, and Note Control
5. Lip Slurs and Shakes
6. Bouncing Articulation
7. Note Endings
8. Tongue Stopping
Recognize Common Problems
9. Too Much Pressure
10. Double Buzz
5. What Should You Play?
There is no single correct exercise. Begin with familiar, comfortable material so you can observe what is already happening without trying to change everything at once.
- Lip slurs
- Flow studies
- Articulations in different registers and dynamics
- Bending long tones
- Long tones with crescendo and diminuendo
- A passage or skill that currently feels difficult
First, record something that feels comfortable and reliable. Then record something you are not good at. Compare the two and take notes about what you see, what you feel, and what questions arise.
A simple first TLC session
- Play for about one minute so the camera image can stabilize.
- Record one familiar exercise that usually feels easy.
- Record the same exercise at a different dynamic or in a different register.
- Record one passage or skill that feels difficult.
- Put the trumpet down and review all three recordings.
6. What Should You Look For?
The honest answer is: we are still learning too.
Most players and teachers have never been able to see the aperture this clearly while someone is actually playing. There are not yet hard rules explaining exactly what every movement means, and a different-looking aperture is not automatically a problem.
It does seem useful to watch for extra or unnecessary aperture movement. In general, an efficient aperture appears to move only as much as it needs to.
It also does not seem helpful to “slam the door” on the aperture when going higher. A sudden, overly aggressive closing motion is something worth noticing.
Look for patterns, not a perfect shape.
Compare what happens when playing feels easy, clear, and efficient with what happens when the sound feels tight, forced, unstable, or unclear. The most useful observations are the ones you can reproduce consistently.
The TLC is not only about finding instant answers. It is an observation tool that can help players and teachers ask better questions—and notice things they have never been able to see before.