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Brass Basics Manual
2005-2006
Trombone By Jay Michalak
Brass Basics
Introduction Hi everyone and welcome to Brass Basics. By compiling this manual, chock full of the most up to date philosophies of brass playing, I hope I can give you some of the tools you need to reach your goals.
The best way to improve at what you are pursuing, regardless of what it is, is to understand what is you’re doing, then work your butt off. I have known many different people throughout my life and career, and for the most part they have been good, hard working, intelligent and motivated. However, not everyone I know has made it as far as they dream or hope to. Some do. What differentiates them? Those who make it, undeniably, have a steely work ethic. They choose a harder path in life than those around them. These people also continually pursue a deeper understanding of what they do. With their understanding, they are able to identify what will make them better - “THE FUNDAMENTALS” - and that’s what they work on. Working smartly and effectively, it can even be relatively stress-free! I recommend several books that describe effective and beautiful ways of learning: Zen in the Art of Archery. Herrigel, Eugen. Effortless Mastery. Werner, Kenny. The Inner Game of Tennis. Gallway, Timothy. The Inner Game of Music. Gallway, Timothy and Barry Green Playing any instrument is a mind-bogglingly complex task. We will look at ways to isolate the fundamentals of playing in ways that will help your understanding of how it works. I will also give you a wide variety of ways to pursue your development through solutions and understanding. We will start, however, by looking for an understanding of what it is we are doing – we are performing art. A lot of this manual may be seriously long winded, but everything is in here for a reason. The topics included are derived from my years of experience and study. I have been lucky enough to study with some of the best brass players and teachers in the world. I encourage you to read and reread the information here. It will not sink in fully right away…the task of developing your understanding will take time and vigilance. I hope by working on these concepts, you can look up in time and genuinely see tremendous improvement not only in yourself, but also in the groups you play in!
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Brass Basics
Performance Let’s start off by looking at the act of performing and understanding what goes into it. All art forms are centered on one basic human activity – Communication. Whether it’s painting, sculpture, dance, music, or theater, an artist creates something that an audience then experiences. The artist has poured their deepest inspiration, emotions, feelings, thoughts, beliefs and principals into their work, which are then communicated through the medium to the audience. It’s truly an incredibly personal and sensitive thing. As musical performers, we are in a unique scenario. Each time we step on the stage, our art is created again, communicated to new and different people each time. Think of it as a gift you are giving to the audience…you have worked on it, nurtured it, even suffered for it, and now you are giving it to them for their enjoyment. They will applaud, they will cheer, and they will cherish what you gave them – a great moment in life. That’s the power of art.
Performing Effectively requires preparation. Preparation includes group cohesion, personal skill development, practice performance and mastery of what is being performed. Most importantly, it requires personal investment and a willingness to share who you are with other people.
The best performers are ones who make every single note a musical statement. Nothing is ever done thoughtlessly. A great artist will slave over what might not seem to be important. They may play a half note a hundred times looking for just the right way to play to fit how they feel the music should go. Often times real meaning is buried deep and the only way to find it is to dig until it hurts. A great phrase that captures this sentiment is “Max It Out.” It can be used in millions of ways, but truly anything you do in life can be thought of in this way. Max out a musical phrase. Max out your potential for becoming a great brass player by practicing individually. Max out your effort during every rehearsal. Remind each other often. Max it out and leave no room for regrets!
Max It Out!
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Brass Basics
Showtime – Focus and Nerves One of the things I find funny about performing ensembles is that they rarely do much to develop their group’s ability to excel in performance situations. I would suspect many of you have your own ways or methods of dealing with the intensity of performance, and I hope I can teach you a few more things from my own experience as a professional. So you’re at a show waiting to go on, you’ve done warm-ups, and everything is feeling great and ready to go. How do you spend that last 10 minutes or so that we inevitably have to wait around? What you do with that time can have a huge impact on your performance. Here are a few suggestions I have found to be very effective at eliciting great performances. 1. MAKE SURE YOU STAY WARMED UP!!! In the amount of time it takes to leave warm-up and head to a performance, I guarantee you will be less than ideally ready to go unless you take measures to counteract this. - Keep blood flowing to your lips by buzzing them lightly, flapping them out or stretching them gently. - You can buzz quietly in your mouthpiece by covering the hole at the end of the shank with your pinkie finger. - Do a few breathing exercises from our routines, focus on deep breathing. - If it is any colder than 20º, the temperature will affect the intonation of your horn – keeping moving warm air through horns until the last possible moment. Don’t forget to empty your spit valves (more water when it’s cold) - Don’t forget about your body! A little stretching of the torso, arms and legs can help keep you loose. 2. Creating Focus There are lots of ways of getting focused for performance; here are few reminders: - Keep in mind the task at hand. Ideally you should be thinking only of what you are about to do. Block out the temptations to think about the party afterwards, or what you’re doing the next day at school or at work. If you find yourself drifting, gently bring your mind back into focus. Don’t get down on yourself for drifting - it happens to all of us especially when you’re excited. Help each other out. If you see someone seeming not focused, give him or her a friendly “have a great performance.” - Visualize tricky spots in the performance. The best way to prevent “stupid” mistakes is to think ahead. Always be anticipating. We don’t always do this automatically. Even times when we try to remember, in the heat the battle we still forget. A good way of providing a mental trigger is to do some visualization. Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
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*See yourself a few moments in the show before the trouble spot. Now start the action. Watch yourself approach that spot and successfully negotiate it. Do this a couple of times, and chances are when you’re in the performance, your focus will take right where you need to be make that spot happen. Remember all the Time and Effort that have gone into to making this moment happen. Thinking on these topics lends a bit of gravity to the moment at hand. Especially early in the season, we don’t tend to think on these things too much. Adding gravity to a situation peaks our focus simply because of our desire to do well.
3. Dealing with Performance Anxiety Everyone gets excited before any big show. We are not used to being in front of hundreds or even thousands of people, and this situation can be overwhelming, even threatening. When we are faced with an intense situation, our bodies respond in several ways. These responses are natural defenses that are designed essentially help us as humans evade predators. Think of a Neanderthal man trying to outrun a hungry saber-toothed tiger…he needs all the help he can get! First, all of our systems quicken – thinking, breathing, heart rate – our bodies are prepared for extreme physical activity. The body releases gobs of adrenaline as a precautionary measure, so we feel a rush of energy that can leave you almost shaking. This also makes focus difficult, as your brain is literally racing along. Finally, and most unfortunately for brass players, our breathing gets shallower. You can imagine, and probably have experienced, how this all can have a negative impact on playing and music making. Combating these symptoms is a two-fold task, mental and physical.
Have the Right Mindset One of our biggest causes of stage fright is the fear of having people hear or see our mistakes. This is actually pretty non-sensical if you look at it from an audience perspective. People come to a performance looking mainly to be inspired, entertained, or to see their kids. They are looking for all the good things; they don’t care one bit about mistakes (which they can’t pick out 99.9% percent of the time anyway). You have prepared this awesome performance as a gift to them. If you honestly give 110%, you could fall on your butt and crack every note, and the audience would still cheer you on. I doubt this would happen though (: In terms of judges or adjudicators, you need to remember they are there mainly to help us learn. Do not try to impress them. They are professional musicians/visual people and can see and hear everything you do. If there comes a point when a judge says you’re perfect, that person is not a good judge.
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Draw on your confidence Confidence in your abilities will calm your nerves as you prepare for performance. But building your confidence is a long-term project. You gain confidence from knowing you can do something, not just once, but every single time. Learning and being able to nail your music early on leaves lots of time to build the confidence that you can produce the same top notch performance every time.
Brain Breathing Brain breathing techniques have a number of highly beneficial results as it pertains to preparing immediately before a performance. It creates focus, it extinguishes the tendency to breathe shallow, gets your body used to resisting the urge to breath in when O2 gets low, and slows the systems down. It puts you back in control of your body. It should be practiced regularly so that when it comes time to use it before a show it is very natural. Follow this sequence as an example Start by standing tall and relaxed Do a couple of sigh’s to get rid of any tension Breathe naturally. Don’t try to control it Close your eyes and envision a number 1 on your next exhale When you begin to inhale, switch to a number 2 Continue this pattern, back and forth a while Next breathe in for 6 slow counts When you are full, suspend the air (do not close your throat) for 6 Slowly exhale for 6 Repeat this process this time using 8 counts Return to normal breathing imagining 1 exhale, and 2 inhale See the colors of these numbers change, the backgrounds Follow your breath After a while, take a deep breath in over 10 counts Suspend for 10 Exhale for 10 Repeat the process using 12 or 15 counts As you do this, you can feel everything relax. I encourage you to press the limits. At present I can take a breath in over 30 counts, hold for 90 and exhale 30 – that’s 2 ½ minutes for one breath. As a professional performer, I cannot stress how much this little exercise has helped me improve on stage!
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Brass Basics
Music Fundamentals Constructing a musical image of a piece, not only requires learning “how it goes,” but also applying musical fundamentals to the image. You absolutely must hear the music with great sound, great rhythmic underpinning, and pure intonation. These are the laws of music…don’t break them! What is a great Sound? How do you know if you are making a great sound? This is a pretty fundamentally difficult question to answer. People will give lots of answers: a great sound is… big, open, free, clear, flexible, resonant, dark, brilliant. A lot of times what these terms mean is very Find a recording of someone who sounds nebulous and hard to explain in a technical way. We will discuss later great on your instrument. Listen very closely some techniques for developing sound, to how they sound and try to emulate that but the best way is to hear great sounds sound in your playing. and imitate. We also need to address your understanding of what a great brass ensemble sounds like. There are lots of great recordings out there and some of my favorites come from the group German Brass. We’ll listen together to some of their recordings and we’ll talk through what they do right.
Intonation is very important to having a great sounding group. Interestingly, having players with great sounds makes playing in tune much easier! Beyond working on sound, there are some other practical ways to develop your sense of intonation. 1. Make sure your instrument is always in tune. Tune to A=440 Use a tuner to test whether your instrument is properly adjusted. Make sure you are fully warmed up and that your instrument is not cold. Since brass instruments are at the best of times fairly out of tune with themselves, I recommend tuning on at least three open (1st position) intervals, usually the first three partials. (Bb, F, Bb concert … F, C, F concert on horn) you will find that even if one is in tune, the others may be out just a bit. Find the tuning slide position that gets the most notes closest. 2. Once your instrument is in tune, spot check yourself occasionally - land on a note and hold it. Check the tuner to see if you are playing in tune.
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You will find that nearly every note on your instrument has an intonation tendency. Be prepared for what those are, and counteract them when you play.
If not, notice the tendency and be prepared for that the next time it comes around. Try to hear the correct intonation in your musical image. Fixing Tendencies o Trombones can simply adjust their positions in or out to find the proper intonation (except 1st) o All others can adjust smaller slides (i.e. 1st and 3rd slides on a trumpet, which should be working smoothly by the way!) to lower sharper pitches o When it comes to notes that are typically flat, we have to “lip” it up by using just a little more embouchure and energizing the air.
3. Use a drone pitch to practice interval intonation - find a sustained drone source: keyboard, tuner, etc. - I use a Dr. Beat and listen through good headphones - The drone must be fairly loud compared to your sound - Play different notes above and below o Start with major scale – check out each note o You will be able to find a “place” on each note where you get the strongest co-vibration with the drone…that’s where it’s in tune you will notice your tendencies come into play here as well o Try all the chromatic notes vs. the drone
Perfect Pitch
“Perfect Pitch” is the ability to hear/identify notes or generate/sing them without referencing an instrument. Some people are born with it. Many others develop it because it so useful, especially to brass players. Here’s how you can work on this skill… Start by trying to simply imagine a Bb, and once you have a clear idea, sing it. Then check it (with piano or your instrument). Were you close? Another way is to try imagining the start of a favorite song. Often times this can be easier than just trying to pick a pitch out of nowhere. Learn what note your song starts on, say it’s an F. Then practice hearing the song in your head, and singing the note. Check yourself again. It may take some time to develop your accuracy at this but the payoff is big. Once you are able to generate that one note from scratch, you can work on finding the other notes in relation. An easy one is to try to find a fourth (use the opening of Mendelssohn’s wedding march “here comes the bride”=automatic perfect fourth). Start by hearing your note, then hear the tune starting on that note. You should end up on the note you want. As you get better at this, the process will quicken and you will be able to find any note you need quickly. You will also be ready to hear new things and match them to what you hear in you head, being able to “magically” name notes out of thin air!
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Rhythm is the other major music fundamental that we as a group and as individuals need to develop. Correct rhythms need to be precisely divided over the beat. The beat, or pulse, needs to remain constant. Within these two areas, pulse and rhythms, there is a tremendous possibility for small pitfalls that will detract from the music. If pulse and rhythm are cornerstones in every player’s technique, the rhythmic clarity and energy this combination creates will knock the listener’s socks off. Here’s what to work on.
Pulse – ability to maintain a steady beat by oneself and as a group 1. Use a Metronome often in your own practice. Even if you’re working on things at a slower tempo, the metronome provides precise pulse for you to coordinate with. If you practice coordinating with steady pulse, you will be much better prepared to accomplish it.
Groovy
2. Find the Groove, Baby! This exercise we will do as a group for sure but it is also useful to do during your own practice. Groove is something you might find percussionists talking about a lot, but there’s no reason we can’t work on this concept as well. - Start by creating a simple beat; use a metronome. o Perhaps use the tempo of a particular piece you would like to improve on. - Next add some vocalized rhythms, whatever you like, have fun, improvise, beat box – make it all fit with the beat. - Finally, start moving your body. Anything you want to do, go for it! - If you were using this to generate the pulse of a particular piece, at this point you would phase out the vocalizations and movements while you keep the pulse and groove going. Then count off your piece. Play within the groove that you have established and you find rhythms will fit easily into the groove you are feeling.
Rhythm – ability to accurately divide a beat into smaller note values When approaching a new piece of music, it is vitally important to accurately understand all rhythms in the work. Part of being able to accomplish requires having the ability to subdivide different types of note values perfectly over a beat, and to be able to switch between them readily, especially eights and triplets. For a humbling experience, try setting your metronome at quarter = 60. First, practice different types of subdivisions (eighths, triplets, sixteenths, quintuplets) accurately placing them over the beat. Next, play one right after the other, in different orders and strive to maintain even subdivision, and steady pulse! Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
In complicated passages here are a few suggestions to help simply any problems. We will go over these techniques and how to use them at some point in rehearsal; they are here for your reference. 1. PRACTICE SLOWLY AND WITH STEADY TEMPO 2. Find the beat, and mark it. 3. Remove ties between notes for practicing, when you go to play as written, pretend that you actually play this note and it will help you feel the rhythm accurately. 4. Find the smallest note value, subdivide the entire passage by that value. a. For example if the smallest note is a sixteenth, play all quarter notes as four sixteenths, eighth notes as two sixteenths, etc. b. Practice playing the passage this way several times, then go back and play it as written.
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Brass Basics
Individual Practice
Individual practice is the #1 key to how much you will improve. Knowing what and how to practice will determine how fast you get there.
Finding Time – Finding time to practice can be challenging.
Choose the times you are going to practice at and stick with them. Write it in your schedule. Ideally go for 2 times a day, 5-6 days a week, with each session lasting 1 – 1½ hours. It is much better to practice for shorter intervals more often and here is the reason: the skills and muscle coordination involved in playing are very fine and small. As a result they have a much shorter-term memory than larger muscle groups. Even a gap of just 24 hours will send you backwards. So someone who practices 5 times a week for one hour, will greatly outperform someone who chunks through two 3 hour sessions. Find time every day, and you will be amazed how much faster you improve.
Fundamental Skill Development: the first part of practice – The fundamentals are those concepts that when improved, will directly improve your ability to play your instrument. Fundamentals should be one of the primary foci of each and every practice session. You should develop a routine, in which you progress through the fundamentals in this specific order: Air, Buzzing, Sound, Flexibility, Articulation. The reason for this order has to do with the hierarchy of these fundamentals that I will explain later on. There are numerous exercises for each fundamental, and these can be varied from day to day. I recommend starting your practice session with this work, as it can also serve as a warm – up. We will go into more specific detail about the fundamentals later in the manual. Musical Practice: the second part – During this time, you will be developing your ability to play specific music. Continue to focus on proper fundamentals as you work through more technically difficult music. Work on intonation and rhythm in the context of the music. 1. Focus on the problem areas, analyze the playing problems, and develop a solution. Work on very small sections of music at a time. 2. Don’t be afraid to slow down a passage. Slow repetition is often necessary in order to develop the skills needed to perform on your instrument. Gradually work things up to the desired tempo. 3. Learn it right the first time! It is pointless to rush through a piece of music and
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learn something wrong. You will only be backtracking in order fix your errors. Learning it right implies all the right notes, articulations, fingering, tuning and dynamics. 4. Simplify complicated rhythms. Sometimes it helps to take out slurs and faster notes for learning purposes. Once the basic rhythmic outline is understood an playable, then start to add these elements back in one at a time. 5. Work on Fingers/Slide positions without actually playing. Finger or slide coordination is a purely mechanical part of playing. Make sure your fingers can get it right and in time. Again start slow and work up to speed. By practicing this without playing, it can save a lot of face. 6. Coordinate Fingers with Tongue. It is essential that tonguing lines up with the valve changes. Again work away from the instrument, and use a wind pattern (we’ll discuss this later). Make sure the valve movement and the tongue line up. Take it slower if need be. 7. For sound problems, use buzzing. Very simply put, whatever signal you put through your mouthpiece is what ends up in the horn. If you can make your mouthpiece sound excellent and connected, you will definitely be able to sound good on the horn. 8. For articulation problems, use wind patterns. Wind patterns address the problems at the source, make sure you are putting the correct air signal through the horn by practicing it away from the instrument. Once you have perfected it, replay the passage on your horn and you should see some progress.
Typical Practice Session PART I – Fundamental Skills Development (warm up) 30 minutes Air 5 minutes Buzz 5 minutes Sound/Flexibility 10-15 minutes Articulations 5-10 minutes PART II – Musical Practice 30 – 60 minutes These times can be adjusted for longer or shorter sessions.
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Brass Basics
Wind and Song As we move into discussing the fundamentals that we will be approaching in your individual practice, we need to have a clear understanding of how best to learn our instruments. The master tuba teacher, Arnold Jacobs, revolutionized the way we think about brass playing. He was a student of psychology, physiology, and music. He discovered that incredible musical results could be reaped from focusing on two fundamental ideas: Song and Wind.
Song means you focus on exactly what you want to sound like to the audience. Pay attention to every detail – vibrato, type of sound, articulation, correct pitch and rhythm, etc. Having this mental image is 85% of the game and relies heavily on your imagination.
Wind, the other 15%, means you have the
As human beings we are incredibly complex. Fortunately, we the have means of accomplishing complex tasks without thinking about every aspect involved. The key is finding what to focus on. Arnold Jacobs described what these are for brass players: Song and Wind.
ability to apply the proper air stream to create what your Song requires. This means we need to have strong breathing skills: good flexibility, deep capacity, ability to breathe freely, ability to control air movements. These are skills that require work and development – they can be improved greatly. The process works like this. If the Song, or musical image, is very clear and present in your mind, your Wind will obey. The wind will directly effect what comes out of your horn, which will closely resemble your image. It’s almost like you have a CD running in your head as you play. The musician on this CD is everything you want to sound like. Not only will this lead you into playing how you want to sound, it will also give you a heads up on what exactly you need to fix. By Jacobs theory, it is vitally important that you carefully learn the music you are working with correct rhythm, intonation and phrasing. Even if you can’t play something yet, having this perfect understanding will guide you in the right direction. The more refined your mental image, the more you will be able to refine your own playing. I encourage you to look into Jacob’s teachings. There have been some wonderful collections, CD’s and books written that capture the essence of his teaching. Visit this website, and you will get a whole new understanding of “Jake” and how he has impacted the world of brass playing. http://www.windsongpress.com
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Here are a the books ands CD’s that have been published that contain the essence of his teaching. The CD is especially amazing for several reasons. First, he is actually the one talking and lecturing. And you get to hear him play – it will blow your mind to hear how he plays the tuba! I have this if you want to take a listen. Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind. Brian Frederikson. Gurnee: Windsong Press Limited, 1996. Arnold Jacobs: Legacy of a Master. Compiled by M. Dee Stewart. Northfield: Instrumentalist, 1992. Portrait of an Artist. CD compilation. Summit(Classical): B00004UDEY. 2000.
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Brass Basics
Breathing Arnold Jacobs devised many ways to effectively improve the way his students used air, using equipment, measuring apparatus, and everyday items. Some people would say descending into his basement was like having a date with a mad doctor. He’d hook you up to some machine, tell you what to focus on, and all of a sudden you could play! Other members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra brass section at the time were very much in agreement with what Jacobs had to say, and some like Vince Cichowiez, branched out and developed their own methods of teaching essentially the same material. Jack Stamp, a famous trumpet teacher in LA, was also at the time coming up with very practical solutions to reach some of the same goals. Recently, two of the most outstanding tuba players in world, Pat Sheridan and Sam Pilafian, combined these teachings into a comprehensive, challenging, and relatively straightforward set of exercises called “The Breathing Gym.”1 They developed these in a morning class they run for students at the U. of Arizona where Sam teaches. A majority of our work dealing with air will be straight out of their teaching. Why is Air so important as a fundamental? As Jacobs realized, air is the foundation of everything we do skill-wise on wind instruments. Our sound is a direct reflection of the buzz we make into our mouthpiece. That buzz is 95% dependent on the AIR we put through our embouchure (5%). So essentially…
Air = Buzz = Sound You might ask why embouchure is so unimportant in this equation. Jacobs and his colleagues discovered over time, that if a player’s air skills were developed properly, the embouchure would naturally, over time, adjust to the most efficient position. They found this approach much more effective than trying to coach extremely minute positioning of the lips. Besides, with the physical differences between individuals, they found that each person really has a unique embouchure that works best for them. As Bud Herseth, the Principal Trumpet of the CSO, put it, “You have to start with a very precise sense of how something should sound [Song]. Then, instinctively, you modify your lip and your breathing and the pressure of the horn to obtain that sound."
Preparing the Body for Excellent Breathing Proper breathing requires that the body be prepared for it. Tension in our muscles joints and other tissues not only make it difficult to breath deep, it also stifles the resonance in our sound…
TENSION KILLS SOUND!!!
1
The Breathing Gym. Pilafian, Sam and Patrick Sheridan. DVD and book. Fort Wayne: Focus on Excellence, 2003. Available through WindSong Press. Calgary distributor Paul Beauchesne, 277-3575.
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We can combat tension (create relaxation and flexibility) in several ways. 1. Stretching – Daily stretches should include ones that specifically address the muscles and joints that are involved in breathing: head/neck, arms/shoulders, ribcage, abdomen. 2. Isometric exercise – in the 1970s the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s players committee had a series of guest clinicians develop a set of stretches to combat their players growing playing tensions. This included isometrics (opposing muscle groups flexed at the same time). These help get blood flowing to needed areas. - Example: Start by taking a deep, slow breath and flexing your arms and shoulders. Hold firmly for 5 seconds. Then is one swift motion, release the air and the flex. 3. Yoga – although similar to stretching, the discipline of yoga focuses on breathing in conjunction, and many of the basic poses are designed to relieve tension in the breathing system. I do yoga pretty much everyday, as I have found the benefits to my playing to be great. a. One branch of yoga is used to help open up the nasal cavity. It promotes good health of the sinuses, makes it easier to breathe, and for our purposes will help resonance. This stuff is a bit funky, but it’s great. A wonderful way to help you feel better if you have a cold! We’ll go over these techniques. - Message the acupressure points around your head - Use air pressure to internally open up sinuses - Humming with your nose pinched to “massage” the sinuses - Buzzing lips to “massage” inner ear 4. The “Sigh” – simply enough this is an exaggerated sigh. It is our body’s natural way of relieving tension. My personal favorite! - Start by taking a very deep breath and raising your arms over your head - When you are full of air, release it and let your arms drop as you vocally sigh - Let your arms dangle loosely at your sides.
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
The other major aspect of preparing the body to breathe well is posture. We all know some basics about posture: stand tall, make sure your body is aligned, weight evenly distributed over your feet. These are all good ideas. Sometimes in marching band I will see attempts at posture that include standing in a rigid fashion – when I see this, my spine cringes!!! No way can you take a proper breath and play your instrument well like that. You need to find ways to stand tall, and with great alignment, without flexing your whole body so you do not hinder your breathing. Seated posture should aim to maintain as much of the correct standing posture as possible! Two quick suggestions regarding posture from Ashtang Yoga that can help align your breathing apparatus, an aspect of posture that is often overlooked. 1. Start by standing tall with the best, relaxed, posture you can. Often times in this position our hips tend to be rotated to the back a little. To fix this, think about pushing your pelvis forward slightly, and ever so slightly turning your thighs out. You can even think of pressing the small of your back out. This slight change in position will not only free up some of your breathing muscles; it will also help your step-offs by improving your center of gravity. Plus it’s good for your spinal health. 2. To more properly align your head and throat, first imagine a string that ascends from the top of your head near the back of your head. This will help you stand tall. Next think of pushing the small of your neck (backside) back so that you create a straight line over your spine. Next make sure your chin is not pushed out forward…it needs to stay down and slightly tucked towards your neck.
The Misconception about the Diaphragm Have you ever heard the phrase “support with your diaphragm?” That is inherently false: as we’ll see in a moment the diaphragm is involved actively only in inhalation. Even the term air support itself is often misleading. Most people when told to “support” the air stream or sound, create some sort of compression (tension) that really doesn’t solve the problem. Air support simply means providing the proper speed and quantity of air for a given note. The diaphragm is a convex muscle attached to our ribcage that when contracted, creates a negative pressure inside us. This causes air to rush in to balance the pressure. In athletic breathing (brass playing included) other muscles including the intercostals (rib muscles) assist in creating this internal vacuum thus increasing the breathing capacity. During exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes allowing for a natural release of air. However, during athletic breathing, the intercostals as well as the abdomen and lower back muscles will engage to assist in literally pushing the air out. Tension in other nearby muscle groups can slow the breathing apparatus’ ability to move air in and out. You will have to exert to move the air required to play a brass instrument, but you must remain as relaxed as possible while you play to optimize your ability to move air. For more details on a “complete” breath, visit this website. http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/exercise/yoga.html Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Breathing Technique – 4 Points of Form The Breathing Gym highlights four points of form to focus on in order to achieve a healthy, correct breath. 1. Oral Shape The proper shape should be a very open “OH,” as if you were saying the end of the word, ”WHOA.” Not only does this allow the freest passage of air, it also puts the mouth in a shape that is most conducive to resonance. - One way to monitor this is to make a flat palm with your hand. Place the third knuckle of your index Four Points of finger in front of your mouth, perpendicular to the Form ground. When you inhale you should hear a very open, dark rush of air past your hand. If you are 1. “OH” shape doing an exercise on the horn, listen carefully to the 2. Even quality of air sound that is coming out of your 3. Constant horn… it should be dark and full, never whistling or fuzzy. 4. Smooth Change Using a Breathing Buddy can also create this proper of Direction shape and sensation of breathing. When a breathing buddy is in place, it creates an extremely free passage of air. This will give you a sense of how free the air should be flowing whenever you breathe. 2. Air is Even – Just as we strive to move between dots on the marching field at an even pace, our breathing needs to occur at an even pace at all times. So for example, you may be asked to breath in for four counts; during that time the air should be moving at a consistent speed, never slowing or speeding. One of the most common tendencies is to slow the rate of your breath as you reach full capacity. That is not ideal, as it creates tension. Focus on keeping the breath moving in at the same speed all the way to the point where you begin to exhale. The same thing goes for exhalation. When we play our instruments, we really don’t need huge shifts in the rate and volume of the air column. It is challenging and essential that exhalation be at a constant, steady rate, regardless of how long or short. Be sure to pace yourself over long periods of time. - Use the hand monitor on the inhalation to judge the relative consistency of the air flow - On the exhalation, blow the air at the palm of your hand, and from that you can get a sense of whether or not the air is even.
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
3. Air is Constant – This concept is closely related to the last. At no time does your air stop moving. Often players will actually stop their breathing just before they play or even right after. The air does not stop after you inhale before you exhale. When you finish exhaling/playing a note, you begin inhaling as soon as that is done (this is how you release a note). 4. Change of Direction is Smooth and Instantaneous – When you reach the end of your inhalation, there is no slowdown or hesitation. The air smoothly and immediately begins going out a steady rate. And it’s the same at the end of your exhalation – no slow down or hesitation, just a quick change of direction. By combining the four elements into our breathing habits, we will be taking very good breaths that will automatically improve your playing. We will also be doing numerous exercises to improve various aspects of breathing. ***It is very important that you focus on these four points as you work on any breathing exercises.
Strengthening the Skill of Breathing – 4 Types of Work There are essentially four categories that define the types of exercises that can be done to improve breathing abilities. We will learn these as the year go by. Most are included in The Breathing Gym; others are ones I’ve picked up along the way. 1. Flexibility - we have discussed a lot of the flexibility ideas that can aid in breathing. There are a few other exercises that we will address that stretch the breathing capacity internally. These are fairly strenuous and should be done only once the muscles have had a chance to warm up. 2. Flow – these exercises in the main simulate the kind of airflow that occurs when we play. These mainly consist of moving air over various count and concentrating on form. These also include some over training exercises that are lots of “fun” and some quick breathing exercises that work on the ability to breath in to capacity over a very short period of time. 3. Resistance Therapies – these are like weightlifting for breathers. We use different techniques to stress either inhalation or exhalation to point where we get a good muscular burn. These are used to strengthen the muscles used in the breathing system. 4. Brain Breathing – These are mostly meditative, focusing exercises that are great for improving performance concentration and combating stage anxiety. These air exercises are not written out in this manual as most are much more easily explained. We will add more and more exercises as the year goes on. Anytime we are doing breathing exercises, really max out the use of your full lung capacity. Clinical studies show that most people use 30-45% of their actual capacity. Whereas the best breathing professional wind players can reach upwards of 95% use. Just make sure you’re filling up and expelling as much air as you can each time.
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Brass Basics
Sound As we move into sound production, remember that proper breathing forms the foundation of everything we do. We will work on developing a good sound, as well all aspects of what a good sound needs to be able to do: be flexible over a wide range of the instrument; move quickly from one range to another; maintain a clear sound from low to high and soft to loud; and play for long periods of time (endurance).
Buzzing Very simply, what goes into your mouthpiece comes out your horn. The horn helps us out a lot, slotting the pitch and refining the sound. But if you can strive towards making the signal on your mouthpiece sound great, imagine the results on the instrument. Here are some buzzing exercises that we will use. They are in a specific order, that when you practice I’d like you to follow. Always remember the air. 1. Single tone This exercise helps bridge the gap between breathing and sound making. The idea is that you will take an ideal breath, with correct form, and on the exhalation, the mouthpiece and lips will be in place a buzz will happen. Allow the buzz to be a low and comfortable pitch. - Strive to keep the breath as pure as possible. - Have the mouthpiece set (on your lips) before you start breathing in. Strive for no excess movement in your body. - Aim to have the buzz start immediately on the exhalation, no skips or hesitations. - Repeat a good number of times, until the buzz is starting freely, and you feel that your breathing does not change to produce the buzz. 2. Slides or Sirens This exercise begins to move a properly produced sound into different registers. Make sure that you attain a pure first note, if not stop and start again. - Begin by buzzing on a low note, hold it for just moment to make Air Speed sure it is solid. Then move the buzz up (by moving faster or colder air) and back down (by moving slower or warmer air) High = fast - Make sure to have a strong, clear buzz the entire time and make the (less air) slide smooth and even. - Gradually expand the range of the slide, and try starting from Low = slow different places – start high and go low, or start in the middle and go (more air) both ways.
REMEMBER!!! Air is constant. Be careful as you do sirens that the air stream does not “dip” as you move around. Think of using extra air as you slide (esp. downwards) to encourage the buzz to continue to be full and robust. Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
3. Pitching This is fundamental work in the Song and Wind department. - Play a note for yourself, either on a piano or your instrument. - Then take a moment to hear that tone in your head. - Begin humming the note loudly. - As you continue to sing open your mouth to an “OH” shape. - Finish the note by taking a full breath and then buzz the note you were just focusing on. Expand this work to include scales, intervals, arpeggios, etc. 4. Songs Simply buzz any one of your favorite songs! However, I would ask you to keep these parameters in mind: - Play the song at a controlled tempo - Connect the notes, only tongue if the note repeats - Slide between notes – hit everything in between! - All in all it ends up sounding a bit tipsy! 5. Buzzing without mouthpiece Buzzing without the mouthpiece has some great benefits like teaching how much air it takes to get the buzz to respond and building embouchure muscles. However, you must be very careful to avoid letting the oral shape collapse. I do not recommend doing very much of this, and if you do, pay very close attention to your breathing form. 6. Buzzaid A buzz aid is a false receiver that connects to your lead pipe. So essentially what it does is allow you have normal playing sensations while still buzzing. This is a very useful tool for use during individual practice and is very helpful in teaching you how to center notes (creates a buzz that sits in the ideal pitch location to make the horn resonate on a given note). It’s very good for developing a big sound. We will not be using them as a group this year, but I highly recommend them. Available at: http://www.chasesanborn.com/buzzaids.html http://www.music123.com/BERP-Buzz-Extension-and-ResistancePiece-i95015.music
Sound Like buzzing we will start working with sound in a very simple way, one that encourages pure breathing. By simplifying the task, you allow yourself to focus on the fundamentals. Start too complicated and the fundamentals will go out the window.
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
1. Single Pitch Make a single long steady tone on a middle range note (F concert is good, C concert for horn). Before you begin, focus on what you would like to sound like. Hear the depth, openness, and fullness of your ideal sound. Bring the instrument up, take a great breath, and play. As with buzzing, you want your breath to unaffected by the fact you are now playing notes on your instrument. Also strive to have the sound begin immediately upon exhaling. Repeat several times till your sound is responding easily and with pure breathing. If the sound is not exactly what you want it to be, first examine your breathing. If that seems in order, there are a few exercises you can do to find a little more vibration and quality of sound. Bending – you can do three different types of bending to help you find a more resonant, air-dependant sound. You will also find this helps blood flow to your lips, which in the long run reduces fatigue and increases endurance. 1. Sag bend – start by playing your middle range note. Let the pitch “sag” by letting lips loosen and relaxing the throat, face, and neck. Now, use extra volume of air to lift the pitch back into tune. It will be tempting to draw your lip back taught, but resist the urge. Use only the air to bring the pitch back up. Once you’ve done this a couple of times, try to reproduce the improved sound without doing the exercise. Often times our embouchures are actually too firm to allow free vibration; this exercise helps reduce that tension and lets us rely more on air. 2. Press bend – start playing the middle range note with a nice full sound. Use the thumb of your valve/slide hand to begin pressing gently away from you on the bell of your instrument. You will hear the pitch begin to air out and sag a little. Keep the pressure on your thumb, and again use more air to bring the sound back into tune/focus. You should hear a much fuller clearer sound. Try to reproduce the results without doing the exercise. This exercise addresses the use of too much pressure of the instrument against the lips, which can reduce blood flow and vibration. 3. Mute bend – this exercise requires the use of a straight mute and it’s quite similar to a sag bend. Insert the mute and begin playing the middle range note. Let the note sag and use a big rush of air to bring the pitch back
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
up. You will notice a huge change in the way the mute sounds – you will hear a lot of buzz from the mute (good). Now remove the mute and play your middle range note, and you will notice a BIG difference in your sound. Working on your sound, even in on something as simple as one note, is probably the best thing you can do to improve your overall ability to play your instrument. A good sound will facilitate all the other aspects of your instrument, such as: flexibility, dynamics, articulation, high range, endurance, you name it. 2. Begin moving your best sound into different registers As we move into these other sound exercises, remember to be exacting in regards to the purity of sound. Doing these with anything less than your best sound is a waste of time. This is not hard music; its purpose is to expand your ability to create a beautiful sound. *Starting here I will be referencing written exercises that will appear on the following pages. a. Remington Studies* These are simple ½ step movement long tones. Use a little extra air across the change of note to ensure the buzz/sound remains perfectly constant. Keep your sound and breathing consistent. b. Vince Cichowiez* These exercises Mr. C. used to expand the range of your good sound. Be sure to keep the connection between the notes smooth and the sound consistent through all registers c. Low Range Often I will spend some extra time in the lower register, doing more things similar to Remington, to get more comfortable there. I also do some on/off buzzing exercises: Start by playing your low fundamental (Bb or F on horn). During the note, gradually pull your instrument away from your face and continue a nice full buzz. Gently replace the horn and sustain the tone till you’re out of breath. These help the response of your instrument in the low range. d. Clarke Studies* Although most people consider these finger exercises, Clarke used these as “moving long tones.” That’s how I’d like you to think of them. Play them long and full, with a very steady air stream. Finger/Valve Coordination should be thought of in very mechanical terms. Very simply our valves/slides need to be in the correct position for whatever note we are attempting to play. The quicker our valves or slides move between positions, the better. Anytime a valve is not up or down, the air stream gets cut off resulting in distortion of tone. A trombone slide caught siding between positions creates glissando and intonation problems. Work on slamming the valves down/moving the slide crisply at all times. These movements must also coordinate with our articulations. Actually, one of the greatest sources of cracked notes is a miscoordination of articulation and slide/valve movement. Work on valve/slide/articulation coordination using Wind Patterns (see Articulation). Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
e. Pedal Tones* Pedal tones increase power in the lower range, and because of the amount of air required are good training for upper range playing. In the first exercise you do not change valves or positions during each phrase. You simply bend the pitch down and back up. f. Soft Tones* These are a series of buzzing and playing exercises that are very Strive for as little similar to slurs and VC studies. The goal with these is to play with embouchure change a gentle, quiet, consistent sound. Also strive for as little as possible between embouchure change as possible especially as you go high and low. registers. Rely for Try to keep your embouchure set within “The Golden Sixth.” the most part on air (G6) For low brass that is written fourth line F to D above middle speed and volume of C. For horns and trumpets written G to top space E. For extra air to change pitch. challenge, hold the last note of these exercises and gradually fade out until you’re out of air. 1. Lip Slur Soft Tone – these simple lip slurs are to be performed buzzing first and then on the horn. When buzzing, start the top note and then slide between notes as you descend. On the instrument, slide (no slide movements, bones!) between notes as much as possible before the break happens. Remember your dynamic is ppp, and don’t let your embouchure “set” go below the lower note of the G6. 2. Al Lowry Soft VC studies – same rules apply, especially as you go higher… do note let your embouchure “set” get firmer than what you would use for the top note of the G6. 3. Super soft tones – this will stretch your ability to play very quietly with a steady tone. It will also help your response in general. Play the one steady middle range note for a very long time, the sound you should be aiming to sustain is just above a whisper (it’s not a sound you would normally use). It should be close to inaudible. g. High notes – generally, limit your practice of high notes to a few minutes. It’s a good idea to start by working up to some high notes from lower notes. Try extending the VC studies focusing on good sound. Then try “picking off” a couple of higher notes. Here are some books I recommend for focusing on sound within a musical context: Concone, G. (ed. Sawyer). Lyrical Studies (Brass Press). Rochut, J. Melodious Etudes (Carl Fisher). Miersch. Melodious Studies for the French Horn (Carl Fisher). Knopp Larry and Vincent Cichowiecz. Flow Studies and Lyrical Etudes. (see me)
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Trombone
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Brass Basics
Flexibility Slurs Lip slurs are widely used as a means to improve the flexibility of your sound – the ability to move between high and low registers with ease and consistent sound. The major challenge comes because you have to slur between notes without changing valve combinations or slide position. Unfortunately, I have seen and heard too many people approaching these incorrectly. They are harder to perform properly than most people think. They tend to tackle ones that are beyond their ability and end up manipulating their air/sound/buzz to make it happen. Really they are doing more harm than good. Slurs need to be approached with great attention to proper breathing and slur form. Now excuse me as I step on my soapbox. I would argue that the majority of the work in lip slurs revolves around how you use your air; there should be some (but very little) adjustment of the embouchure as you ascend and descend. The more you can rely on your air the better. The need to use lots of embouchure change to produce a slur is an indication that you air is not functioning properly to produce it. If you find yourself in this situation, assess your breathing as you approach the passage, and slow things down being sure to maintain proper breathing regardless of the difficulty. If your air is working properly, you will find it much easier to move around the horn. Here are my list of do’s and don’ts for performing a proper lip slur:
Do: -
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Focus on sound and musical image; keep your sound consistent, full and even. o The air stream itself is constant and even, as is the buzz. o The sound is purely connected across slurs, as if it were a long tone. o Think of using just a little extra air across the change to make it happen more easily. o The change of note should be pure, smooth and precisely in time. Focus on air speed to create the necessary support for the note o For higher notes, you need faster air. Think colder or farther o For lower notes, you need slower air, and a lot more of it. Thing warmer or closer o When descending concentrate especially hard on maintaining a full smooth sound with steady air. Use buzzing as a means of working on slurs
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Don’t: -
Lose sight of proper breathing form, or allow dips in your air stream Manipulate your jaw, mouth, head angle to create the slur Use extra pressure to attain high notes
These books contain some very extended and challenging lip slurs: Schlossberg, M. Daily Drills and Technical Studies. (M. Baron). Smith, Walter. Lip Flexibility on the Cornet or Trumpet. (Carl Fisher).
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Trombone
Lip Slurs Jay Michalak
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Brass Basics
Articulation Articulation on brass instruments involves using the tongue to create a demarcation, or an “attack” in the sound. When the tongue strikes near the front of the mouth during a sound, a wild range of high frequencies is created. Human ears are very attuned to these frequencies, as they often signaled danger in pre-historic times. We hear this type of sound, and it creates a sense of separation in our hearing, helping to create rhythm and give punch to the music. The sound itself usually does not stop during articulation. This stresses the importance of having a good sound. A better sound will get much more “attack” or explosion of frequencies from an articulation. A stressed/forced/muffled/thin sound will not nearly get as much. Having a better sound will make the work of articulating easier. Here are some basic concepts to keep in mind that will help you achieve quality articulation. -
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Use a very clear consonant – I recommend “Tu” for upper brass and “Toh” for low brass. o Keep the tongue forward in the mouth to make the articulation happen more quickly. o Think of using a wide tip of the tongue rather than narrow. o Most “T” sounds will position your tongue correctly: directly between the gum and the back of your upper row of teeth. o Make the articulation happen quickly and firmly; if the tongue is too slow it will disrupt the air stream and sound. o Practice this correct articulation away from your instrument to incorporate these elements. Practice with your voice, and then with air only. For harder attacks use firmer tongue strike, for gentle attacks use quick and light tongue. o When playing soft, you will need to articulate much harder to make a clear sounding attack. o When playing loudly, very light tonguing will produce strong articulations. Air is still constant. o 99% of the time, even when articulating, the air stream continues to move at steady rate. It’s like running a knife through water streaming from faucet…the water never stops moving
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
LOW BRASS!!! Because of the nature of the larger instruments, the “toh” articulation by itself may not create a lot of attack. There are some “tricks” that professionals will use to help create a crisply articulated sound. For instance, if you give an extra push of air/sound at the beginning of the note, it will have much more impact to the ear.
when the knife creates the break. Even passages of “short notes” will have an underlying stream of air. • Clinical studies have shown that once you stop the vibration of your lips, it takes much more energy to restart them. This leads sound difficulties in longer articulated passages and fatigue. o A steady stream of air will support the tongue’s work, and help you avoid being “tongue tied.” o In very rare instances, the musical image calls for an abruptly short note, in which case the air may be halted for special effect.
Exercises First note coordination: One of the more difficult aspects of articulating is coordinating the very first attack with the start of the air and sound. This has to be very precise, and completely second nature. This exercise is a great way to discipline that coordination. Do this exercise buzzing only. 1. Pick a comfortable middle range note to buzz softly. 2. Now purposefully start the buzz (with air and good breath) and make the attack come in late ON PURPOSE. At least a good half beat. 3. Repeat this exercise a number of times, gradually bringing the articulation closer and closer to the proper position: in exact coordination with the air and sound. 4. When you reach the point where the attack and articulation are aligned, repeat this correct articulation several times. Always listen for a good “pop” from the articulation. 5. Now invert the process. Start by attacking before well before the sound starts, and gradually get closer to exact coordination.
Wind Pattern: Wind Patterns are the main teaching device used by Vince Cichowiez. He found that often times the instrument itself was causing us to move towards improper air. Wind patterns are done simply by articulating and blowing air away from the instrument. It is important as you do this that the musical image is strong in your mind. In this way you are using the Song to promote the proper Wind without the instrument getting in the way. When you take this air back to instrument, you will notice a big improvement. Using valves/slides during a WP, adds another dimension. Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Articulation Problem Solving: Fixing articulation problems can be a very complex task. Before beginning this formula, make sure you can do your valves/slides and rhythm perfectly for the particular passage you’re going to work on. Otherwise, you will greatly complicate the issue. 1. Make sure you precisely understand the rhythm. 2. Make sure your valves/slide can move automatically. 3. Play the passage slowly, ALL SLURRED. a. Often times the inconsistency of our air, can cause problems, if you’re slurring, the air has to be moving! b. Make sure each note has a full sound 4. Do a couple of Wind Patterns on the passage – imagine the sound in your head. 5. Play the passage on your horn slowly conscientiously maintaining the Wind Pattern you just worked out. You should find improvement, if not repeat 3-4. 6. Speed the passage up gradually to performance tempo.
Multiple Tonguing Often times music calls for brass instruments to double or triple tongue very fast notes. Due to the difficulty of repeat the “tu” (toh for low brass) consonant very rapidly, brass players developed the use of a “ku” (koh) syllable. So in order to double tongue you would say “tu – ku – tu – ku – tu” and for triple tonguing “tu – tu – ku – tu.” There are several pitfalls that make multiple tonguing tricky. Air stream often suffers, making sound production difficult. Due to the “k” being further back in the mouth, it is difficult to get as much attack. So follow these guidelines and you should be addressing all the potential issues, and be multiple tonguing in no time. 1. Say the words – well as simple as it seems, the best way to get started working on multiple tonguing is to practice saying the word combinations. At first, it will almost seem like a tongue twister. After a week or so, though, you will be able to say the words as fast as you would ever need to. a. Say tu – ku – tu – ku – tu Say this many times in a row – start slow then speed up gradually. Be very determined about making the “k” clear. 2. Do wind patterns with double tonguing a. Concentrate on making a full, consistent air stream while doing the articulations. b. As always, listen for clear even articulations 3. Work on the “Ku” or “Koh” a. On the instrument play four slow quarter notes, each with a “k” syllable… b. Now that you’re humbled, work on making that clean so that when multiple tonguing the “k” is just as strong as the “t” 4. Finally, put it all together on the horn. Start slow; work up to faster speeds.
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Trombone
Articulation Studies Jay Michalak
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Trombone
Articulation:Pick Up Study Jay Michalak
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Trombone
Multiple Tonguing Jay Michalak
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Brass Basics
Brass Ensemble Every group whether wind ensemble or orchestra should have as one its goals to have a great sounding brass section. I have included a brass reference page with some of the best brass ensembles that are around today. Each has a unique style and approach, but they all have some fundamental similarities. They have excellent musical taste, they have great sounds individually and as a group that enable them to play all styles of music, and they play precisely together.
Sound The number one way for us to improve as a brass section is to constantly improve our individual abilities to make sound. For the most part, this work cannot happen at band – it happens during your own practice time. Do the exercises I have laid out for you on a regular basis, and you will see the progress we need to have. The best type of sound to strive for is essentially a powerful classical sound – this is the most adaptable style for different types of music. Here are some basic rules that you should be conscientious of:
Blend 1) The easiest way to achieve blend is by having individuals who produce sound in the same way. This is at the root of many of my suggestions regarding air and sound. Working on these Blend concepts will guide you towards a quality timbre on your instrument. Your sounds will have similar characteristics, and will match easily. We will achieve a beautifully blended and warm sound with ease – it will literally just develop as a by-product. Balance
Intonation
2) Besides timbre, there is another simple rule – Everyone must contribute equally. No one sticks out. There are two common problems here – - Weaker players do not fill up enough to balance. - Stronger players play too loud and stick out. Listen carefully to yourself and the group around. Try to get into each other’s sound.
Balance I have mentioned that humans are attuned more to high frequencies, when thinking of balance we need to consider this. Having more bass presence gives the listener more of a sense of tonal center, a context or foundation for everything else. Believe it or not, this physiological law is actually helped give rise to Motown in Detroit. Up to that point in history, recordings tended to be very tinny and loaded with high frequencies there was no mixing capability yet. Soul artists in Detroit started
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
experimenting with recording in industrial warehouses that naturally amplified the bass sound on the recording…people really like the results! Another reason to project more bass is that it improves the overall sound. A single note played on a trumpet, is actually composed of about 4-7 audible frequencies higher than the fundamental note being played. When you mix two instruments, you not only strengthen these higher frequencies, but you also create new ones called “resultant tones.” Physics proves that the more bass or fundamental frequency, the stronger resultant tones happen when mixed with higher, in-tune frequencies. The more resultant tones and strengthened “overtones” we get as a brass section, the more powerful and massive our sound will be. All in all you need to think of balance as a pyramid, with the low brass providing the most sound, full middle voices, and lead trumpet line that just floats on top. There are times when we’ll adjust this because things need to be more present to make the music work, but in general in brass choir playing this is what we go for.
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Intonation Intonation as a group starts with having individuals who are able to play in tune with themselves. Beyond that, it requires sensitive listening and adjustments. Unison notes: When you play the same note as someone else (often we have unisons as there as 3-4 people on each part) it is very important to match pitch. If you are out of tune, you will hear beats in the sound. As you get closer in tune, the beats slow, and eventually disappear. Strive to make the unison sound like one player. Chord Tones: As brass players we have an inherent set of advantages over other instruments. Our harmonic series are all the same, and except for horn they even start on the same note. We also have very minute control over where we place our notes intonation wise. Studies have shown that intervals and chords when played perfectly in tune (according to a tuner, or Equal Temperament) they don’t necessarily resonate as well as when some small adjustments are made to make the intervals in tune (Just Intonation). These adjustments depend on what part of the chord a given note is in relation to the root. Here’s a brief list of the most pertinent adjustments. •
Equal versus Just intonation: Equal temperament is playing 100 cents per half step, like with a tuner. This is the way a piano is tuned. Just intonation is adjusting to make intervals and chords "beatless." As wind instrumentalists we have the ability to accomplish this.
Here are the places where you should begin to do this (with relation to the root): M3
Narrow by 14 cents
m3
Widen by 16 cents
P4
Narrow by 2 cents
P5
Widen by 2 cents
m7
Narrow by 4 cents
You must know your place in the chord to accomplish this task.
Excepted from: Trumpet Intonation by Gary Wurtz , DMA. Texas Music School Project. See http://www.tsmp.org/ for lots of great music resources M3 = major third P5 = perfect fifth
m3 = minor third m7 = minor seventh
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
P4 = perfect fourth
Dynamic Range Not only must we incorporate the elements of blend, balance, and intonation, but we must also be able to maintain that delicate mix over the widest spectrum of dynamics. This means every player must have excellent control of his or her sound all the way from ppp to fff.
3 Levels of Listening 1. 2. 3.
Playing Together
The most important aspect of playing together is having a unified image of what you want to sound like on the piece of music you are Yourself performing. When working on styles of music Your section that you are less familiar with, such as jazz or Brass section Latin, you need to make you have a clear idea of how it is supposed to go. Listening to these styles is the best way to learn how to play them. Outside of music image, there are four main details to look out for that will help us play together: 1. Start together – this may seem obvious, but very few groups do this precisely. Breathing together on the pickup beat is essential. 2. Stop together – again this is very obvious…even fewer groups do this well. Do not use your tongue to stop notes. Stop the sound by breathing in. 3. Sustain the sound – Maintain a perfectly even dynamic of sound, especially at the end of notes. Don’t ever let the sound die away unless there is a decrescendo. You will often need to breathe during a phrase without causing a disruption in the sound. You accomplish this by stagger breathing. *Stagger breathing – when you need a breath during a phrase, fade your sound out. Grab a quick breath, and reenter at a soft volume. Fade back into the proper dynamic. Be careful that you do not breath when the people next to you are. In fact, during difficult sections it may be wise for section leaders to decided when each person will breath to avoid breaks. Obeying these rules will maintain an even smooth sound even though people are breathing in! 4. Change notes together – If even one person does not change their notes on time, it reduces the clarity of the music. We must strive to change precisely at the same time. This often relies on having a good sense of pulse.
Developing a great brass line sound takes time and individual commitment. Practice the fundamentals and learn your music early, so that your time together as a group can be spent in pursuit of a magnificent group sound!
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Brass Basics
Brass Recordings Large Brass Ensembles German Brass http://www.german-brass.de/german_brass/home/indexe.php 17 albums available online ***highly recommended Altius Brass, Calgary Burning River Brass Band Hannaford Street Silver Band, Toronto Millar Brass, Evanston, IL Philip Jones, United Kingdom Summit Brass
http://www.altiusbrass.cjb.net/ http://www.burningriverbrass.com/ http://www.hannafordband.com/ http://members.aol.com/bbdhonk/mbe.html http://www.summitrecords.com/brass/
Brass Quintet Center City Brass Quintet http://www.centercitybrassquintet.com/ 5 CD’s – they rock! American Brass Quintet, New York Atlantic Brass Quintet, Boston Boston Brass Canadian Brass Dallas Brass Empire Brass Quintet I Tromboni (trombone 5tet), Vancouver Rhythm and Brass Spanish Brass True North Brass
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
http://www.americanbrassquintet.org/ http://www.atlanticbrassquintet.com/ http://www.bostonbrass.com/ http://www.canadianbrass.com/ http://www.dallasbrass.com/ http://www.empirebrass.com/ http://www.itromboni.com/ http://www.rhythm-brass.com/home.html http://webs.ono.com/usr036/luurmetalls/ http://www.truenorthbrass.com/
Brass Basics
Instrument Care Instrument Cleaning Procedure At the beginning of the season, and about every three months after that, your instrument and its tuning slides should enjoy a good bath! This will keep your instrument smelling fresh, looking clean, and operating properly. Giving your instrument a bath, however, is not as easy as jumping in the shower. Your instrument’s parts and finish are quite sensitive and can become permanently damaged if proper bathing procedures are not followed. 1) Remove valves and bottom valve caps. Put these off to the side. 2) Place a large bath towel in the bottom of your tub, seal off the drain, then fill the tub with 4 – 10 inches of cool water (depending upon the size of your instrument). As the tub fills, squirt a few drops of mild dish soap into the water and agitate the water with your hand to create suds. 3) Once the water is 4 – 10 inches high, remove all tuning slides and place them into the cool water. Also, place the body of the instrument into the cool water. 4) As the slides and instrument body soak, take your snake and run it through all tubing openings. To get sludge off of the exposed part of the slides, place one or two drops of mild dish soap onto a wet cotton washcloth. Gently rub the dirty part of the slides. WARNING! Under no circumstances should you use any cleaning solutions or polishes. They may destroy your instrument’s finish. Also, never submerge your instrument in hot water. Hot water will melt the lacquer and destroy the instrument’s finish. 5) Drain the tub while rinsing the slides and instrument body in cool water. 6) Shake excess water from the slides and instrument body, and then dry these parts with a soft, clean cotton towel. Allow these parts to air dry. 7) While the slides and instrument body are drying, you can clean your valves in the sink. Caution! Do not take the valve mechanism apart and be sure that the sink’s drain is closed. Once you have towel dried each valve, place several drops of oil on each piston and reinsert the valves into the valve casing. Make sure that the number engraved on the piston faces forward. Gently turn the valve until you hear the valve guide lock into place. Screw on the bottom valve caps. 8) Finally, use your fingertip to smear a thin film of slide grease onto each slide. Reinsert each slide, moving them in and out to spread the grease. 9) Your instrument is now squeaky clean! All wrong notes have been washed away. IMPORTANT! Because the concert French Horn has secured rotary valves, you should never give the rest of your instrument a complete bath (only removable slides). This is best left to a qualified repair technician.
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Brass Basics
Memorization The amount of music that you must sometimes memorize in any group requires much effort on your part. Memorizing is all about finding what works best for you. Here are a few of the most common methods: 1) Learn measure to measure – Pick one measure and play it many times until you’ve got it then move on to the next. Once you have that down put the two together. Gradually add measure by measure. This also works backwards. Whatever work you get done one day, be sure to review the next so as not to lose it. 2) Make an accurate play tape, and play along – simply learning a song through listening, you create musical understanding which will trigger the right responses. 3) Repiece the music – spent a couple of days learning how the music goes…then put the music away. Use your memory of it to decipher the notes and rhythms, be sure to recheck in case you got something wrong. This method I find creates the strongest connection of the music to my fingers/chops/air. There are many more perfectly acceptable ways to pursue. Here are some links to other methods. I encourage you to find something that works for you! http://rmmpiano.tripod.com/memory.FAQ.html http://catherinemcmichael.com/strategies/articles/005.html http://www.guitarprinciples.com/GettingBetter/essay13.htm http://www.harpcolumn.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0001cp
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Brass Basics
Mouthpieces There is often a great deal that confusion in regards to finding the perfect mouthpiece. Often people choose a mouthpiece without understanding the fundamentals behind mouthpiece construction. The Fundamental of Mouthpiece Construction: A Quick Reference!
A mouthpiece consists of the rim, cup, throat, and backbore. Considering the relationship between these components and the individual player are essential in choosing the proper th i The Rim Wide Narrow Round Sharp
Wide Rim
Increases endurance Improves flexibility and range Improves comfort Increases brilliance and precision of attack
Narrow Rim
Round Rim
Sharp Rim
In general, a large cup diameter and/or depth lowers the pitch of an instrument, while a small cup diameter and/or shallow cup raises the pitch. It is important to match the cup of the mouthpiece with the pitch of the instrument. Due to variations in embouchure, air support, and oral cavity among musicians, individuals should select a cup which improves overall intonation.
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Cup Diameter The wider the cup diameter… the better! The large mouthpiece does not allow brass players to “jam” out the high notes by using excessive lip pressure, it forces the lip muscle to do the work, not the players arm strength. A large mouthpiece with a fairly deep cup offers the advantages of producing a natural, compact, and uniform, middle and low register, while allowing for improved lup control, greater flexibility, and (hopefully) avoiding missing notes. A larger sized mouthpiece will offer much more comfort, making it possible to maintain food tone quality even when the lips are swollen from too much playing. Deep Shallow Large Small
Deep cup
Shallow cup
Darkens tone, especially the low register Brightens tone, for high register playing Increases volume and control Relieves fatigue and weakness
Large cup
Small cup
Standard Mouthpiece vs. Megatone Mouthpiece Both Yamaha and Bach offer a Megatone mouthpiece. The thought behind these mouthpieces is that by adding weight and mass to the mouthpiece the sound quality will be darker and stronger. To create the Mega Tone these mouthpiece companies more than doubled the outside mass. This darkens the sound and allows you to play at higher dynamic levels without distorting. A slightly larger throat affords less resistance and greater flexibility. The result is a warmer, more powerful sounds.
Standard Trumpet Mouthpiece
Megatone Trumpet Mouthpiece
One fact is certain: “The mouthpiece which feels the best is not necessarily the one which plays the best!” -Vincent Bach
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
Brass Basics
Trombone Reference
Internet Resources: International Trombone Association. http://www.ita-web.org/ Sanborn, Chase. Brass Tactics. http://www.brasstactics.net/
Trombone Studies Medium – Advance Arban, J.B., and S. Mantia. Method for Trombone (Rubank). Cimera, Jaroslav. 55 Phrasing Studies (Belwin-Mills). Harvey, Russell. Method for Trombone and Baritone (Belwin-Mills). Kopprasch, C. 60 Studies Vol. 1 (Carl Fisher). Rochut, J. Melodious Etudes (Carl Fisher). Shapiro, Aaron. Modern Universal Method for Baritone and Trombone (CundyBettoney).
Suggested Listening “What is fundamental is to have a good example of the sound and then to try to copy it as faithfully as possible.” -Adolf Herseth
Artist
CD Title
Aline Trudel Trombone Concerti Christian Lindberg Trombone Concertos Great Trombone Parts in the Orchestra Composer Title of Piece Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937) Bolero Hindemith, Paul (1895-1963) Mathias der Maler, 1st mvt. Opening Wagner, Richard (1813-1883) Das Rheingold, solo against orchestra Mahler, Gustav (1860-1911) Symphony #3, 1st movement solos
Foothills Brass Quintet – Brass Basics – JKM
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