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Playing Tips

Editorials, Articles and Playing Tips

• Building a Better Sound

• Mouthpiece Whistling and Resistance Mouthpiece Inhalation from the book, A Brass
Player's Cookbook, published by Meredith Music
• Time to SHAPE UP! The Mead guide to getting the year off to a good start
• Using Vocal Techniques to Enhance All Aspects of Low Brass Performance
Steven Mead's lecture notes from the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, 2001
• Preparing a Major Solo Piece for Euphonium - by Steven Mead
• Getting the Simple Things Right - by Steven Mead
• Stamina and Nerves - by Steven Mead
• Touring - by Steven Mead
• Two British Euphonium Legends - by Steven Mead

Building a better sound

Article by Steven Mead (as printed in February/March editions of Brass Band

World Magazine)

When you answer the telephone often the first thing the other person says is , 'Hi, its me', the
voice will be instantly reconizable. When you play one note on your instrument, its 'you'. Your
musical 'DNA' is recognisable by you, fellow band members, and people who hear you practice
(usually family or neighbours).Maybe people pay you the compliment that they like your sound,
they exercise their subjective opinion that what u do is pleasing on the ear and feel it is a true
enough feeling to tell you. You may modestly and hopefully discreetly agree with them or you may
not. Some people will go through their musical lives permanently unfilled by the sound they make
on their brass instrument, and that's a pity.

I know 99% of readers will probably be amateurs and as such can always say they don't have
enough spare time to work on their playing to get it to a 'professional' level, but getting a high
quality sound may not need as much time as you think.
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With low brass playing the essential requirement is quality air, taken in a deep relaxed way. In all

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