Class Brass

Spring 2021

Lecture Outline

1. General Brass

Mouthpieces

Types of Finish

Silver -is the default mouthpiece

Gold – is softer

Plastic

Other

Maintenance

Transpositions

Trumpet – Sounds a major 2nd lower than written so you would transpose up a major 2 nd
from concert pitch

Horn and mellophone – Sounds a perfect 5th lower than written, so you would transpose
up a major 5th from concert pitch

Trombone, euphonium, and tuba – these instruments are non – transposing instruments

Embouchure

Forming the embouchure

Say the word pru, the make sure that you have a flat chin with firm corners and flat
cheeks

Air stream

Breathing

Wrong way – Gasping - back of throat

Right way – Suck air – front of mouth

One phrase to rule them all – breathe to expand, don’t expand to breathe

Articulation

Tu – standard or default gives us definition

Du – legato articulation
 Ku – multiple tongue articulation

Types of Slurs

Two questions to ask for each

Natural (lip) -

Valve – between two pitches it requires no articulation

Legato – it is the same as a natural slur

Cross-grain - same as lip slur but just changing slide

More about natural slurring

Intervals and Fingering

The basics

An instrument that has only three valves

Open – 2 – 1 – 12(3) – 23 – 13 – 123

A four-valve tuba or euphonium

Open – 2 – 1 – 12(3) – 23 – 4(13) – 24(123)

A double horn

Alternate fingerings

Reasons for the 4th valve

Valve intonation

“White key” enharmonics

E#, F flat, B#, C flat

2. Partials

Trumpet and mellophone

Horn

Trombone and Euphonium

Tuba

3. Trumpet

Assembly – put the mouthpiece in the lead-pipe and turn it a quarter.

Holding – for your right hand, you will put your first

Putting it down
 Oiling

Mouthpieces

Beginner Brands

Upgrade brands

Mutes

Needs - cup mute, fiberglass type mute, metal mutes

Brands – jo ral and denis wick

Notes from Dr. Probst

4. Horn

Assembly

Holding

Oiling

Rotary Valve (also trombone and tuba)

“Fourth” Valve usage

Single vs. double horns

A double horn allows for the horn to be made a bit shorter when you use one of the sides to
make the horn a bit shorter and allow it to hit high notes more consistently

Why?

Brands

Beginner pedagogy

Thoughts

Mouthpieces

Notes from Mr. Solomon

5. Trombone

Assembly

Holding

Oiling

Slide Maintenance

Rotary Valve Oiling (see horn)

 Positions

Teach in a certain order

Locations

Tenor trombones

Small bore/peashooter – appropriate for beginning band and jazz band

Medium bore - don’t use them

Large bore – appropriate for symphonic settings and marching band

Bass trombones

Slide movement

Mutes

Brands

Additional notes from Dr. Thomas

Mouthpieces

Brands

Beginner

Large bore tenor and bass

6. Euphonium

Mouthpieces

Brands

True Baritone vs. euphonium

Conical vs. cylindrical bore

7. Tuba

Assembly

Oiling

See “horn” for rotary

thoughts

“keys”

Tuba and euphonium valves

Rotary vs. piston

 Rotary are the keys that are flat and move like the keys of a French horn would move,
while the piston valves ove up and down and require a spring to move the valve

Front vs. top-action

Brands

Mouthpieces

Bach 24 as mouthpiece is the worst

Paperweight

Lightweight

Heavyweight

Sizes

Mutes

See the rest of my notes for everything else

that I didn’t write down in this lecture outline