Class Brass

Spring 2021

Lecture Outline

1. General Brass

Mouthpieces

Metal allergy: check for it

Types of Finish

Silver despises it

Gold is softer

Plastic

Other

Maintenance mouthpiece brush, mouthpiece puller, mouthpiece straightener

Transpositions

Trumpet sounds a major 2nd lower than written

Horn and mellophone sounds a major 2nd lower than written

Trombone, euphonium, and tuba Trombone euphonium and tuba are all in the key of c
so they don’t have to transpose

Embouchure

Forming the embouchure

Use the syllable pru

Flat chin, flat cheeks

Don’t puff

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 and length

Du – legato articulation, less defined

Ku – multiple tongue articulation

Types of Slurs

Two questions to ask for each

Natural (lip) not moving valve or slide, changing pitch internally

Valve between two pitches it requires no articulation

Legato

Cross-grain trombone specific slur. Same as lip slur but you are just changing the
slide. You don’t have to tongue the 2 nd note

More about natural slurring you don’t have to tongue the second note

Intervals and Fingering

The basics

An instrument that has only three valves

Open, 2, 1, 1 2, 2 3, 1 3, 123,

A four-valve tuba or euphonium

A double horn

Alternate fingerings

Instead of 1 2, you could use 3 for the 3 valve instruments

Reasons for the 4th valve

Valve intonation

“White key” enharmonics b#, c flat, E#, and f flat.

2. Partials

Trumpet and mellophone

Horn

Trombone and Euphonium

Tuba
 Assembly

Holding – Right hand right pinkie on top of ring. Fingers curved and they should not be
sideways

Left hand left thumb in first valve saddle / ring

Either middle or ring finger in the third valve ring

Putting it down

Don’t put it down with 2nd tuning valve facing downward

Oiling

Done at bottom

Don’t pull valve all of the way out

Valve needs to go in the exact spot

Mouthpieces

Beginner Brands

Upgrade brands

Mutes

Needs

Brands

Notes from Dr. Probst

4. Horn

Assembly

Holding

Right hand is slightly curved and it goes in the bell about 2:00 in terms of position and it
goes all the way in until the knuckle touches the bell. Don’t get the right elbow tucked in. don’t put the
trombone standing up on its side.

3 point stance

Bell, end of tuning slide, and mouthpiece receiver

Oiling

Whenever you pull valve tuning slide, push the corresponding valve. (this goes for all valve and
rotary instruments.)

Rotary Valve (also trombone and tuba)

 “Fourth” Valve usage

Single vs. double horns

Why?

Brands

Beginner pedagogy

Thoughts

Mouthpieces

Notes from Mr. Solomon

5. Trombone

Assembly when putting it together the slide and the bell need to create a 90 degree angle

Holding left hand left thumb over bell crossbar and 3 or 4 fingers in the box

Right hand thumb behind and at the bottom of the crossbar, index and middle
finger on opposite side

Oiling

Slide Maintenance

Strip it

Only slide valve oil

If you hear a slide, something is wrong

Slide cream and water bottle (2 bottles)

Tuning slide grease

Rotary Valve Oiling (see horn)

Positions

Teach in a certain order

1, 3, 2, 4, 6, 5, 7

Locations

1st - is all the way in

2nd - halfway back from 3rd to 1st plus just a little bit

4th – the distance of 2 and 3 plus some, the crossbar is clearly below the bell

6th – you can fell but not see the crossbar

 5th – halfway from 6 to 4 in a little bit

7th position – the distance of 5 to 6 plus some, you should see a lot of the stocking

Tenor trombones

Small bore/peashooter

Medium bore

Large bore

Bass trombones

Slide movement

As late as possible

As fast as possible

But without tension

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

Front vs. top-action

Brands

Mouthpieces

Paperweight

Lightweight

Heavyweight

Sizes

Mutes