METHOD THE TRUMPET METHOD OF DON "JAKE" JACOBY cKosorz PUBLISHER {2811 WESTGATE ORIVE soot0 ‘enon Texas P6207 $3000Dedication With all my love I dedicate this book to my late wife, Dory, without whom my life would have had no meaning. I am also very, very grateful to my three sons, Bubba, Jake Jr., and Mike for all their belief in me and for kicking my butt often enough to get me to finish the book for their Mommal! My sincere appreciation to Kim and Sherron Peyton and Keith Wood for all their help and assistance in the Preparation of this book. 51990 Don Joby Printed in U.S.A. All Ries Reserved 3 Fe) = =]a7 3aI48 aI AT TI a a7 300 oa Thtroduction Vincent Cichowicz Professor of Trumpet, Northwestern University Don Jacoby’s Method addresses the techniques of playing the trumpet most important to the developing trumpeter. Its simple and direct language should pose no problems of understanding to either the novice or more advanced player. The musical examples and diagrams are helpful and appropriate to facilitating application of the concepts presented. The intelligent and judicious student should find them useful in gaining and developing the skills necessary in todays ever more demanding musical scene. Congratulations Jake, on a job well done. Doc Severinsen Band Leader, The Tonight Show This Tnimpet Method by Don Jacoby is based on his experience as a student of Emest Williams, his great career as a trumpet soloist/performer, and his vast experience as a trumpet teacher. After perusing it thoroughly, [ am convinced that all the basic fundamentals of properly playing a trumpet are included in this book. It is presented in a manner that is totally straightforward and no nonsense. Just as is Jake himself. I feel that this book is highly beneficial for the beginner, the progressing student and for the very experienced professional player. You simply do not outgrow this book or the things that are in it. I already find myself ‘making continual reference to it, to my great benefit. I feel certain that the serious player who digs into this book and works at it will have nothing but the greatest of benefits. And I congratulate Jake in putting together a method that is good for all trumpet players. I think Jake makes it clear that there is no short cut, no quick easy way, just the right way. r oe, ttc= ol r FOREWORD Tris my sincere hope that the material in this book will be helpful in such a way as to make playing easier for you which, in turn, should enable you to derive as much pleasure as possible from playing the instrument. Thave written this with information garnered from personal playing experience coupled with results that have been achieved with my students over a period of some 40 years. My first teacher was my "Uncle Art”----Arthur Ansorg of York, Pennsylvania to be exact, Every evening after dinner, he led me upstairs to the back bedroom where he taught me for at least an hour. This ritual took place 364 days a year ( I got Xmas off) and continued from the time I was 6 1/2 years, old until I was 16. It was at this point that he and my folks sent me to the Emest Williams School of Music in Brooklyn, NY. I spent the next 3 years (winter and summer) under the tutelage and guidance of Emest Williams (The Chief) whom, to this day, I consider the finest trumpet teacher of all time. What a magnificent experience to have been exposed to such a great man. I will never, ever forget him and his influence on my life. It is from this overall wealth of teaching and coaching that a lot of the basic concepts included in this text came into being. All of the knowledge these men possessed was drilled into me day after day after day until it became second nature to play their way. After a dozen years of professional playing, I started (at the request of a talented young player) to do some teaching of my own in order to impart some of this knowledge to young people who were not as fortunate to have come under the influence of these two great men, as I had. While I was teaching and noticing what young players needed, in order to "keep up” with the ever changing "business," I gradually developed some of my own ideas and methods. All of these things that have proven themselves over the years, are what I have attempted to put into print in this book. Now, it is my fervent wish for you, that all these concepts might help send you on your way to becoming the most marvelous thing in the world-----A MUSICIAN!=. ot a) ol 37 r r ge ee Ss ad od 3oo You will probably notice the use of these three words many times in the book--- AIR EXAGGERATION RELAXATION I MEANT IT THAT WAY! Jake3 73 TSF TS TI 8 CONTENTS Foreword Breathing the Natural Way ‘The Four Basics .. Your Best Friend---AIR The Warm-Up How and What to Practice Use of the Tongue in Playing as in Speaking Intervals... Loud and Soft Playing Distribution of Pressure ..... ‘The Comers (How and Why’ Pucker and Pivot---Friends-Not Enemies Playing on Two Embouchures Problems and “Witch Hunting’ Mouthpieces---Big Deal ... Single Tonguin; Double Tonguing Triple Tonguing Moving Multiple Tonguings .. Tonguing in High and Low Registers .. The Three R's... Sing---And Play Bette: Vibrato (And More) My Chops Feel Terrible .. Lead--Section--or Jazz Chair Mind Over Matter or Where's Your Head2 BREATHING ---- THE NATURAL WAY Have you ever thought back (o the beginning --- the day you were born? This was the day you changed the lives of two young people; namely, your Mom and Dad -- the day that you claimed your own little portion of the world -- and the day that you made four folks deliriously happy to be called Grandparents. (Boy, have I ever enjoyed being a Grandpa --- but that’s another story!) ‘On that day when you made your first appearance, the doctor picked you up by the heels, gave you a slap across your little botiom --- at which time you took a great big breath and let out a lusty yell. AND, do you know something? It was the best breath you ever took and nobody told you how to do it. Then after you grew alittle older, someone put a horn in your hands and said, “Take a deep breath” and when you did, you might just as well have been standing on your head because, that’s the way you took that breath --- UPSIDE DOWN! Let's take a look at what I mean. It takes air to live and it takes air - lots of it - to play a wind instrument. Most important the air MUST be used in the correct and natural way. To breathe the way God meant for you to breathe. The manner in which you breathe determines to a very large extent the quality of your sound and the confidence and ease with which you are able to control that sound. Beauty and control of tone are, afterall, the foundation upon which all musical artistry should be built. Let's go of If we don't know this, we should. LUNGS cannot breathe. Alll they can do is hold air. We breathe with the diaphragm. In order to not get involved in a bunch of pedagogical junk, explaining the muscles that control the diaphragm, let's call it a muscle. It goes from side to side, front to back, and lies just under your bottom ribs. NOW, when all of your air is exhaled the diaphragm assumes a position of an "upside down” salad bowl. When we take a breath the diaphragm moves down and flattens --- remember it moves down and flattens (Fig. 1). Vi a oo ao Cd + When that diaphragm moves down and flattens, it creates a vacuum and the air rushes into your lungs. If you think about it --- when it flattens il becomes bigger around. Right? AND, if it gets bigger around it takes up more space. SO, what we have to do is expand in all directions to give this diaphragm the room it needs (Fig. 2). FRONT SIDE \ DIAPHRAGM SIDE BACK =) 3| sa! “3 ie i P | om] 3a 3 The bottom ribs (sometimes called floating ribs) are not attached to the sternum or breastbone so they can very easily expand, We breathe in an area between the bottom of the breastbone and your navel, But we must expand all the way around. Lie on your back on the floor, arms at your sides and breathe as though you were going to take a nap. Notice the way the diaphragm works. also think that you will notice that the chest is not heaving up and down one single bit. Watch a dog when he is lying on his side. He's breathing correctly --- he’s too dumb to breathe wrong. Now stand up and take a breath very gently. We can always increase it as we go along. One big thing to remember is "don't push out the stomach and then breathe.” Just because we get a bubble in front doesn’t mean we are breathing correctly. Now that we have the air in our lungs, we've got to use it. When we play we get (at first) a very gentle feeling of pressure in and up in the front and sides thereby forcing the air out of the lungs (Fig. 3). Front _ sve sve \GN/- oe BacK But, if you remember nothing else, file this in a very prominent spot in your brain --- WE ONLY USE AS MUCH PRESSURE AS WE NEED FOR ANY GIVEN NOTE AT ANY GIVEN VOLUME AND NO MORE. If we use too much pressure we are trying to empty the lungs all at ‘once and there is only one place we can hold this air back. THE THROAT!!! We constrict it for less air and relax it for more air. AND, you will play with a constricted sound. The throat performs no functions at all in playing a hom so, forget it and don’t ever think of it again. HERE IS WHAT WE WILL DISCUSS ALL THROUGH THIS BOOK. WHEN WE FIRST START PLAYING, WE NEVER BLOW TO THE HORN OR INTO IT. WE BLOW THROUGH IT. THERE AIN'T ONE SINGLE, SOLITARY SOUL SITTING INSIDE THAT HORN LISTENING TO YOU. THEY ARE ALL OUT FRONT AND THAT'S WHERE WE PLAY. ‘And when we are going after a higher note, we never play UP for the note, we play OUT for it. If we play UP for higher notes we tend to pinch and squeeze thereby causing a pinched sound. BUT, if we blow OUT for the higher notes, we eliminate that pinching and squeezing and keep the same size sound from the bottom to the top of the hom. A G is not a fifth above a C, itis five feet further out in front of the hom (Fig. 4). 13 Sj ger P (Pte ae —> AR ——? AR — aie Hey, think about breathing a hundred times a day. No matter what you are doing, think about this natural way of breathing. Let it become a habit and then your automatic way of playing. The CORRECT way to breathe is the NATURAL way. Let’s concentrate on developing what was given tous the first day of our life -----CORRECT BREATHING!!!4 THE FOUR BASICS When you have achieved a comfortable feeling of correct breathing plus projecting your sound (blowing through the horn) --- there are really only four basics to remember as far as I am concerned: 1, The part of the lips inside the mouthpiece should remain completely Lar at all times. They should be regarded as nothing more than ators. 2, The use of the tongue to determine the direction of the air stream. 3. Develop good, strong comers of the mouth with the amount of firmness to be dictated by the register in which we are playing plus any volume desired. 4, The correct unexaggerated use of the diaphragm to control the “speed” and “mass” of air. 1 firmly believe that playing should be as natural and uncomplicated as possible. Many times we get so involved in meaningless attempts at diagnosis that we tend to forget our primary purpose and that is to MAKE MUSIC. It’s a question of not being able to see the forest for the trees. When inconsequential and infinitesimal details take over, the entire and complete picture of MUSIC is distorted. In other words, pay attention to the FOUR BASICS and spend more time out in front of your horn LISTENING and not so much time behind it TRYING "TOO HARD" TO PLAY IT. Relax, enjoy the time you spend on the hom, MAKING MUSIC js a glorious experience and you should revel in that experience, Remember --- God helps those who help themselves. You're not going to learn to play the hom by “wishing” you could. So, if you're ready to devote a lot of time to dedicated and ‘concentrated practice --- with nothing on your mind but you and the horn --- then let's get on withE r a a at a4 “a 3a 4a YOUR BEST FRIEND -----AIR When instruments were first categorized into different groups, nobody reached into a hat and pulled out a piece of paper that had WIND written on it. And nobody said, "Hey, that’s a good name --- let's call them that.” Our horns are called "wind instruments” because it takes wind (or air) to play them. And, you will come to find that the complete control of that air will propel you along the way to becoming a good player. If you would care to spend about 20 minutes to find out what "AIR" can do for you, roll up your sleeves and let's give it a go. We are going to play this note: a —— ae But, before you play it, let's give it some thought. First, put your mouthpiece on your lip where it always goes and then, TAKE YOUR MIND COMPLETELY OFF OF YOUR LIP. We are not going to try to play this G with your lip. We are going to put an attack on it and let the air vibrate your lip to produce the note. Remember, think only of the air and about two feet out in front of your hom. There should be no lip involvement whatsoever. O.K., try it. Try it again. Try it ‘once more until you feel the air making the sound instead of trying to manipulate the note with your lip. When you get that feeling, then let's do this: —r_ ar Play the G exactly as before and when you slur to the A, don't change anything but just reach out about one foot and move the air just a little faster which will produce the A. It should feel exactly the same as the G and be just as free and full-bodied with no lip involvement, You should feel, at all times, completely relaxed and think AIR, AIR, AIR. Be careful not to use "more" air --- just a little "faster moving” air. Now let's do this: —an = —— _ Ae Same thing for the B. One more foot further out and just a little more speed to the air. Keep trying to maintain the exact same feeling. Let's go on: —s ee) A 1516 Same thing here. About a half foot further out and a tinge more speed. Relax and keep your mind off your lip. Keep thinking further out and just a little more speed of air for each succeeding note, Now comes just a slight addition: — A _—_ at Same routine --- one foot further out and a little more speed. However, this time, when we go to the D we add JUST A HAIR (no more) of the tongue slightly raised and forward. Remember, no more than a hair of tongue involvement and when itis put into that position, keep it there. Now, when you think of using your tongue slightly, don’t forget the reaching out and air speed. You've got to concentrate and remember everything as we go along. It's really simple and doesn't become involved at all, Let's add another tone: ae p— | i > aa Exactly the same routine for the E except, we add one more hair of tongue, Be very careful that you don't exaggerate the tongue movement, Reach out, add just alittle more speed and very, very little tongue. You should still have no lip involvement. ‘Next step: ak AQ Same thing for the F#. One more foot out, a little more speed, and add the third hair of tongue. Remember to keep your tongue in the position you first put it and then just add a smidgeon to it as we ascend, Last step: Exactly the same for the G. A half foot further out, a little more speed to the air, and the last half hair of tongue. BUT, to these things, we add just a little bit of firmness in the corners. Ifyou have done everything I have asked you to, you should feel like the G above the staff. is no harder to play and no more taxing than the second line G. AND, we didn't do it with the “chops”. In fact, you should feel like you've done hardly any playing at ‘all. The entire scale was done with control of the air, the speed of the air, the direction of the air, and complete relaxation. ‘When this G scale feels absolutely free and effortless, then we start work on the Ab scale. However, we start this scale one half foot further out than the G scale and go on from there. And, on this and any succeeding scales (A, Bb, B, C), we start employing the tongue between the 4th and Sth of each scale; such as: Ab scale: start using the tongue gradually to direct the air stream between Db & Eb. A. scale: between D & BE. Bb scale: between Eb & F. B scale: between E & Ft. C scale: betweenF&G. And soon: Ifdone the right way, we can conceivably be playing aC above the stafT with just a bit more effort that the second line G. This is why I believe your best friend is --- AIR. 2a oa 320 r f - I 0 8 8 ot 2d ed ome q THE WARM UP As with all runners, high jumpers, long jumpers, acrobats, horses, dancers and a myriad of other entities involved in any physical exertion --- the warm up is foremost in everyone's eyes, ‘And rightfully so; however, there are as many methods of warming up as there are people. A goodly number of them are adequate and get the job done but, what I am going to offer you here is what has worked for me and my students. ‘A warm up is a most important thing; however, don't become a slave to warm up. All we are trying to do is get the blood circulating through the lips and very gently getting them to vibrate. We are preparing ourselves for a performance. NOW --- as some players claim, "I can't really play until I've warmed up 45 minutes.” This guy is in trouble. If he is ever put in a position where itis absolutely impossible to warm up --- what happens then? IC it took a high school band director 45 minutes to warm up his band, it would take him 3 years to prepare one contest piece (if it wasn't too difficult). believe in and am firmly committed to a warm up that should encompass no more than 10 minutes (or within one or two minutes of that). I have written a typical warm up used by my students which has seemed to work for a good number of years. [ am not claiming that this is the only warm up that works. It is probably one of a hundred that will accomplish the same thing; however, it should be done with care and concentration. Every note has to be as perfect as you can produce it and the lip involvement should be practically zero. Blow the air past your lips and they will vibrate. We do not have to "make” notes with our chops. They are just vibrators and if they are completely relaxed (inside the mouthpiece) the air stream will definitely vibrate them, Read the chapter entitled --- "Your Best Friend --- Air.” And remember, speed of air controls register. As another warm up, I am very partial to the "Flow Studies” of Mr. Vincent Cichowicz. Try them, you'll know what I mean. ‘A warm up period is not meant to just say hi to the guys and mess around on the hom. It is a very critical part of your practice and advancement on the instrument. There is definitely a time to party and a time to be a musician AND the warm up is not party time. 1 ght ding the following exercises exactly the way I suggest and see what kind of results you'll get. 7Stow a AS IN “Youd best FOEND- —— AID" PLAY THIS SCALE A ‘AG SPEED AND PROTECTION !c — 7... E : se oF r | HOW AND WHAT TO PRACTICE Why do you practice? To just barely meet your requirements at school? To be able to play high so you can impress your buddies? Or do you practice to please yourself with your improvement and become a better player? I sincerely hope it’s the last one because if it’s not, you're just spinning your wheels and kidding yourself. Practice is a time put aside to work, work, work with dedication and committment to becoming not only a better player but to realize (in time) what we all strive for. AND, that’s to earn the right to someday be called A MUSICIAN. A most royal ttle, if you please! If your teacher assigns you a one page etude, do not figure that you will get to know it if you play it from top to bottom enough times. You've never been more wrong. All you d keep on making the same mistakes. FIRST --- analyze the piece in your mind. Decide (before you start playing it) where to breathe. That's one thing out of your way. SECOND --- look for passages that might be a little awkward or cause you some trouble with execution. Now, take the first one and play it VERY slowly. Play it again. Now that you have the sound of it in your mind --- do not try to play it up to tempo. This can be very discouraging. Take this passage and play it over 50 times. On each time, speed it up JUST A HAIR until after the 50th time it should start to feel comfortable and lo and behold you're back to the original tempo. Now, put that passage back in place and then play “right through it.” Patience - patience - and more patience will reward you with a "well put together” etude and one that may (?) start to please YOU. After all, if we please ourselves, everyone who hears us will be pleased. How much time did it take? WHO CARES --- the result is the goal. Don't you agree? The one thing that a lot of students do, is to try to practice for 2 or 3 hours at a time to (as they say), build up their endurance and range. This is not going to do anything of the kind. Afier a certain length of time (maybe the first half hour or 45 minutes) you are not accomplishing anything but fighting your own tired lip. As some of the greatest trumpet players in the world advise --- DON'T PRACTICE LONG BUT PRACTICE OFTEN. Everytime you have 20 minutes of your own, reach for the hom. It's amazing how much can be accomplished in that time especially if you are close to having a passage work out for you. It may well be the best 20 minutes you ever spent. Not only do you have to hone your skills on the horn but in order to be a musician, you also have to develop your ear to a point that you can look at a passage and hear it before you play it. This is not done just by people with perfect pitch (God forbid to be cursed with perfect pitch). Of course, that is only my opinion. I believe and always have, that the development of relative pitch is the answer. Of course, you have to be conscious of pitch at all times, Here is something I practiced all my musical life. When you get up in the moming, brush your teeth, grab your trumpet, put it to your chops, put down the second valve, take a breath, then SING your B natural. Do it every morning of your life until you can hit it 10 out of 10 times. ‘Then you can figure your pitches all day long from there. What's that --- you don't believe it? Well, if you want to play badly enough and you have enough dedication, you'll try it. Oh, by the way, trombone players, do the same thing except put your slide in second position and go for the "A." WHAT should I practice? There's only one answer to that. WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW OR CANT PLAY!!! Quit playing and practicing all the things you can play at an ungodly tempo to prove to yourself that you're a pretty good player. You can only “gas” yourself for so long. Review some of these things and then go on to the important part of your practice, the things you can't play. Work on them exactly the same way I told you to practice the passages in the etude. Remember? You see --- if you practice something 100 times you kinda get the sound in your ear --- if you practice it 200 times, you get a little familiar with it --- and, if you do it 300 times, you get kinda friendly with it. If you were my student, I wouldn't settle for anything less than being married to 1920 USE OF THE TONGUE IN PLAYING AS IN SPEAKING hom, 7uSt@S You have to use your tongue in enunciating words, so can you use it in playing the m. But first, let me emphasize a few things. I do not believe that there is a set position of the tongue for every single note you play. It should be relative and should be dictated by what precedes and follows anything you are playing. I also want to caution you about any EXAGGERATION whatsoever. It should be a natural and normal movement just as when it is used in speaking. It seems that most students have an uncanny, fantastic ability to EXAGGERATE. Please be most cautious of this. We never use the tongue outside the limits we use it in enunciating words. Otherwise, we step into an unnatural realm and we certainly do not want to do that. First, say "HO." Now say "HE." Now say "HO" again and keeping the tongue in that exact same position say "HE.” You can't do it, can you? Some people will tell you to raise the tongue when playing higher. It's not really raising the tongue so much as raising it very little and then have a feeling of it moving or rolling forward. {f'we think only of raising it, we then run the risk of raising it too much (exaggeration) and cutting off the air stream. All the tongue does is to slightly change the direction of the air. If also narrows down the oral cavity. Now, we increase the pressure from the diaphragm just slightly to make the air move faster and it produces a higher sound. This use of the tongue is also employed to take more of a load off your “chops”. However, we cannot only think of the tongue alone. This won't make it. We also have to think of the primary thing, THE AIR, and just use the tongue to direct it. Let's leam the correct use of the tongue: a = > ——_{_f Play Now slur it: Now, just matter-of-factly say, "He went that way”. Say it again and notice the movement of the tongue. You actually used four tongue positions: 1. EE for "HE.” 2. EH for"Went.” 3. AA for "That.” 4. AY for"Way.” Now repeat, "He went that way” and notice how little movement the tongue actually makes, especially between "He” and “Went.” Now play this again (slurred) but, instead of trying to play G - C - D - F, just feel yourself trying to say, "He went that way” through the hom. Thusly: eee He went = THAT WAY Play it again and again and notice how much closer the intervals feel and how much easier it is to play. This, if done very naturally and with no EXAGGERATION, should show you the correct use of the tongue, especially in slurring. Now on to invervals and the easiest way to play them. =| =)a INTERVALS --- NO NEED TO FEAR THEM Thave noticed, over the years, that a great many players go through all kinds of excess physical changes around their mouths when playing intervals, expecially if they are slurred, ‘These changes become more excessive when there is no valve change involved. AS a result, none of the intervals ever “lock in® or are ever completely under control. This makes for very inaccurate or sloppy playing. My diagnosis of this particular malady is that the player has either a conscious or sub-conscious feat of intervals, no matter how small or large they may be. He or she may be laboring under the belief that from low C to C above the staff approaches a distance like from the floor to the ceiling. This two octaves actually covers barely a half inch (measure it ‘on manuscript paper). If you can mentally keep the two octaves within that half inch, you've won the first battle against fear. Have you ever been called upon to play this interval at this dynamic? aS All of a sudden it assumes the proportions of trying to climb Mt. Everest. And, you find yourself raising your chin and pinching upward with your bottom lip. Til bet, with this approach, that you either "draw" a blank “on the E or, you miss it. Why don't you try this: a Rana —T (o] a Fa 1 a o — Ae a g —— ae —_— ae The top E note seems a heck of a lot closer, doesn't it? Now play this, remembering to blow exactly the same way whether you are using 3rd valve on the E or playing it open, however, when playing the C and E both open, use the slight movement of the tongue as in the words *THAT WAY" in the last chapter. The small change in the direction of the airstream, I believe, will be a big help. But remember --- don't rely on just the tongue alone --- the AIR’is still the main ingredient. The tongue is just going to give the airstream a little boost. AIR --- AIR --- AIR --- that's the ticket!!! a 3 ° o Sei itis AA—PAY AAD AY (quay way cuat WY) Try it again and again until you realize that this particular interval is so easy to play that it almost makes you fee! stupid to have ever had any fear of it. This concept can be used successfully on all intervals if you concemtrate on air and projection --- and, most of all, remember that it's not nearly as far from one note to another as you previously thought. When you are playing any composition at all, try not to think of individual notes or intervals. Listen to phrases and try as hard as you can to feel the flow of the melody. When you are lost in the melody and completely engrossed in putting as much of yourself into it as possible ++ intervals cease to exist. They just become a part of the over-all picture which you are trying to2 paint musically. When you worry about some small segment, it compares to having your eye on the hole instead of the doughnut. Don’t be afraid to show some emotion in your piaying. Let yourself get really involved in the music. You stand a lot better chance of “telling a much better story” musically, And, remember, it’s only when this fear of intervals occurs that you find yourself using too much physical change around your mouth which inhibits control. Now, we don’t want to cut out ALL physical change because then, your flexibility would go right out the window. But, we do want to keep the physical change down to a minimum. Instead of playing this way: Establish a center to your playing and just weave your way around it. Thusly: I think you'll like the results. You must remember that your mind can exert an awful lot of control over intervals, Play this: a Feels like a fifth, doesn't it? SS a This fourth is a little easier, eh? ~~] Easiest of all --- huh? SAME LOUSY NOTES!!!4 - 7 INITIAL ATTACKS --- HOW TO APPROACH THEM Everybody seems to be particularly concerned about the first (or initial) note of a composition, etude, solo, orchestral excerpt, and the first notes of all the succeeding phrases. Most times this trepidation in unfounded. Especially if the entrance is a piano or pianissimo. Many times the player will pinch or squeeze his lips together to make sure the attack conforms to the dynamic marking. The result is a very small sound or maybe a complete "blank” because of the lack of air after the attack. If the dynamic is a mezzo-forte or forte, many times We will hear an attack that smacks of the player using his/her tongue in such a manner that is almost like “spitting” into the mouthpiece thereby causing an explosive sound to issue. Neither one of these results are desired and, most definitely, unacceptable. How to remedy this problem? Let's take a look at it. Every note is composed of three parts --- the beginning, the middle, and the end, No one of these three parts takes precedence over the other two. Each is just as important as the other. Mentally --- we put the mothpiece at it’s normal spot --- make up your mind as to what sound you want to produce --- and then go for that sound. Take the focus of your attention off the start of the note. Think only of the "entire picture” of the sound and not just the beginning. That is the mental approach to this problem. NOW, let's take a look at what we can do physically about the situation. ‘When we breathe (to stay alive) we first inhale and then immediately exhale. We don't inhale --- stop for a second ot two --- then exhale. There is an immediate U-tum of the air. This is the way we should play. Set the hom on your chops --- INHALE and start the air out right away with no hesitation whatsoever. If you stop the air and then start blowing, it will cause an explosive attack. This is caused by the air building up behind the tongue. The tongue should not be put in place --- then breathe “around” it --- then pulled away to give the air a start. INHALE - ~-.-- EXHALE IMMEDIATELY AND AT THE SAME TIME FLIP YOUR TONGUE AT THE BACK OF THE TOP TEETH. This is done just to give the airstream a definite start. Get the feeling of the air making the sound with the tongue being utilized to just give that air a definite beginning. Remember, this will make sure that there is the same amount of air after the attack as for the attack. When we flip the tongue, the airstream should then continue at the same rate (like a quarter pound of butter --- the same constant mass from end to end). ‘The air does not need an extra shove {o start your chops vibrating. When you blow air between your chops and subsequently THROUGH THE HORN, they will vibrate. Especially if they are relaxed as we discuss in "The Four Basics”. You should continue practicing this until you can hear and feel that the beginning, the middle, and the end of the note are all one and the same, with no special emphasis on any one of the three. I believe you will find that all your concems about initial attacks are unfounded. However, there is another aspect of initial attacks that needs to be addressed and practiced very conscientiously. Have you ever looked at the stem end of an apple? Notice how the stem is right in the middle of the apple? Well, at the start of every phrase, the initial note should be aimed right at that stem. If you hit the first note of a phrase right in the core of the note, it will "set up” the whole phrase for you. Miss it (by just a hair) and you will scuffle all through the phrase. Be forever conscious of pitch and aim for that stem. 2324 SPEED OF AIR Register is controlled by “speed” of air. Volume is controlled by “mass” of air. With this thought in mind, let's go to work and try to prove this. ‘A-440, a common reference. This means that middle A is created by 440 vibrations per second of a string, reed or lip. The A an octave above is created (or produced) by 880 vibrations. Now, if.a string player produces a middle A and does not change strings to play the octave A, hhe/she moves up on the fingerboard to the position of the octave A. Meaning, a shorter string will vibrate faster than a longer string. But, as hom players, we don't employ strings. We rely on the lips. So, in order to produce any octave, our lip has to vibrate twice as fast as the original starting point. There is only one way this can happen --- the air has to move twice as fast to produce double the vibrations. Not twice the amount of air --- only twice the speed. Take a cigarette lighter. Hold it in front of you thusly: Joy y - | You should notice that in order to blow out the flame, as it get farther away from you, requires faster air to reach the flame. However, if you will notice, the air stream also becomes smaller. AS you blow harder to reach the flame which is further away from you, the stream becomes more “pointed.” This does not happen by squeezing the lips together but, by raising the tongue slightly snd rolling it foward fe do not use "more” air to reach the flame -- just “faster” air, Just as we "reached out” to blow out the flame, so do we “reach out” for higher notes. I repeat --- aG is not a fifth "above" aC. Itis 5 feet further out in front of the hom. And, with this concept being employed, the sound does not get smaller as we go higher but rather, keeps the same size from the bottom to the top of the horn. ‘*See the chapter on "Your Best Friend --- AIR.” For "Mass of Air" refer to chapter "Loud and Soft Playing.” a. sy ss 3 4 _37 343 LOUD AND SOFT PLAYING ‘As Thave said many times before and will probably say again and again, everything in your playing must first be approached mentally. This is especially so in your playing of dynamics. For instance, play a 4th space E. Start it mf and doa big crescendo on it. Now, do it again. I think you will find that the quality of sound changes and becomes raucous as you get louder. I also think you will find that you are working awfully hard at the end of the crescendo. This is because you are trving to play louder, Repeat this same thing except, this time, do not try to play louder. Instead, just gradually increase the mass (or amount) of air you are using. As the mass increases so does the volume. Take your mind completely off the concept of getting louder. Just increase the mass of air. Iam sure that you will immediately notice that the quality of sound throughout the crescendo will remain the same. And you will also notice that you are not working any harder at the end of the crescendo than you were at the beginning. Let's apply this practically. I would venture to say that about the most control we enjoy on the horn is around the dynamic of forte. If you are playing lead on a chart in a big band, and the dynamic level is indicated at 7 play it exactly the way you would at f except, increase the mass or amount of aic which will immediately make it sound / Now, this would mean that from now on, you have no need to play anything above an £ And you will enjoy the relaxation and ease of playing at an f but increasing the "mass" of air will result in a {¥ dynamic. Try it --- I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The same principal applies in playing a decrescendo. Do not try to play softer. Just decrease the mass of air, This will eliminate any “pinching” or “squeezing” thereby causing a smaller sound to ensue. HOWEVER, the air cannot be "sucked back” into the hom. You need to keep the sound out in front of the horn and maintain the same speed of air throughout the whole decrescendo. Try it ---I think you might erase some of the fear you suffer playing at the lower end of the dynamic spectrum. ‘And remember --- when you sce a p indicated, use your mental processes and don't think of it as "SOFT” but rather as "NOT LOUD.” 28