BFlinch83

Hi Ed,

The more recitals and small amount of touring I do, the more I realize how much better I play in certain acoustic environments and how some, the dead, dry halls, actually take away my confidence and facility. I'm sure most people would agree that playing in a practice room is harder than in a concert hall, but how can we masterfully play in any acoustic given and adjust within seconds to each? Should we try to get some practice in small, dry rooms to figure it out?

Thanks!
Brent

ecarroll

Brent,

Let me answer this question in two parts:

Yes, practicing in a wide range of environments helps. Every room presents different aural feedback and a masterful soloist becomes accustomed to playing well in each (ask yourself if Sergei or Hakan would struggle in a dry room. They might prefer Symphony Hall in Boston but they probably deal with far less). My students at CalArts even practice outside (a luxury not afforded to my students at McGill, obviously)

Secondly, how much repertoire have you truly mastered? Baroque music, as you know, sounds best in a more reverberant room (consider where it was written for) and new music in a dry setting (ditto). If your repertoire is wide enough you can easily choose music for each space that you're asked to perform in.

Comments from other TMers?

Best,
EC

BFlinch83

Good idea about tayloring your selections around the environment. As to what I've mastered...that's also a great question. I feel the best thing I do right now is piccolo and french/more "notey" solo rep. I need to work on my big sound, Germanic, broad, Hindemith style works.

I'd love to send you a marketing packet to see what you think. PM me if you'd be willing to listen.

Thanks!

rowuk

A large portion of the problem is indeed in the information that gets back (or doesn't) to your ears. When you play your very first notes in a room, you play them "blind" until enough info gets back to your ear/brain to adjust. If the room is too small, the information coming back is too close in time to the original sound and the brain can get confused. Sound engineers use the terminology early and late reflections.
Another effect is the sound wave itself. The trumpet is a great amplifier - in both directions. A little bit of lip movement is acoustically transformed into the power and glory by the "horn" shape. Some combinations of horn and mouthpiece are more efficient than others. The reverse is also true. The sound pressure level in the room goes back down the horn and to our lips. When practicing in small rooms, you have the impression of more "resistance" in the instrument. I believe it is due to this effect. You can try this by resting the horn/mouthpiece on the lips as if you were going to play. Have someone in the room play a couple of loud notes. You should feel the sound wave against your lips.
If you practice primarily in small acoustic spaces, you train your brain and lips for that space. When confronted with substantially different spaces for concerts, it is possible to get lost "sonically".
Small rooms=many early/no late reflections - no sense of space
large dry rooms= few early, well damped late reflections - like playing outdoors, no real measure how loud we are playing, few audible clues
great performing spaces=moderate early and late reflections, good support for the brain and chops

Just for the record, this is the reason playing a horn or mouthpiece in a music store is not good enough to decide if it is worth buying. You really need to try it in a good sonic setting to see it is really what you need!

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

ecarroll

Brent,

I'm always delighted to listen to the work of (new)friends. Check your PM box

Cheers,
EC

BFlinch83

Thanks a lot, Ed! I appreciate it.

I understand all about that stuffy, resistence feel that we get in a small room, but what about how to over come that and get on with it? I find that it helps to play light and just feel like blowing the horn off the face; so the mtpc feels like it's just sitting comfortably on the chops.

Any other suggestions?

It's funny, I hardly ever feel this way with piccolo trpt, unless the conductor has his hand in a "shhh...can't the piccolo trpt sound like a recorder" kind of way all the time. Ugh! Hate that.

__________________
"I could compare my music to white light which contains all colours. Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener." ~AP

ecarroll

B,

Make sure you put your ears in all 4 corners of the room, not just at your bell. Imagine beauty, listen for beauty, fill the room no matter how stuffy it is, and cash the check before it bounces.

Best,
EC

rowuk

In small rooms you just have to be careful that you play under the volume that overloads the room. That ist the point where the reflected sound becomes louder to your ears than the sound originating from the bell. Clarke #2 very softly works just about everywhere. It is just not possible to get a concert hall sized sound and projection into a shoebox. You are right-just play lightly, softly and find a big space to practice magnificent in.

The piccolo due to its acoustic construction does not amplify as much as a normal Bb (the amplification roughly corresponds to the mouthpiece throat to bell size ratio - the picc bell is much smaller). That is probably why you have an easier time of it.

A piccolo trumpet can sound like a recorder, it is just that no conductor wants to pay us enough to get that sound ...........

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.