| Re: Bright? Bad?
I agree with Bandman this thread seems a bit bothersome...
I think part of the issue here is the difference in vocabulary "usage" between a specialized group of people (trumpet players here) and someone who is teaching live in a large multi-instrument setting. I think in the (average) high school band world the word "bright" when used to describe a students tone (in a way that implies it needs improvement) often means that it is either thin, pinched, not supported enough, etc... As opposed to when knowledgeable trumpet players use it to describe to different GOOD sounds, ie. Maynard's sound is brighter than Phil Smith's sound. Two great sounds, one is "brighter" than the other.
I think that here in trumpet world people have started to use the word "resonant" alot more rather than bright or dark, but I'm quite sure that that hasn't filtered down into the regular high school band teacher vocabulary, at no fault of theirs I might add.
So a student comes here with a question and it is interpreted quite differently than it probably was meant. I'm sure that the teacher who said "your sound is too bright"' was trying to find a nice way to say "you need to play with a richer more resonant sound" or "there is too much edge in your sound you need to make it nicer..." or "your tone could be fuller"...etc...
Or that's what they wanted to say but don't know how to articulate it any better than "it's too bright"... (which is not a best case scenerio but...)
I need to get to work...yikes!
Matt |