| Re: Daily Routine?
Four members of the Seattle Symphony Brass Section (Chris Olka, Jeff Fair, Ko-Ichiro Yamamoto and David Gordon) recently presented a clinic on "Fundamentals of Brass Playing" and discussed their daily routines and warm-ups (and cool-downs). From the handout, by Chris Olka (tuba) -
The Fundamentals of Brass Playing
Breathing
Before anyone can make a sound on any brass instrument they must first take air into their body so that they may blow a vibrating airstream into the instrument. While it may seem simple enough at first, the act of breathing while playing a brass instrument is the cause of at least 75% of all problems that brass players of all levels encounter. The best policy for any player to keep in mind is to always strive for as natural and relaxed a breath as possible. Adhering to this concept will ensure that the player will always have a sufficient and relaxed supply of air with which to make sound on their horn.
Forming an embouchure
Air traveling through the horn does not make sound by itself. It must be vibrating before a pitch is sounded. As every beginner quickly discovers, this is accomplished by buzzing the lips. However, in order for the lips to buzz clearly and efficiently, special care must be taken to form a good embouchure. This relatively easy step is often overlooked by many beginners and advanced amateurs but, if a brass player is ever to become truly proficient on their horn they must address this important aspect of playing. While there are as many different embouchures as there are brass players a generalization can be made. An ideal embouchure is one formed by saying the letter 'M'. This places the lips together with an ever-so-slight amount of tension at the comers of your mouth. Each brass instrument requires a fine tuning of this approach but in general, all players should avoid puffing their cheeks, excess tightness of the lips as in smiling, and bunching of the chin.
Buzzing of the lips
Once an embouchure is formed the brass player may easily buzz the lips. Tins buzzing creates a vibrating airstream that the horn may then amplify through the bell of the instrument. There are many complex physical actions that must occur in order for the lips to buzz the pitch desired by the player. However, it is best that all brass players equate the function of the lips with the control they have of their vocal chords. This simply means that in order to get their lips to buzz a desired note they must first hear the note they want to buzz, then take a breath, form an embouchure, and buzz the note. Many of the problems brass players encounter with missed notes and soft entrances are directly related to simply not hearing the note in their head before playing.
Articulation
Articulation is often a very misunderstood concept among brass players in general. Articulation, simply put, is the use or not of the tongue to give definition to the beginning of a note. This can involve many different methods but generally utilizes some form of the consonant 'T'. For the higher brass instruments it is usually 'T' followed by the vowel sounds 'eee' or 'aaah'. An example would be 'Teeee' or 'Taaah'. For the lower brass instruments it is usually 'T' followed by the vowel sounds 'aaah' or 'oooh'. Examples would be 'Taaah' or 'Toe'. While it is necessary for brass players to use the tongue to give definition to the beginnings of notes it must be stressed that over-use of the tongue is a major problem amongst most brass players. When the tongue is used it should always be to gently interrupt the airstream and not to stop it. When the tongue completely stops the air it keeps the lips from buzzing thus getting in the way of making sound on the horn.
Overview
The act of playing any brass instrument is not natural. For some it may come easier than others but if the basic concepts outlined above are adhered to it is reasonable to expect that with diligent practice anyone can attain a high level of skill on their chosen horn. The love of the sounds they produce along with a love of music is what made all of us want to become brass players and this should always be kept foremost in our minds when pursuing this most rewarding endeavor.
Warming up
While there are many different ways to warm up before playing on a brass instrument a few simple points should be made concerning warm-ups.
The act of playing any brass instrument involves the use of many different muscles in the body. In the same way that an Olympic track star would not just lace up their shoes and then launch into a dead run expecting to perform at their best, it is just as unreasonable to expect that we as brass players can just pick up our horn and begin playing at our best. Each person is different with regard to how much or little they need to warm up but rest assured that in order to play our best and make our best sound we must give the muscles of the embouchure sufficient time to warm up.
While it is important to warm up the muscles of the embouchure, it is equally important to make sure that we are giving proper attention to our breathing. Because air is of vital importance to tone production we must always make sure that we focus on good breathing habits at the beginning of each playing session. Remember to stay relaxed and keep the breathing process as natural as possible.
Finally, making music while playing a brass instrument involves intense concentration. It is therefore of utmost importance to warm-up the mind as well as the body when beginning your playing or practice session. Each person must experiment to find what works for them best, but in general, avoid distractions and stay focused on making a beautiful sound while concentrating on good brass playing basics. |