Quote:
Originally Posted by rowuk  Tom,
Air has many facets, one is intake, a second very important aspect is the efficient use of air. This is where I criticise many players with big mouthpieces/horns and insufficient embouchure strength/breathing habits. The air disappears, you barely get through phrases (or not at all) and blame the problem on your breathing.
I do not know how big your mouthpiece/horn is, but they could very well be part of the challenge.
That being said, a big breath is a problem that MANY brass players share. The cure is very often sports related: swimming, yoga, running, martial arts will make you learn to breathe more deeply and rhythmically!
When playing long passages, it is useful to identify the breathing points BEFORE starting to play and then to PRACTICE them. I do not know how many players that I have heard during performance that get their breathing out of synch and then suffer musically!
A weaker embouchure does not convert as much air passing the lips into sound as a more mature one. Long, quiet tones are very key to efficiency. Buzzing on the mouthpiece also helps increase efficiency. The less air in your mouthpiece sound, the purer your tone with the mouthpiece and horn.
There is still no substitute for a good teacher, but sometimes finding one is difficult. Publish the city or area that you are in, maybe some TMer can help!
There are some passages that are just tough! Clarke studies with the thousand repeats are more easily played on my vintage, small bore equipment than on any of the fat, state of the art, large bore stuff that I use. When playing in the symphony, the small bore stuff gets buried, so it is a case of using the right equipment for the job! |
In addition to Robins remarks that I fully agree with, I wish to add a couple more. The major problem that I have discovered with my students over the years, both instrumental and vocal students, is poor phrasing. In those pieces where the instrumentalist is playing as accompaniment for vocalists, or where the instrumentalist is playing a song with words, it should be played in the same phrasing as a vocalist would use. Another thing that deeply offends me is a conductor that raises his baton and then, while the whole ensemble holds their breath, runs off at the mouth about something and immediately drops the baton for the ensemble to start playing. Good grief, the whole ensemble is experiencing oxygen depletion at the baton drop. Then a few conductors that I have played under, become upset that many of the players are gulping a breath when they are supposed to be making music. How in the world are we supposed to conduct an unthinking conductor????
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