Tarter_trpt8

Hey Manny,

We've talked about tongue before and the syllable "TOOH" that should be used in all registers, but I have a problem with clarity in my articulation. I'm not sure if you noticed anything when I played for you on the 26th, but I recorded a CD for a camp this summer of excerpts (Pictures, Mahler 5, Don Juan, etc..) and I sent it out ot teachers of mine in the past and they all commented on the "POP" I need to have at the start of my notes. Note necessarily an accent but a pop. Now, what I'm wondering is if that "POP" is an air issue or a tongue issue, or just a paying attension to it more when I play issue. What can I do to fix it considering that excerpts like Petroushka HAVE to have that pop to it....

Jeremy

Manny Laureano

Jeremy,

I worked on that very thing with Cichowicz because I noticed how all his students did that and i liked the way it sounded. Very simply, it's just this:

The so-called pop comes from a consistent articulation that is synonymous with speech patterns and an imperceptible intra-oral compression. In plain english, you tongue where you speak and in order to speak there is the slightest, almost imperceptible hesitaition between the end of the breath and the start of the articulation. If a person listening can notice the hesitation, it's WAY too much.

Take a breath and without even trying to hesitate, say TOOH immediately. If you practice this by going to the Goldman book or the Arban scale studies very slowly AND you have the sound of the popped note in your head, it'll come out just fine. But I caution you: if you are working from a

feel first, sound second basis

instead of a

sound first, let my body imitate the sound in my head second basis,

you're going to get frustrated and be unsuccessful.

That's the real "secret". You have to know what pop means to you and your face will do the rest after a good, maximal breath.

Let us know how it goes.

ML

JackD

So is the 'pop' a good or bad thing, or does it depend on context?

Manny Laureano

jack,

It depends on the context. Good for Stravinsky, bad for Brahms. Good for Beethoven bad for Bruckner.

You see what I mean?

ML

JackD

I think so - so if you want a big germanic rotary-ish sound, you don't want the same articulation you'd use for the Ballerina's Dance, say?

I don't know if you're familar with Rod Franks, but he's one of the principals in the LSO over here. He did a masterclass at my college recently, and showed the way that for Mahler etc, the LSO brass section put a LOT of front on the notes, and come back - he said it made tuning easier, whilst still giving a big loud sound. He also said certain conductors (mainly mainland European guys) like hardly any attack at all - sort of a rotary effect. Is that the sort of thing you're talking about?

Boy, I've got a long way to go

Manny Laureano

Right you are!

Well, we approach Mahler only slightly differently here in the MO but each conductor asks for some a little different, too. And, you know, each Mahler symphony is a little different, too. Maybe it's best described that we, at the MO, sustain the body of the sound a little longer... hmm, hard to describe... . If you're at the proms in August of '06 you'll hear us do Mahler 5 and then you can tell me what it is we do!''

Here you go: Brahms and Bruckner are butter, Stravinsky is wood, everybody is gold and silver.

I'm sure THAT really cleared it up for you!''

ML

JackD

Cheers Manny, I will definitely be at the 06 prom.

ps. Butter, wood and gold! - it all makes sense now

davidquinlan

oo, something else to look forward to!!