Bear

Good day to you Manny and the rest of you fine folxs on TM. After completing some practicing today, workin' on tuning, sound, etc, I had a thought for a discussion topic. I have found that through relaxing and playing the horn in the center of pitch (CoP) that I am louder (proven by decibal meter) and have more endurance. I've always known this was true, I just decided to prove it. So, let's get some talk about it goin.

Playin' lead in rock/jazz groups I often find myself tryin' to force things whether to be heard or whatever and my playing gets thin and out of tune. By relaxing, it seems like I'm playing softer (but I'm really not) and right on target tuning wise. I've also played for a while with one earplug in which let's me hear better and all...

ok, just thought I'd share. Peace all.

MahlerBrass

I've never tried to prove that or anything, but from experiences with groups such as marching bands, I've noticed that a good full trumpet sounds travels a LOT farther than somebody blowing their brains out, even though they may be pushing a lot more and playing louder up close, from the audience, the good sounds cuts through a lot more.

Bear

Yeah man. Get three guys playing tight and intune at a forte and it'll blow away seven guys blowing their brains out on the same line at FF.

Derek Reaban

Bear,

I love these quotes about resonance, which imply playing to the Center of the Pitch:

From David Krauss:
…consider playing less loud and more resonant…


From James Thompson:
Get the resonance and don’t push the volume. The louder you play it just doesn’t work.


From Marcel Tabuteau:
The louder you play, the less it carries! In my opinion, the quality that carries is the amplification of the dolce tone.


Here’s a post that talks about sounding softer behind the bell but projecting a great sound to the audience: Blow Your Socks Off, Bury You, Obliterate the Orchestra!!!

Playing to the CoP is one component of achieving a vibrant sound. You also need to have great vibrancy and response (ease of sound production). You need to provide just the right amount of air to the chops (not too much and not too little). You need to have a great internal sound concept.

I really like this David Krauss article as well as the DK and Jim Thompson video clips at the Yamaha site. They both talk in great detail about resonance of which CoP is a very important component.

Good topic!

tpter1

I had a huge AHA moment a few years back. Jim Thompson came up and did a workshop. (I've mentioned this here many times...it was a big influence on me, and still is).

He played some excerpt (I don't remember what, exactly...it's not all that important WHAT he played, anyway). Not trying to be loud. Just in tune. The ring was incredible. He didn't even look like he was "breaking a sweat", yet the room was full of this ring, which kept going for many seconds afterwards. All he did, by his explanation, was play in tune, in the center of his horn. He said that in his years with Atlanta and in the times he played extra in NY, he never really had to play "loudly"; just right down the center of the pitch. Ever since then, I have been trying to get that "ring"; that center. Some days are more successful than others, by the way).

Alex Yates

Play a church gig - where there is usually NO pitch center - between the organ, the choir and the orchestra - and it will kill your chops in ten minutes.

Play duets with someone else with good ears where you get resultant tones throughout, and you can play for hours. (or even doing the drone exercise someone brought up in another thread. Stick a pencil in the keyboard of an organ or keyboard that sustains and play intervals against it.) There were times in school when I was having a crappy chop day and would then play a pick-up duet session with one of my colleagues. By the end of duets, my chops would feel fantastic, not tired. Playing in physical harmony with all those sound waves bouncing around (in your horn as well as outside) makes a world of difference. Your sound fills with overtones and carries. Blowing your brains out without being in "harmony" with comfy soundwaves to bounce off of just causes fatigue.

Bear

lol, I do have a church gig... except we are all college musicians so there actually is a CoP. lol.

Derek, good quotes man.