trumpetman3000

How can you get a good shake in jazz playing. I've tried to for a few years and still can't. When I ask, people say it is lip trills and shaking the trumpet. You can shake a trumpet a million different ways though. Can anyone give me more detailed adivse? If you have seen Blast, or heard Everybody Loves the Blues, that is the kind of sound I'm wanting. Thanks!

eisprl

Well a shake is different than a lip trill. The way I look at it (and if I am wrong or going about it the wrong way, someone let me know) there can be two settings in regards to the pressue you use. When you play the higher note, the instrument should have just a little more pressure than the lower one. To reach the lower one, you simply let off a little in pressure then take it back up a little.

I don't know if you know what I mean, I don't think I am explaining it very well.

Basically pull and release in pressure on one note.

Sorry if this didn't help much

Eric

Bear

Hello friends,
There are several ways to do a shake. The two most common or the East Coast shake and the West coast shake.

The East coast shake is a very rapid, narrow shake between to close neighboring partials like top space g to a (fingered open). This is a common shake that most people refer to the "lip trill" which is more suited to certain types of classical music.

The West coast shake is the more "a la MF" type shake. Two notes usually a 5th (or so) or greater apart using the same fingering just sliding from note to note. People use the pivot system, "shaking" the horn, and a myriad of other possibilities to accomplish this type of shake. Some times they start out slow and speed up and other times they are just quick and effectual such as a rip, glissando, etc.

Bottom line, expeirement and have fun with it. Find what works for you!! And as Manny always says "Just cause you don't think it can't be done, doesn't mean someone isn't doin' it."... or something to that effect! lol. Take care and lemme know if there is anything else I can help you with. Happy New Years All.

wiseone2

Listen to Snookie with Basie,or Cat with Duke. I learned from an old time lead player, Lammar Wright. I use only the tips of the fingers of the right hand. The horn is held very loosely in the left. The horn hardly moves. You can develop great control with careful practice. I use the slur studies in the Arban book as a starting point.
Wilmer

trickg

As for the "correct" way to do a shake, I'm probably way off in what I do. By the way, I had no idea that there were "East Coast" and "West Coast" versions of doing a shake. I just figured that what you did on the shake depended on what was required musically - sometimes a tight fast "shake" or trill is needed, (trilling between two adjacent partials) and sometimes a wide shake (up to a 5th) makes for a really nice effect.

Anyway, what I have been doing for years, I discovered is pretty close to how Don Jacoby describes it in his book. I set my tongue forward and arch it, which pushes the note to the point where it's just about to "break" to the next higher partial. Then, by slightly increasing the mouthpiece pressure just a bit, it causes the note to "break" and move up to the next partial. So basically, I use my fingertips on the valves and "shake" the horn forward and backward, which causes a trilling or "shake" effect. Of course, all of this happens pretty fast and I don't really think about how I do it too much anymore, I just sort of do it.

New Monopoly plays an arrangement of "Devil In A Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly" and there is an 'A' in a line that I like to shake, and the line is played three or four times. On all but the last time through, I just shake it fast between two partials. The last time through, I shake it as wide as I can - either a 4th or 5th - it's not written, but it just seems to fit. For me, the shake is one of those things that I use pretty sparingly because for the most part, on much of the music we play, it just doesn't fit.

Back to the subject of how to do it, does Maynard actually shake the horn, or is he doing it all with his chops? I know guys who can do outrageous shakes and they don't shake the horn at all. The reason I shake is because I usually can't get them fast enough just using my chops.

Solar Bell

I have also never heard of East Coast/West Coast shakes.

Listen to Earth Wind & Fire doing "Got To Get You Out Of My Mind".

Fabulous!

What are they? East? West? Funky? Hot? Cool? Wide?...???

Inquireing minds want to know?

-cw-

wilcox96

uh, Chuck? Don't you mean, "Got to get you IN TO MY LIFE"...the EW&F remake of the old Beatles tune?

That is a quick, tight shake. I had to cover this for Sound Choice Karaoke cd's...had to use a "hand" style shake..very quick. I'm sure it can be done with the lip style...but for this tune and the duration of the note..the hand was quicker than the lip!

Solar Bell

Weak attempt at humor this AM.

-cw-

wilcox96

aaaaaaaaaa....me too, I guess...not feeling well, so it went over my head!
(I know this emoticon is labled "shock"...but it more "looked" like what I feel like...tired from travel...sick..on cold medicine..!!!!!!!! aaaaaa)

I get you...(I go back to bed now...zzzzzzzzz)

Bear

the whole west vs east has to do with the old bands and playing styles of "hot" bands (Basie) and "sweet" bands (Ellington) and the way they pulled it off. If you're really interested I can throw my paper up on here that I wrote on the subject for one of the classes on jazz history I took.