rjzeller

(Alex -- I'll edit if you're bothered by this in any way, though I cannot imagine why you would be)...

I was browsing through the website of TM's own Alex from Atlanta, and stumbled upon the following:

And you know what? She's right. And I find I always play my best when I treat it that way. And extension of my voice (my personality, really). When I lock onto a piece of music and grab the essence of it, what makes it speak to me, what makes me want to sing it, the sky is usually the limit.

Anyway...nice site, Alex. And thanks for such ceaceless wisdom. (I especially loved the comments regarding embochure and breath...something I try to get across to my students, but you put it so well....).

Solar Bell

Brown nose!

lol

-cw-

tom turner

Nawwww . . .

It's the short model-type, shepherd's crook cornet, with a vintage cornet-type mouthpiece that's more like a french horn mouthpiece in funnel.

The sound is so gentle, so warm, so vulnerable and expressive!

jcstites

I have heard those words come from Jim Thompson also. Alex, you studied with him, correct?

Actually, I think he said brass intruments are the closest, not just trumpet.

Manny Laureano

I disagree with the distinguished senator from Rochester!

I think the saxophone under a master's control sounds the most like a human voice. I would love it to be the trumpet, don't get me wrong, but I think it's the sax. After that comes the trombone for a more a male-sounding voice. The trumpet's sound is just way too distinctive to have the quality of the human voice.

Think of Coltrane playing a ballad and see if you disagree.

Senator, will you yield?

ML

jcstites

At least in context from Thompson, I took it as the production of the sound not the sound produced.

CJH

As I remember it from a masterclass a few years ago, the reasoning behind Jim Thompson's claim is that the brass family are the only instruments that use human flesh to produce the sound -- as the voice does. An interesting thought.

Solar Bell

And drums, or more precisely, bongos or congas, where the flesh of the hand get the skin to vibrate?

-cw-

Manny Laureano

Oh, yeah.. I already knew that. I thought we were going to have an interesting talk about tone colors. Yes, of course the brass winds are the closest in terms of tone production to the human voice. There's nothing in between the vibrating source of sound and us. We do that, not a reed nor a string.

ML

rjzeller

Senator Zeller...I like the sound of that. Anyone wanna contribute to the campaign?

Okay, you're talking about my LEAST favorite instrument when you bring up Saxaphone, and you know how I don't like to concede a point....

But I too, was hoping for a more in-depth discussion of tonal colors. As for the production, I guess there's not much argument, eh? Voice is simply the sound or air passing over a set of vocal chords, which hum or vibrate, generating different sounds. FOr trumpet, our lips vibrate to create the different sounds....and in both cases the shaping of the oral cavity contributes greatly.

But for tonal color...hmmm....you're going to require me to actually LISTEN to a saxaphone to make a fair comparison. I'll have to think about it...

But I promise you, when I have a cold and play trumpet, it's very much like when I have a cold and sing! That should count for something!

Senator Z....