ABCgirl

OK, so I had a concert tonight. We were playing in a medium-sized concert hall with a REALLY high ceiling. I think it was more meant for drama, but anyway, here's the thing. I started playing, and--uh-oh! Where's my sound??? The ceiling was so high I TOTALLY couldn't hear myself playing! The music just went up into the air and vanished. My conductor said, "Brass, I can't hear you up here. It's better in the back, but I can't hear you in the front." So I blew my brains out; I was almost blowing blood vessels, to be louder. I still couldn't hear myself, but I was trusting my practice to know I was playing the right notes.

Here's the thing--I found myself, about halfway through the concert, using insane amounts of pressure on my lips, not because I was tired or having trouble with high range, but because I could feel the vibrations from the horn a little better! I was trying to get a little more feedback. I immediately stopped, remembering y'all and your "NO pressure!" thing.

So, the question is, how do y'all deal with that vanishing sound factor? Do you just trust that you're hitting all the right notes at the right volume? If not, PLEASE give me any techniques you can. We don't play in halls with that issue often, but I need to know for when I do!

Thanks!

--Kat

rowuk

Hi ABCGirl,
a couple of things come to mind:
1) Put your music stand a little lower and play over the top if the conductor is having trouble hearing you.
2) If you are having trouble hearing yourself, then play a little more into the stand. The reflection of your sound will give you some clue.
3) Do not point your horn under the music stand. The body parts of the people in front of you at that low level only succeed in "damping" your sound..........
4) If you use a valve guard (made out of leather or plastic), take it off so that your hands feel the horn vibrate. Playing with so much pressure that your teeth pass the vibrations to the skull is not healthy.
5) Respectfully request that those damn woodwinds at the front of the band stop playing so loudly! (one could go deaf!)
6) Have somebody go into the hall itself and listen. It could just be that the conductors' position was not a place with a balanced sound but the hall was OK.
7) Last resort? Play at your normal musically acceptable volume, but turn blue in the face to make the conductor think that you are playing louder! I have used this trick several times to great advantage

trumpetnick

I like that, Robin! Turn a blue face...that is a real artist (actor). ABC, what is you setting? I mean orchestral, concert band, or? It may happen that the others are too loud, but this can rarely happen in a symphony orchestra.
I had a similar experience and sometimes I really start to think that some conductors are deaf...Recently my orchestra was playing some concerts in great concert halls in Switzerland and Spain (Geneva-Victoria Hall, Barcelona - Palau de Musica and some nice hall in Zaragoza which name I cannot recall). Our orchestra rarely plays in such venues so we are used to places which are not very good accousticaly(like what you are describing). Because of that the brass is playing a bit louder to get through. As I did not have to play at Geneva, I stayed a bit to listen. The brass section was playing about the same volume as usually but because the hall had such an accoustic tha one could hear very clearly everything the brass became too loud. But the conductor did not even bother to make remark about it...probably he did not even noticed it...

Eclipsehornplayer

I can honestly say that I've never had this problem!

I am so tall that I usually get our conductor complaining that my bell is pointed right at him while the rest of the section is pointed down towards the floor so he hears only me! Hey I can't help it man; I'm 6'3"!

Anyway all of Rowuk's suggestions are pretty much what I was going to chime in with so try some of those suggestions and get back to us.

Good luck,
John

ABCgirl

Haha! I have the opposite problem. The guy who sits next to me is 6'4", and the principal is a little taller than me, too. I'm stuck at 5'4".

As for getting back to you (I know it's been a while) I have tried your suggestions. I discovered that (as you suggested) playing a little into my stand definitely helps me to hear myself. I only put the bottom edge of the bell at the stand, just until I can hear myself a little. My conductor can hear me just fine! I've also been concentrating on how the horn feels in my hands as I play the music, and when I play with the group and can't hear myself, I concentrate on how the vibrations feel and I can guess how I'm doing.

Thanks for your suggestions!

--Kat