stukvalve

Mr.Carroll,

I had a few small questions about lip flexibilities. Is there anything you try and focus on with these, and what exercises do you suggest?

Thanks in advance! -Max

ecarroll

Good morning, Max

My students use the Bai Lin exercises. I ask them to concentrate on the same "balance between glissando & crescendo" principle that Jim suggests in Buzzing Basics.

It works, as you probably know (and the sky's the limit).

Cheers,
EC

MalinTrumpet

I love the Bai Lin book. I got all the way through it (it took a few years) and started again at the beginning.

Larry Malin

ecarroll

Larry,

The secret isn't the material, obviously. Either one of us can write progressive harmonic series exercises (and, perhaps, should). The secret is found in execution -- balancing crescendo/glissando to gain command of air speed and linking centers of notes. Everything falls into place when that's mastered.

What a difference practice with a plan makes. . .

Hope all's well in the city. Jackie's down doing a play and I'm stuck on the wrong coast for the run.

Best,
EC

JunkyT

i wonder if you can explain a bit about what you mean by "balancing". i've been working out of the bai lin book for a couple weeks, and want to make sure i'm getting the most out of it.

thanks!
jason

ecarroll

Hi Jason,

Finding that liquid release between notes in different registers by determining the best relationship (for you) between glissando/crescendo (focus) as you go up and glissando/making the air column wider as you go down.

Many only learn to blow at one speed and add tension as they ascend and wash their sound out as the descend, resulting in bad sound, bad flexibility, and no range. Yikes (we've heard it a million times, haven't we?)

Best,
EC

Mzony

Clearly you have been listening in to my recent practicing. OK. Silent Brass from here on out. Damn you and your ears Eddie!

ecarroll

Mikey,

You know far more about this stuff than most, amigo (and I'm delighted that you're ghosting this forum). Keep posting here?

EC (all ears)

CGUM

Ed,
This topic is great! All I can think of is standing on the landing outside of your office CalArts playing bai lin and other things, looking like a trumpeting monk. Goodtimes! Make a plan, execute the plan, evalute the plan...rinse and repeat.

CG

ecarroll

Charlie,

One of the plus points out here is weather, as you know. It's wonderful to be able to play outside in January.

I'm concentrating on articulation with my current crop of students. As you know, we have a pretty vibrant trumpet culture at CalArts and there are more than a few around here that have worked flexibility studies past double C (Wayne Bergeron is subbing for John Fumo, our regular jazz guy, this term and is amazed ). The next step is to apply the same principle while articulating -- hard for some.

Onward,
EC