The Princess and the Princes

Derek Reaban · 10-20-2005, 07:36 PM

About a month ago my 3-year-old was invited to his buddy Melanie's 3rd birthday party. He is one of three boys and does boy things. Girl things do not interest him at all!

Melanie's party was a Princess party and my 3-year-old did not want to have anything to do with it. I said, "there will be a Princess and several Princes there". He yelled, "I don’t want to be a Princess!". I said, "No. I mean you will be a Prince and there will be one or two other Princes there". He yelled louder, "I don’t want to be a Princess!!" I said, you get to be Prince Ali from Aladin and then I started singing the Prince Ali song and got him to start laughing. Eventually he was excited about getting to be a Prince!

I started thinking about this…

Princess vs. Princes

For those of us that are English speaking and have been spelling for longer than we can remember, the difference between these two words is very clear, even when spoken. For a 3-year-old who can't distinguish the subtle difference between these words, it means wearing a dress out in public! No wonder he got mad at me!

Relating this back to trumpet playing, how many players who hear a trumpet sound are unable to perceive the difference between a loud sound versus a resonant sound? They would fall into this same position of not understanding the subtle difference between the two sounds, just like the 3-year-old with the word Princess and Princes.

In a recent article by Craig Morris, entitled Fundamentally Speaking he discusses the importance of spending time every day with “foundation” exercises. He mentions James Thompson and James Stamp and says that, "this book is perhaps the most misunderstood and misused book in the trumpet community. When done properly, though, these exercises can be a great way to establish balance and center in one’s playing."

It took me years to understand what to listen for in my own sound to be able to distinguish a "loud" sound from a resonant sound (and finding my center). I felt very much like my 3-year-old when my instructors would model a sound and then have me play. The would say, "There! Do you hear the resonance? That's what I want!" The problem was I really couldn't "hear" what was different from behind the bell. Princess…Princes?

I could write about my experience with these subtleties all day and provide quotes from very prominent players. I don't want to do that though.

Just out of curiosity, what have you done to find your resonance? If you haven't found it yet, please know that in time and with enough concentrated focus everyday, you will get closer to seeing the Princes for the Princess!

ecarroll · 10-20-2005, 10:30 PM

Derek,

Interesting story and observation.

Developing a knowing ear is critical to the speed of musical development. We meet with our teachers for one (or less!) hours per week and this pales next to the twenty-one hours that I know most of you are practicing (ahem). Thus your best guide is your own sensitivity to good/bad and resonance/dull.

Allow me to wear my Arnold Jacobs hat for a moment . . . it would be fun, wouldn't it, to illustrate your point with two pieces of equipment: a LED meter (to measure volume) and an oscilloscope (to measure resonance). The game at hand would be to decrease the former while increasing the latter.

I'd prefer, however, to train my ears rather than my eyes, making those of you who own stock in Johnson & Johnson very happy.

Q-tips in both ears,
EC

Derek Reaban · 10-21-2005, 12:28 PM

Ed,

You wrote:

Quote:

Developing a knowing ear is critical to the speed of musical development.

What a great way to say what I tried to communicate with my story!

On the other site, someone posted this response:

Quote:

One of the main streets here is Princes Street. People always call it Princess. The fools.

I posted this in response:

Quote:

Actually, that’s exactly the point that I’m trying to make. Many people think that the sound they are producing is a full, strong, resonant sound when actually it is merely a “loud” sound (very strong in the fundamental but lacking many of the overtones that gives sound character, maturity, and carrying power).

I know that I fit into this model for the majority of my time playing the horn!

I could clearly hear the difference between players that had this great sound versus the players that were just missing the resonant center when I would go to concerts, or hear them in ensembles or masterclasses. The problem for me was that, from behind the bell, I couldn’t perceive a difference between these two types of sound when I was playing. And I really thought that I was generating that great vibrant, resonant quality! I was shouting ”Princess” with all the confidence in the world and I’m sure everyone was thinking ”Doesn’t he mean PRINCES”.

What initially helped me the most in getting this sound happening in my own playing, surprisingly wasn’t sitting next to my fantastic instructors. They are outstanding models, but to get my foot in the door (away from loud and into “vibrant, resonant, and colorful”) I have to credit two players and their approach to sound production for their very first notes of a rehearsal.

I played a musical with a player from Tucson (Rob Gappinger I believe). He was playing some simple lip slurs between second line G and low C. They were soft, light, and VERY clear. Nothing was forced or too loud to begin his first notes of the evening (he was an engineer and has chosen trumpet as an avocation as I have). I studied his sound very carefully, because I knew that this was absolutely NOT how I would play that simple exercise. It was delicate, and it seemed he was just “letting” his sound develop. He wasn’t really controlling anything, just letting it come out. His sound was very vibrant and strong after he got going (he was playing lead and I was playing second). Seeing him begin so gently really got me to thinking. He allowed me to get my foot in the door to resonance.

The other player that I look back at (I was too slow to pick up on what he was doing at the time) was our own Dave Bacon. At every Wind Ensemble rehearsal, he and I would show up about the same time (half an hour before the downbeat to get warmed-up). He would always start with a very gentle approach to sound production. I was always playing rather loud in comparison (thinking I was producing a big resonant sound). He would gradually expand his gentle approach higher and higher in this really cool arpeggio drill that I’ve never heard anyone else ever play. When we would share the lead part, I always remember thinking, "his dynamic is well under mine...I’d better play out a little more".

Well, I have gone back and listened to CDs of this group with Dave playing principal. Holy Cow! His sound could have covered the band in an instant if he would let it. On tunes where I was playing principal, I would be heard, but just barely. Peter Bond would say, "I think of resonance as the quality which differentiates a musical sound from a 'noise on pitch.'". That was me..."Noise on Pitch". Man, it’s so frustrating to think back to this and realize "I was shouting out PRINCESS" but what I really meant to shout out was "PRINCES".

Dave would always say, "Roar Softly". It took me years to understand this!

My point with this post was to show how subtle this difference between vibrancy and "loud" is when it comes to sound production. Resonance is a still small voice that will be trampled if you are trying to generate a powerful, strong, big sound. That was the trap that I fell into for years. I finally slowed down and started listening to that still small voice. You will miss it in a heartbeat if you are in a hurry. If you embrace this gentle sound every time you sit down to play, what comes out the bell will astound you!

Tootsall · 10-21-2005, 12:52 PM

So... the idea is to pp strongly!?

Just kidding...at rehearsal last night the composer of the piece we'll be premiering this Saturday told our section he wanted a "resonant whisper".

Derek Reaban · 10-21-2005, 01:01 PM

Tootsall,

Good one!

I had a friend that would always die laughing if we got a piece with rehearsal letters in it based on a previous experience. One time he was working with a prominent conductor who was looking for a good place to start the ensemble and said, “P, right on it!”

Needless to say, my friend and the rest of the section were unable to continue playing!

tpter1 · 10-21-2005, 03:06 PM

I've been trying to do alot of work on this, among other things lately. (Some days I get more time in than others; right now we are quite busy, so practice time is not happening as much...drat...I should be doing that now...).

I am noticing a change in my approach to the horn, and hear a difference in my sound. It is going to take some getting used to from my end; there are days when I almost feel a spark down in the low end of the horn (where I really need to concentrate my efforts) and there are days when I don't...the days I don't are either after a busy time like this or on a day when I'm hurried for practice time and don't get the time to work resonance the way I'd like. So, I'm still unsure if I want to be a princess, or if I found Princes Street, but I think I hear Derek singing a few bars in his blue genie costume for me...

Derek Reaban · 10-21-2005, 04:27 PM

Glenn,

Quote:

So, I'm still unsure if I want to be a princess, or if I found Princes Street, but I think I hear Derek singing a few bars in his blue genie costume for me...

Ha! That made my day!

There’s this great quote from John Hagstrom that I really related to when I was targeting finding more resonance in my sound. He wrote:

"Progress is the result of new awareness in balance with repeated experience. The first step is to be aware of what improvements you are looking for and having the intensity of concentration to sustain that conception as you make repeated attempts. When you are successful and are able to recreate your success over and over again, new habits begin to form, but they are crude at first. It generally takes a year to take yourself from crudity to mastery when forming a new habit. Mastery is what is needed to be professionally competent and competitive. It is when you can perform a given task consistently well under pressure – without having a second chance."

This is what I wrote at the time to describe what I was doing to target resonance in my sound:

Quote:

To move from understanding the concept to "knowing" the concept of playing to the center of the instrument so well that it is deeply ingrained in my playing, I have chosen to use the James Thompson Buzzing Basics exercises on a daily basis. These exercises are extremely well conceived and allow me to rely on someone else to provide "the intensity of concentration to sustain that conception". For about 20 minutes everyday (after the Adam and Caruso exercises), I spend time finding the center of the horn via the Buzzing Basics exercises. By doing this, I have essentially made a commitment to myself that this concept is vitally important to the way that I want to approach the instrument so I must spend about a year to move from "crudity to mastery". In the 7 months that I have focused my mental efforts on this aspect of my playing I have found that playing to the center eventually leads to enhanced vibrancy that is nothing short of magical!

Based on the "busyness" of life, getting everyone ready to head out the door, and driving my boys to school every morning, I’ve had to forego my morning "centering" practice session. I usually get in a Wednesday evening and Saturday morning session of Buzzing Basic, so twice a week is better than nothing. I can really feel it in my playing when I miss those two sessions in a week!

Just an FYI on what I did to address this area in my own playing.

chrisvenditti · 10-31-2005, 11:17 PM

Hey,

I read the article by Craig Morris. I believe that article is a great description of how we need to think of the physical side of trumpet. We need to work on our reed as well as working on the fundimentals. I studied under Mr. Thompson for two years, and gained enormusly from using the BB book. In the morning I get a feel for the horn by playing a few notes. Then I do exercises 1-4, and occassionally 9, and/or a high note one. At one time in the recent past I was playing most all the exercises in succession. I now have different demands on my playing, and don't have the time to do all of them. I find that if I play the first four "basic" exercises, I am ready for whatever the day throws at me.

Chris

ecarroll · 11-01-2005, 07:28 AM

Chris,

For the record, I've had a grad student from Eastman (Mona S, Lisa E, Dan R, and soon, Aaron S) every year since starting my class at CalArts, and I have one (Steph R) at McGill as well. Each arrived with a stable and free buzz, allowing me to focus on extended techniques and repertoire rather than on fundamentals. Jim's BB is wonderful.

Best,
EC

Derek Reaban · 06-05-2006, 10:36 PM

My Wife was getting ready for a trip to Tucson to take my boys to Vacation Bible School and printed out a lot of pictures to do some scrap booking. I happened to see the pictures of the Princess Party (with my little Prince) and thought I would include them here. He was the only Prince!

The Prince Arriving at the Party

With the Princesses

The Party Favor (Weapon)

The Princess Looking On

Goodbye

10-20-2005, 07:36 PM	#1 (permalink)
Derek Reaban Mezzo Piano User Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tempe, Arizona Brand: Monette (MC-61) Posts: 616	The Princess and the Princes About a month ago my 3-year-old was invited to his buddy Melanie's 3rd birthday party. He is one of three boys and does boy things. Girl things do not interest him at all! Melanie's party was a Princess party and my 3-year-old did not want to have anything to do with it. I said, "there will be a Princess and several Princes there". He yelled, "I don’t want to be a Princess!". I said, "No. I mean you will be a Prince and there will be one or two other Princes there". He yelled louder, "I don’t want to be a Princess!!" I said, you get to be Prince Ali from Aladin and then I started singing the Prince Ali song and got him to start laughing. Eventually he was excited about getting to be a Prince! I started thinking about this… Princess vs. Princes For those of us that are English speaking and have been spelling for longer than we can remember, the difference between these two words is very clear, even when spoken. For a 3-year-old who can't distinguish the subtle difference between these words, it means wearing a dress out in public! No wonder he got mad at me! Relating this back to trumpet playing, how many players who hear a trumpet sound are unable to perceive the difference between a loud sound versus a resonant sound? They would fall into this same position of not understanding the subtle difference between the two sounds, just like the 3-year-old with the word Princess and Princes. In a recent article by Craig Morris, entitled Fundamentally Speaking he discusses the importance of spending time every day with “foundation” exercises. He mentions James Thompson and James Stamp and says that, "this book is perhaps the most misunderstood and misused book in the trumpet community. When done properly, though, these exercises can be a great way to establish balance and center in one’s playing." It took me years to understand what to listen for in my own sound to be able to distinguish a "loud" sound from a resonant sound (and finding my center). I felt very much like my 3-year-old when my instructors would model a sound and then have me play. The would say, "There! Do you hear the resonance? That's what I want!" The problem was I really couldn't "hear" what was different from behind the bell. Princess…Princes? I could write about my experience with these subtleties all day and provide quotes from very prominent players. I don't want to do that though. Just out of curiosity, what have you done to find your resonance? If you haven't found it yet, please know that in time and with enough concentrated focus everyday, you will get closer to seeing the Princes for the Princess!
	__________________ Derek Reaban Tempe, Arizona

10-21-2005, 01:01 PM	#5 (permalink)
Derek Reaban Mezzo Piano User Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tempe, Arizona Brand: Monette (MC-61) Posts: 616	Tootsall, Good one! I had a friend that would always die laughing if we got a piece with rehearsal letters in it based on a previous experience. One time he was working with a prominent conductor who was looking for a good place to start the ensemble and said, “P, right on it!” Needless to say, my friend and the rest of the section were unable to continue playing!
	__________________ Derek Reaban Tempe, Arizona

10-21-2005, 03:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
tpter1 Forte User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Northern New York Brand: Lawler Posts: 2,309	I've been trying to do alot of work on this, among other things lately. (Some days I get more time in than others; right now we are quite busy, so practice time is not happening as much...drat...I should be doing that now...). I am noticing a change in my approach to the horn, and hear a difference in my sound. It is going to take some getting used to from my end; there are days when I almost feel a spark down in the low end of the horn (where I really need to concentrate my efforts) and there are days when I don't...the days I don't are either after a busy time like this or on a day when I'm hurried for practice time and don't get the time to work resonance the way I'd like. So, I'm still unsure if I want to be a princess, or if I found Princes Street, but I think I hear Derek singing a few bars in his blue genie costume for me...
	__________________ -Glenn "Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

10-31-2005, 11:17 PM	#8 (permalink)
chrisvenditti New Friend Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 25	BB Hey, I read the article by Craig Morris. I believe that article is a great description of how we need to think of the physical side of trumpet. We need to work on our reed as well as working on the fundimentals. I studied under Mr. Thompson for two years, and gained enormusly from using the BB book. In the morning I get a feel for the horn by playing a few notes. Then I do exercises 1-4, and occassionally 9, and/or a high note one. At one time in the recent past I was playing most all the exercises in succession. I now have different demands on my playing, and don't have the time to do all of them. I find that if I play the first four "basic" exercises, I am ready for whatever the day throws at me. Chris

06-05-2006, 10:36 PM	#10 (permalink)
Derek Reaban Mezzo Piano User Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tempe, Arizona Brand: Monette (MC-61) Posts: 616	My Wife was getting ready for a trip to Tucson to take my boys to Vacation Bible School and printed out a lot of pictures to do some scrap booking. I happened to see the pictures of the Princess Party (with my little Prince) and thought I would include them here. He was the only Prince! The Prince Arriving at the Party With the Princesses The Party Favor (Weapon) The Princess Looking On Goodbye
	__________________ Derek Reaban Tempe, Arizona

10-20-2005, 10:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
ecarroll Artist in Residence Forte User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: NH/CA/PQ Posts: 1,311	Derek, Interesting story and observation. Developing a knowing ear is critical to the speed of musical development. We meet with our teachers for one (or less!) hours per week and this pales next to the twenty-one hours that I know most of you are practicing (ahem). Thus your best guide is your own sensitivity to good/bad and resonance/dull. Allow me to wear my Arnold Jacobs hat for a moment . . . it would be fun, wouldn't it, to illustrate your point with two pieces of equipment: a LED meter (to measure volume) and an oscilloscope (to measure resonance). The game at hand would be to decrease the former while increasing the latter. I'd prefer, however, to train my ears rather than my eyes, making those of you who own stock in Johnson & Johnson very happy. Q-tips in both ears, EC

10-21-2005, 12:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
Tootsall Fortissimo User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Yee HAW! Posts: 4,641	So... the idea is to pp strongly!? Just kidding...at rehearsal last night the composer of the piece we'll be premiering this Saturday told our section he wanted a "resonant whisper".

11-01-2005, 07:28 AM	#9 (permalink)
ecarroll Artist in Residence Forte User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: NH/CA/PQ Posts: 1,311	Chris, For the record, I've had a grad student from Eastman (Mona S, Lisa E, Dan R, and soon, Aaron S) every year since starting my class at CalArts, and I have one (Steph R) at McGill as well. Each arrived with a stable and free buzz, allowing me to focus on extended techniques and repertoire rather than on fundamentals. Jim's BB is wonderful. Best, EC

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