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Dissertation

Glossary

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Appendix 1

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Many books and theories have been written and studies made on and studies have been made on the “right way” to play brass instruments. Some use technical exercises to build up player deficiencies; others use photographs and diagrams to describe their theories.

Most writers of books on muscles think that we should treat our bodies as athletes do. To train our muscles with repetitious rehearsal will ingrain in our memories the tasks that our bodies have to cope with.

Air, it is agreed is the fuel for the engine of the brass player “a car can’t run without gas” is one of Wynton Marsalis’ often used sayings.

Arnold Jacobs, the former tuba player with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, believed that brass playing is 85% song and 15% wind and that we should hear the note and then play it.

 “Wind is the energy source used to fuel the conceptual message of the song from the brain. His emphasis of Song and Wind shows how much importance Jacobs gave to musical conception. "Study the product, not the method. Mentalize music by making statements, not by asking questions."
(Freidrichsen 1996 p. 138 – 139)

 In his book “Song and Wind” it is written that Jacobs thought that musicality can be transferred to the listener with the air of our bodies. He also thought that there was too much written on the subject of playing.

“The mind has the capability for a certain amount of information. If the mind is flooded with too many thoughts, it will overload. Concentration is lost and the note is missed – caused by over-analyzing. Jacobs simply calls this "paralysis by analysis" (Freidrichsen 1996 p. 142)

The use of tongue vowel movements to change the air channel size and the diaphragm or stomach muscle for support for the air the tutor book “Learn As You Play” states that we should:

“check that the tongue and diaphragm levels move slightly up when the notes ascend, and move slightly down when the notes descend” (Wastall, 1990 p.21)  also:

“for downward slurs use ‘TEE-OOO-AAA’ and upward slurs use ‘TAA-OOO-EEE” (Wastall, 1990 p.27)

Howard Snell in his book “The Trumpet”writes:

“In my view, range and pitching on the trumpet are controlled by the modification of the air stream as it passes through the mouth” (Snell, 1997 p.75)

I, like many other players and teachers have used both of John Ridgeon’s books “How Brass Players Do It” and “The Physiology of Brass Playing”. He explains to us the way in which muscles should be manipulated in order to work correctly. He gives some good advice:

“High notes, if they are to be produced correctly, are dependant on gradual muscular development” and “make haste slowly” but warns that “ frustration and anxiety (after rectifying an embouchure), symptoms more detrimental than the original physical defect” (Ridgeon, 1975 foreword).

Warming up of the muscles is important before playing. Ridgeon advocates a good warm up for three reasons:

“Cold muscles are inefficient.

Embouchure and breathing muscle irregularities are instantly recognisable during the ‘warm-up’

Correct muscle memories are developed” Ridgeon, 1986 p.55)

Bobby Shew advocates teachers listening to their students and also to many other ideas and schools of thought. He also is of the opinion that “we brass players are certainly involved in a somewhat athletic-like activity” in “any kind of extended range playing” (Shew, 1995 Windplayer)

Herbert Clarke states in his Technical Studies Book:

 “Remember that a twenty story building requires a much firmer foundation than a structure of only two stories” (sp) (Clarke, 1934 p.22)

 The books “The Art of Brass Playing by Philip Farkas (Wind Music Inc., 1962) and “The Embouchure” by Maurice M. Porter (B&H, 1967) both explore the physical ways in which our embouchures should work. The Farkas book uses as models people who play at the highest levels whilst the Porter book looks in to difficulties and as an example teeth problems.