Irons 27 groups

[BobD]

Is there a specific way to use this book or do I just start at the beginning and progress through each group?
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CarolBrass CTR-5000L-YLT-SLB
ACB 3DS

[RandyTX]

Read the explanations for each exercise? It's got considerably more in the way of text than many method books.

[cheiden]

My teacher recommends essentially alternating every two weeks between doing all the even or all the odd exercises (ignoring a few of the exercises at the beginning and end of the book).
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"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
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Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb
Yamaha 731 Flugel
Kanstul 920 Picc
Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim/Bach 1-1/2C underpart

[Ekim Gram]

However you do them, make sure you do some SOFTLY.
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There is no town drunk here,
We all take turns.

[Troy Sargent]

its a great method and the excerises do get progressivly harder. make sure you read the intro to the book and all instructions

I start at the beginning of this book and I almost daily use drills 7 and 8.
if you read the text for groups 8/9/10 it mentions that drills 6-8 are the key excerises

with the rest of the book i (for now) dont use it a whole lot unless i am focused on this type of development expecially. i will use the remainder of the book when i am focusing on lip slurs/flexibility

the most important thing to remember with this book is to make sure you have things clean before you start to speed it up.
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French Besson Bb
"Classic" French Besson C (Najoom Leadpipe)
Vincent Bach Strad. Model 182 Flugelhorn (1972)

[BobD]

So it seems I can do this book from the beginning snd progress thru it as long as I get each group down before I move to the next group.
_________________
CarolBrass CTR-5000L-YLT-SLB
ACB 3DS

[BrianCade]

I use 4-9 as part of my daily warmup.

[Troy Sargent]

ya you can just work through the book.

I would recommend always doing 6-8 on some sort of regular basis and then adding other excerises one or two at a time for instance one week you might do 6,7,8,12 then the next week do 6,7,8,13. If that makes sence. And yes dont move on untill you have a good mastery of the previous excerise
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French Besson Bb
"Classic" French Besson C (Najoom Leadpipe)
Vincent Bach Strad. Model 182 Flugelhorn (1972)

[DaveH]

I used the book in private lessons years ago. In that case, the teacher provided guided assignments from the book in addition to other activities from such resources as Arbans, Schlossberg, Clarke, solo literature, etc. If I remember correctly, I had one of the exercises assigned to work on each week, in addition to the other aspects of my lessons. The next week, and if I had made satisfactory progress, we moved on to the next exercise.

I think the book is pretty much self-explanatory. I don't think there is one single way the book must be used.

You can work through the book as ability to play the exercises allows and use it as part of a comprehensive skills development program - such as would be used by a private teacher.

Or, you can memorize some of the exercises and use them as part of a daily routine. I think Irons even mentions doing that.

[John Mohan]

Claude had us start out with Groups 7 - 9 and then every two weeks he added another until we were doing the whole book (from Group 7 onward). He did not have us do the non-flexibility exercises. After we reached the point where we were doing the whole book for a while, he would take us back to Groups 7 - 9 but add a special Glissando exercise to the end of each study, and again would build us up to the point where we would do the whole book each day as our first or second routine of the day.

When I got back into the Irons book around the year 1998, I found I preferred to start with Group 5 as it is slower and makes a nice, lyrical start to the day. I currently do Groups 5 - 12 as my first routine of the day.

Best wishes,

John Mohan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3aegrEZc_8
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Trumpet Player, Clinician & Teacher
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1st Trpt for "Cats", "Phantom of the Opera",
"West Side Story", "Evita", "Grease",
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Burbank Benge 6x
Copy of a Mt Vernon 3C

[AverageJoe]

Love the Irons exercises...that book is the best path to flexibility from beginner to professional that I have encountered. I also recommend the Bai Lin flexibilities...more Schlossberg/Remington oriented where you skip harmonics and slur larger intervals. Good for refining the embouchure even further as you strive for consistent sound, intonation and note accuracy through the intervals.

Paul
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"Every time I hear you play, you sound better than the next..."

[Martin Committee]

Read the entire book first.
The Irons book is very self explanatory and well written and easy to follow.
Quality is the best approach practicing softly.
Rest as much as you play.
Start with just a few exercises and gradually add more.