Faster Air vs. Amount of Air

[roccotrumpetsiffredi]

I think people have different views of this, but it seems that faster air is always better air, and speed is also independent of volume.

Volume of air is definitely also directly related to both volume of sound and decibels.

Is this the general understanding of most of you all?

Or if any of you knows the absolute truth of it, please feel free to note as such:) Not that such truths are possible on the herald, as nothing is immune to comment and critique:)

Thanks.

[John Mohan]

We all know this thread is most likely going to turn into a multi-page fiasco of, "I'm right!", "No! I'm right!"...

I'm guessing seven pages at least.

In the meantime, here are my thoughts:

I don't think it's useful to even discuss the concept of "fast air" around here for several reasons. For one, it'll just lead to another almost endless thread of arguing that will just waste people's time (or rather, allow people the opportunity to choose to waste their time, which they will take advantage of). But for a more important reason: there is no way to know for sure if the air really does move faster between the lips when we play high notes.

I think it better than we just stick with what we, or most of us, know: That to play higher notes, we need to blow harder and control the airstream with the up-and-forward arching tongue (aka, use proper tongue levels). The arching tongue works much as does a nozzle on the end of a hose. Just as that nozzle will take a flaccid stream of water that merely falls out of the end of the hose and channel it into a powerful jet-like stream that has the ability to moves rocks across and off a driveway, the properly arching tongue channels the air into a thin powerful stream that acts on a very small area of the lips, causing them to vibrate faster.

My own experience and experiments have proven to me that when I am playing higher notes my tongue is channeling all the air power to just the small, center area of my lips that actually do the vibrating. I’ve written several times on the TH about my “Coffee Stirrer Experiment”. I can take a hollow coffee stirrer straw, insert it through the corner of my mouth into the area between my molars and my cheek, and when playing, the following happens:

• When I play in the low and middle registers, air leaks out through the straw, showing that when my tongue is not arched up much, if at all, there is air pressure throughout my oral cavity.

• When I play into the range of High C and above, no air leaks from the straw, even though I am blowing much harder than when playing in the lower registers, showing that there is no air pressure in the areas of the sides of my mouth.

This shows that as my tongue arches up and forward, it creates a channel, directing all the air (pressure) to the very middle of my lips. As such there is no air pressure acting in the side areas of my oral cavity, or even at the corners of my lips, obviating the need for maintaining extremely “tight corners” while playing high notes. While I do tighten my corners a bit as I go higher, it is only to maintain or move the lips into the position they need to be in to produce a good, free vibration. I do not need to tighten my corners massively in order to hold back any increased air pressure or to clamp my lips together to get the higher notes. This is why I think all the “pencil exercises”, and items such as the “B.E.R.P.” are completely unnecessary for the player who has learned to properly arch his or her tongue when playing.

But simply knowing the way the tongue levels and air pressure come into play does nothing for the player – there are many great players who aren’t even aware of the role of the tongue level. They just come by it naturally through practicing and developing their abilities. While having that general knowledge of the role of the tongue levels is helpful, and for some, myself included, critical, it is developing the required strength (mostly air power) and feel (coordination) through proper daily practice for a long enough time for the development to occur that is required.

I wrote that having that knowledge of the role of the tongue level was critical to me, because I started playing trumpet at age seven, could play up to High C within a few years, but then plateaued at High C for many years until age 16 when I bought Claude Gordon’s book “Systematic Approach to Daily Practice”. It was then, after learning the role of the tongue level and air strength, and practicing correctly that my range started climbing again, eventually reaching a practice register to G above Double High C, with a performance register to a good Double C.

Concerning volume of air related to volume of sound, of course, we put more air through the horn when playing louder (I think that’s obvious to all). And we also put more air through the horn in the lower register than in the upper register (again, probably obvious to everybody). I can certainly sustain a High C a lot longer than a G below Low C (assuming my head doesn’t explode).

Have a nice day everybody!

Cheers,

John Mohan
Webcam Lessons Available - Click on the e-mail button below if interested
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Grease, The Producers, Addams Family, In the Heights, etc.
Ex LA Studio Musician
16 Year Claude Gordon Student

[jungledoc]

[gstump]

This post makes several false assumptions. However, there is a good bet this player was taught these catch phrases by well intentioned teachers.

And saying use "faster air" on higher notes makes more sense on an intuitive level than saying use "less air" on higher notes.

My point is that these teaching catch phrases have evolved because they can be helpful mentally even though they have little basis in physics.

If you get what I am trying to say then you may be on the same meds as me.

Ciao,
Gordon Stump
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[ominous curry]

I talked to Bill Carmichael about this and he said that most people use too much quantity of air in the upper register, check out Jim manley's approach, I agree with it.
If you can play well on a piccolo trumpet with a small mouthpiece and a small throat... Congratulations my friend, you have mastered to art of not overblowing and using air efficiently!
I'm not suggesting anyone changes to a smaller mouthpiece, but it's an exercise to play on the setup I just mentioned.
Hope it helps!

[Mike Sailors]

This should be good.
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[ominous curry]

Exiting isn't it Mike?
Now the fuse has been lit, the bomb shall blast shortly!
Btw, am I about to get Railed again?

[JoseLindE4]

Man, I don't even really know what these phrases mean. Fast air vs. amount air, rolled-in vs. rolled-out, Pepsi vs. Coke; trumpet sure sounds complicated.

[ominous curry]

Try going to www.minecraft.net, I have a feeling you may feel more at home there.
All the best

[mm55]

I think the real issue is darker air, pristine air, and air with a more defined core. Denser air with more focus. Sparkling air is wonderful, especially if it's brave and Teutonic air.

Restricting yourself to only a vague and rudimentary knowledge of physics, acoustics, and fluid dynamics will be helpful. Especially if you can misuse a formula or two.

I believe the only way to really understand it is to cite pithy (but vague) quotes from famous players. Preferably, players who have died and become sainted. That helps because then their utterances can take on the air of scriptural authority. Scriptural air. If one of the saints said it, then it must trump observable facts.

That's how we know about faster air, and the holy grail of air: airier air without airballs.

[ominous curry]

Good point mm55, I like this one "even if I could play like wynton marsalis, I wouldn't play like wynton Marsalis"
Now THAT is the secret to getting that all important tuetonic sparkle as you force air down your brass pipe.

[ghelbig]

[Mike Sailors]

[MrOlds]

Groundhog Day.

But it's not an opera rehearsal till the MD throws the score at a tenor, this isn't a party till kalijah and John throw down.

[ominous curry]

HahahhahaahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahgahahahahahahahahahahhahahahaahaahhahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahA

[ominous curry]

NOBODY is allowed to wake up oxleyk, if he hears about this I'm in for a thrashing.

[Mike Sailors]

The TH has jumped the shark.

PEACE!
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[roynj]

I prefer conditioned air. ahhhhhhhh...

[x9ret]

Too much air causes problems too.
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[jiarby]

dont forget about warm air vs cold air

LOL