Releasing Vs. Pushing.

[trjeam]

Many say that the key to playing is to learn how to release the air as oppose to pushing and forcing the air.

Any one care to explain to me so that I can better understand how you release the air?

thanks.
_________________
Jorge Ayala Jr: Trumpeter/Producer
http://www.facebook.com/JorgeAyalaJr
http://www.twitter.com/JorgeAyalaMusic

[trptcolin]

Frank Campos has an excellent exercise for this in his book, Trumpet Technique (Oxford Press): he says to sigh through a small hole in the lips. I tacked that quote up on the wall for over a year after realizing how much it helped me.

This has helped me out a lot in my playing. Take VERY deep breaths and let them go (just like a sigh!), and on each sigh gradually make the hole between your lips go from wide open to trumpet-playing-size, and all the time be sure to sigh, not push. For me, if I can get the hole down to trumpet-playing size and have it still feel like a sigh a few times (no excess tension anywhere that I'm aware of), I can generally transfer that sighing feeling over to the trumpet, where I'll hear a BIG difference in sound quality (especially when I first began trying this).

Hope something in there helps, but I suspect there will be many great responses to this one!

-Colin

[jpellett]

When you are breathing you don't have to blow out, do you? This is especially true if you take in a big breath. The body has to work to take in the air (the diaphragm contracts), and it wants to simply let the air out. Most of the things that we do as trumpet players to make it feel as though we are blowing hard are actually just working against the natural exhalation and you end up moving less air. Make your playing feel more like talking or whispering instead of yelling.

Jason Pellett
_________________
http://www.jasonpellett.com

[Derek Reaban]

Jorge,

Reposting from TM:

There are lots of good comments here already.

Releasing vs. Pushing or Forcing-------

The key to defining “releasing” is to look at the very beginning of the exhale and the very end of the exhale.

At the Beginning of the Exhale:

An air delivery system that focuses on the concept of active air, passive body (a proper weakness of the respiratory muscles) leads to sound without comparison. I love these quotes from Jay Friedman and Manny Laureano, “A column of air produces maximum resonance when the muscles around it are completely at rest.” “Tense abs, no air. Loose abs, lots of air”. "Strength is my enemy, weakness is my friend".

Jay Friedman Quote:
If the air starts quickly enough, then the body can stay relaxed and assume its vital function as a resonating chamber. If the air starts too slow, then the body must push air in the middle of the note, AND THE WHOLE THING IS RUINED. I can not stress the importance of this statement enough.

There is a really great article by John Hagstrom (from the Chicago Symphony) where he provides some good comments related to your question:

He says, "The biggest misconception of Chicago Symphony high brass tone production: It is that we are blowing huge quantities of air through the instrument in the way the trombones and tuba do. This is false, but it is not hard to see how this misconception starts and spreads. Everyone has been told at one time or another in their training to use more air support, which gets distilled down into 'Use more air!'

At first, our sense of what it feels like to use more air is rather crude, but our efforts in that direction pay off handsomely. Tone and consistency improve, but

the improvement is the result of air being put into the position of starting the sound,

with the lips and tongue being much more of a reaction to the air. Even so, the player may improperly conclude that it was the quantity of air that made the difference, when it really was

the immediacy and the compression of the air that were responsible for the improvements.

In fact, the trumpets and horns are blowing much harder than the trombones and tuba, but much less air quantity actually goes into the trumpet and horns, especially in the high register.

The goal of efficient high brass tone production is to have

the action of the air at the beginning of the tone generation process.

Combined with a strong and healthy mental image of what the player is trying to sound like, the lips and tongue will gradually begin to react in balance with the air to create the desired sound."

Summary: If there is even a slight hesitation (say, less than a sixteenth note) between your inhale and exhale, you will not be “releasing”. You will be pushing and you will have introduced tension into the breathing. You will know when you are doing it right, because everything you play will feel unusually easy. When you lose concentration, this hesitation can creep back into your playing, and you will be pushing again. It’s very subtle and very obvious all at the same time!


At the End of the Exhale:

This is something that I have written in the past:

[razeontherock]

So below the zero pressure line, when necessary, are we to accept a lower standard of playing as unavoidable?

Ray
_________________
"And this is life: that you know the Son, and the One who sent Him." The rest is just details

[Derek Reaban]

Ray,

I would say that you can dip below the zero pressure line once and not have any real impact on your sound production (as long as it’s the last phrase of a long line). If this happens more than once or twice while playing a long line of music (in the middle of the line), you’re eventually going to start hearing compromises in the musical product (sound production). I’ve written about this in a topic called Long Tones (after the Charly Raymond quote in the post).

How about you, Ray? What are your impressions about playing too low on a tank of air? Do they match my experience?
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[razeontherock]

I wish I could say yes. I've never been able to say I could dip into "negative air" w/o consequence. For me it's always been a compromise, a necessary evil, hence the question. I wholeheartedly concur w/ your take that this is to be avoided at all costs, and don't think it's any coincidence that I started out w/ CG, devoting high time % to the "expelling ALL the air out even after the stomach shakes" thing.

I also see how your link comes to bear:

"Here are some ideas that seem to get missed when discussing long tones.

David Krauss (from the Met) says, “it’s common to work too hard and make the aperture accept more air than it needs to respond based on excessive movement".

That is an extremely important idea to consider when working on long tones and I hardly ever see it mentioned in these topics. The reason that it is so important is that to develop a resonant, vibrant sound your response must be immediate. When the flow rate provided to the aperture is too great (working too hard), response tends to suffer. If you compromise this aspect of long tone practice, a vital component of sound production is being overlooked, and you will simply miss the concept of vibrancy in your sound (i.e. substituting volume for resonance)."


Reading the section I bolded, I immediately thought "breath attacks." I remember how much emphasis was placed on those in my days as a beginner, and think they hid my poor chop response. This is stuff I'm just working on recently! Yet the thread this is culled from goes on to extoll the virtues of breath attacks?!?

It's important to point out I've always been considered a strong player with solid tone, fundamentals, range etc. Lack of the level of refinement referred to here is still quite possible! Seeing these things in print helps make them less elusive, thanks.

Do you see my point re: breath attacks? What do you say?

[Derek Reaban]

Ray,

Regarding response and breath attacks, it sounds like we’ve had different experiences. During my practice session tonight, I decided to bump up the volume to see what I could do to change my impression of breath attacks. When I was playing very loudly, I could feel what I think you’re describing.

Then I decided to see what David Hickman had to say about Breath Attacks (since I’ve quoted him on this topic now quite frequently). His words echo what I experienced and what you describe in your post. This is from “Trumpet Lessons With David Hickman – Volume 1, Tone Production” (which I highly recommend!!!):

“Care must be taken that the breath attack not be overly explosive as this will cause excess tension in the larynx and may also disguise faulty embouchure placement. Soft and effortless attacks should be produced without using the tongue…Breath attacks will ensure a correct and effortless tone production which is vital to all facets of performance”.

I know that you have studied with Bill Adam and understand his philosophy to playing the pipe. I’ve only read about his ideas and heard him talk at the ITG conference in Denver (but I’ve never really heard him play the pipe). I get the impression that a big, free, relaxed airflow is stressed while using the leadpipe, and while coupled with his sound model, and close attention to detail with his critical ear a terrific resonant sound follows. However, without that critical ear, I’ve always been wary to play the leadpipe too loud given what David Hickman presents in his book.

When I play the leadpipe / mouthpiece combination I play fairly gently. Not soft, but my dynamic is apparently quite a bit less than how Mr. Adam would have me play. When I play at this softer dynamic (but still with a relaxed airflow), I really am focusing on immediacy of response.

Does this help?
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[razeontherock]

Yup, I should play quieter. Work on that all the time. I have to believe you have quite the developed ear yourself, and are very in tune to the resonance in your sound. Do you accept less resonance from quieter dynamic levels? (I think I remember you posting that less volume is really less resonance; maybe that just hasn't sunk in yet.)