Focal Point review

[ljazztrm]

First of all, I can't believe how fast it got here! Wow! Anyway, the book looks excellent....Very comphrensive overview of DSR's routines....There's a lot of 'meat' in here.. And I like they way he has it set-up so yu can pick your own focal point to start with. Very good explanatory text as well.

Rich Willey + Boptism - Only the first 4 tracks so far....but excellent! Straight-ahead jazz stuff...and he's got some killer guest artists on there. I never checked out the Bass Trumpet before....I really like hearing jazz on the Bass Trumpet! All the best, Lex.
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Mpcs: Jim New-Manley Jazz1/Jazz2/Jazz4/Lead3. Legends MF1. Reeves 39EX/HV. Frost 39MVD. Flugel: Jim NewMF3. Jim New-Manley F1+F2. Pickett MF. Reeves HF.
Trumpets: THE LYNNZHORN!!/Stomvi Forte pocket
Flugel: Manchester Brass Pro Model
Www.LexSamu.com

[BeboppinFool]

[ljazztrm]

Yeah Rich, I can see this is exactly how your book is set-up, and it seems like a very efficient plan to me too. Covering all your bases while raising your hub! All the best, Lex.
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Mpcs: Jim New-Manley Jazz1/Jazz2/Jazz4/Lead3. Legends MF1. Reeves 39EX/HV. Frost 39MVD. Flugel: Jim NewMF3. Jim New-Manley F1+F2. Pickett MF. Reeves HF.
Trumpets: THE LYNNZHORN!!/Stomvi Forte pocket
Flugel: Manchester Brass Pro Model
Www.LexSamu.com

[BeboppinFool]

There are a couple of PDF updates you can download at the FAQ page at www.boptism.com.

Also, the trombone book ought to be ready to go by tomorrow evening or Saturday during the day.
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Puttin’ On The Ritz

[BeboppinFool]

[BeboppinFool]

[dbacon]

Cool, thanks Rich!

If you are a straight up legit player this book is for you. I'm finding accuracy, pitch, flexibility are helped especially from the Embouchure Stabilizers. All forms of articulation are in this book, it's really right up an orchestral players alley. Breath attacks, something many legit players have used over the years to work that initial front to the note, are used in a very common sense "ah-ha" moment. I think when the Indiana/Northwestern Schools find this book and just start working from it, a new Unified Field Theory for practicing will happen!

Oh yeah, if you want more high register, this is the book!!

[oj]

Rich,

Great book!

Could you say something about Section 6, Compression Studies?

I can do the "Putty Ball Routine" quite like you describe it (from pp dynamic down to only popping sound).

The pppp exercises (1. - 8.) is more difficult to understand

Take the first 8 notes in exercise 1.
Should I finger them like this? 0 - 2 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 1

I find it difficult to start the first note (high C) at a pppp dynamic.
(I think I can do it at pp dynamic - is that ok for a start?)

Ole

[BeboppinFool]

Hey, Ole,

Did you get the Addenda that I emailed? The Section 6 Addenda is designed for guys like you (and me, actually). Books that are now going out have the Addenda in the back (starting on page 47) but I sent you a PDF file of them a day or two after you ordered (when I finished up with the Addenda).

Send me an email at boptism@bigfoot.com if you didn't get it, and I'll fire it off.

Oh, you do all the Compression Drills (Section 6) using normal fingerings, and pppp just means as softly as you can get a sound.
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Puttin’ On The Ritz

[oj]

Thanks Rich,

I will work a bit more on the "Putty Ball Routine", then (say a week from now) I will try to start the actual exercise as soft as you say.

(I sent you my email address)

Ole

[BeboppinFool]

[PivotBone]

Rich, I received your book a few days ago and all I can say is BRAVO!! There are so many of Reinhardt's ideas embedded in this book. I think even long-time Reinhardt's students will find things in there to work out. I've been using the spiderweb and interval studies on my own with good success for a while now and it was great to see many more variations on this in your book. Keep up the good work!

Rich Hanks

[mulligan stew]

Rich, how would you recommend dovetailing the Focal Point material w/ the Reinhardt Days? Bear in mind I've had great results with starting each day (for 3 years now) w/ some variation of the Pivot Stabilizer (currently I'm doing the one from the Routines but starting on G above the staff) and then doing the Days more or less in order. I also do buzzing routines Doug gave me, at least 3 times a week. Over the past few weeks I've tried:

1) doing the Stabilizer, and a Day from the routines, followed by some Focal Point stuff

2) doing the Stabilizer, and going right in to FP stuff, skipping the Day altogether

3) Stabilizer, FP, and part of a Day

I've found consistency works best for me. What are your thoughts?

thanks,
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Scott
My trio:

https://vectortrio.bandcamp.com/

[BeboppinFool]

Thanks, Rich (Hanks), for the astute observations! Everything positive about my chops I owe to Dr. Donald S. Reinhardt, and I'm so glad that he taught me to troubleshoot my own problems as well as how to help troubleshoot the problems in others.

This book (FocalPoint) is really just another application of his teaching put into a concise set of drills that allow you to cover all the essentials of brass playing each and every practice day . . . you get them all out of the way early so later in your day you can concentrate on making music and gradually get stronger, more accurate, and more confident in the process.

[mulligan stew]

Thanks, Rich. It will all come together.
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Scott
My trio:

https://vectortrio.bandcamp.com/

[RCR]

Rich just got the book yesterday. reading it alot first. Iam trying establish a practice routine. My time is limited because I am self employed. Any way looking for suggestions on a routine. This is a hard question.
I would apreciate any help thanks Ronald

[Derek Reaban]

Rich,

I ordered FocalPoint several years ago when you first released it, and at the time I just had too much on my plate to shake up my daily routine (a routine that was working very well for me) by introducing something new.

Well, this review is late in coming, but I just had to write to let you know how much I have been enjoying working out of FocalPoint every day for the past 3 months!

A number of years ago I adopted breath attacks and the spiderweb long tone routine (based on reading that I had done in the Bill Adam forum). This foundation work served me very well (with limited practice time), and by going through a complete spiderweb, touching on every note in my range, I quickly developed the ability to be in shape (at least to 80%) with the ability to get ready for a first rehearsal or sub for a job in a very short amount of time. I was happy with this and found my sound was better than ever. However, the downside was that I spent just about all of my time doing this single spiderweb (longtones), and then a limited amount of articulation work each day. I found a number of areas of my playing starting to degrade, and I was in need of guidance on how to get more productive practice in without scrapping what was working so well for me.

I had a lesson with Mark Inouye last year and he quickly identified that my ability to explore forte dynamics was in need of some help. We discussed my routine, and he helped me to add crescendo and descrendo elements into my spiderweb, which still allowed me to do my regular routine (without increasing my practice time), but pushed me just enough to break out of my “mezzo-forte” style of practice. He also helped me to troubleshoot my articulation drills so that I could more quickly get into the upper and lower registers (I was stuck in the middle of my spiderweb and typically didn’t have enough time to get to anything above the staff, based on the length of each exercise).

When I first opened your book, I was impressed with the fact that my spiderweb exercise was the very first thing in your warm-up section, except it was metered so that I could accomplish this work in much less time than my much more tedious approach. Then, when I turned the page, you had the crescendo – decrescendo work that Mark Inouye had me working on. I was sold on your book at this point, and was so pleased to be able to get through these two important aspects of fundamental work in less than half the time that I had been spending.

With additional time available to me, I discovered your Embouchure Stabilizer drills. For me, this is the perfect combination of spiderweb work, articulation-slurs, and dynamic contrast (an all-in-one exercise). I have been singing the next exercise during the rests to make sure that I’m really hearing the intervals. This has provided to be extremely beneficial, and I’m now at a point where I can sing just about all of these without too much difficulty. I feel like the subtext of the book’s title, “…while improving overall technique” is definitely at play within this exercise. I am being exposed to material that I’ve never worked on in the past with these drills, and my playing is clearly taking several positive steps forward.

The one bar articulation drills are simply a stroke of genius! I am now able to accomplish single tongue, K tongue, double and triple tonguing throughout my spiderweb in less time than I was spending with my previous drills (and never getting above the staff). Mark had told me that whatever I did, I needed to find a way to get to my upper register tonguing more quickly. Well, this book is allowing me to do just that!

I will typically take a break after this and then come back for some Rochut etudes to assure that I am incorporating cantabile playing into my daily workout. I even started doing the compression drills in the back of the book recently, and have seen some positive impact on my playing. I’m also amazed that by doing the low chromatics after each exercise, I have awakened my sluggish fingering technique, and I’m thrilled that I’m not just getting old!

These materials are exactly what I needed to get the most out of my playing! With an hour to maybe an hour and a half each day, I’m finding that both you and Dr. Reinhardt are having a tremendous influence on my ability to make music. By putting a comprehensive set of exercises in front of me that allows me to cover all of the bases within the timeframe that I have to work each day, I’m definitely growing as a musician. Thanks for providing this innovative approach to practice that provides so many different variations of the same type of exercises, allowing players at every level to customize a routine that will cover all of the fundamentals each day. Bravo!
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[dbacon]

DB

[PhxHorn]

Dave, I noticed that you've recently posted several times on the Claude Gordon forum that you play pedal tones a lot. For example, here

http://trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1075380&highlight=#1075380

here: http://trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1074876&highlight=#1074876

and here: http://trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1074850&highlight=#1074850

Sounds like you're mixing Gordon's pedal tone routines with Reinhardt's routines. I'm not one of the experts here, but I recommend that you read this thread from this forum:

http://trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=80961&highlight=pedal+tones

[dbacon]

DB