• FAQ  • Search  • Memberlist  • Usergroups   • Register   • Profile  • Log in to check your private messages  • Log in 

"Stamping" it out



 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    trumpetherald.com Forum Index -> James Stamp
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
trumpetherald
System Administrator


Joined: 25 Oct 2001
Posts: 1493
Location: USA

PostPosted: Wed Aug 21, 2002 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi All:

Not much activity in here lately, so I figured I'd start something.

There's a methodology to the Stamp approach to a piece of music loosely referred to by some as "Stamping" it out, meaning, working on a passage and 'stamping out' all the rough edges in your response. Basically, you use some of the basic techniques Stamp developed to perfect a passage.

If you own the Stamp book, in the back you'll find three etudes written by Tom Stevens, marked up with fermatas. Rob Roy McGregor also has some orchestral passages in his excellent excerpt study books marked up this way, as does Roy Poper (now at Oberlin College near Cleveland, by the way) in his guide to the Stamp 'method.'

The basic idea is this: that by pausing briefly on the notes marked with the fermata you can assess whether or not you're blowing through the center of the pitch and achieving the best sound. If not, frequently you can help yourself find the center of the pitch and relieve any tension in the sound by executing a quick, light lip bend while holding the fermata. Frequently, the fermati are placed at strategic locations in the piece where you have to execute a large ascending or (less frequently) descending interval. This is to help you assess your success in adhering to the famous 'stay down while going up and stay up while moving down' tenet of Stamp's approach.

By applying this concept to a passage of music, you can stabilize your mechanics, improve your overall efficiency, and maximize the quality of your sound. Try it sometime!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
_Don Herman
'Chicago School' Forum Moderator


Joined: 11 Nov 2001
Posts: 3344
Location: Monument, CO, USA

PostPosted: Thu Aug 22, 2002 12:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah, another of those great but embarrassing and humbling ideas I have tried but rarely because, well, because they're embarrassing and humbling!

Pick any piece of music, and arbitrarily stick those holds (didn't know what a "fermata" was 'til I got Finale and had to find the "hold" symbol! ) on random notes, perhaps those in the middle of a run... Play it, stopping to see how you're doing on those holds. Amazing how off pitch and what a poor thin sound sometimes emerges from my horn... Well, maybe not so amazing for me, but y'all give it a try and see if I'm the only one humbled!

Aside: I already decided that, should I ever make it one of the NB clinics, I'm gonna' leave my horns at home. Don't need know help to look (and sound) foolish, can do it in the privacy of my own practice room... Besides, I might not get Mellow Yellow back from Tom T...

Great idea, Sir Sysadmin! - Don
_________________
Don Herman/Monument, CO
"After silence, that which best expresses the inexpressible, is music." - Aldous Huxley
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
big brian
Veteran Member


Joined: 06 Nov 2001
Posts: 440

PostPosted: Sat Aug 24, 2002 2:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

...

Last edited by big brian on Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
Strawdoggy
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 07 Jan 2002
Posts: 1219
Location: Carlisle, PA

PostPosted: Tue Aug 27, 2002 8:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Now, this topic is why I like to wade through the forums - hoping to find something to put to use for myself and my students. Great idea!

Brian,

I also put it to use on Petroushka.

Steve
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
swthiel
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 02 Apr 2005
Posts: 3967
Location: Cincinnati, OH

PostPosted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've been thinking about how to accomplish one of my trumpet goals for 2011 (be more of a perfectionist in the practice room so that I can be less of one when I play out), and realized I could be doing more with Stamp than I have been. Of course, the flow studies and lip bends and scale studies are part of my routine, but I think I could do more with transferring Stamp's principles to my other playing.

One of the things I am reminded of in lessons is that my sound is often uneven, and as I considered that, Todd's original post on this thread came to mind. It occurred to me that this is a portion of the Stamp approach that I rarely consider. So, I've resurrected this thread to see what additional thoughts people might have on the general subject of transferring Stamp's principles to "regular" playing.

Happy New Year!
_________________
Steve Thiel
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
bandteachsing
New Member


Joined: 07 Mar 2011
Posts: 5
Location: Concord, CA

PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 9:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am new to TH and am SO excited reading the Stamp forums - I love his method and it has worked for me for years and years.
I have nothing to add except that this is a very helpful recommendation and one that I will use TODAY. I have some difficult slurred passages in my quintet literature that have just been "not so pretty" - now I have a way to fix/work on them.....and with a smile on my face!!
thanks!!
_________________
Schilke 22HD
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    trumpetherald.com Forum Index -> James Stamp All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group