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BE and tone production



 
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barryj1
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Joined: 12 Nov 2001
Posts: 408
Location: Attleboro, MA

PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2004 7:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A while back I transcribed a classic Freddie Hubbard lick off a CD. A few months
later an opportunity to use the melodic pattern arose at a Boston area wedding, but the notes didn’t sound half as good as when old ‘Hubtones’ worked his magic. I went home
and thought about it for the longest time until the sad truth finally hit home: where Freddie’s tone sparkled, mine was mediocre at best; where his intonation was flawless, I spent the better part of each day adjusting the tuning slide in and out in a vain effort to
adjust for flat or sharp tones.

Flash forward a dozen or so years to the present. I play the same II-V-I lick, and my tone is so centered that every pitch in the diatonic pattern is perfectly placed. The
phrase is no longer just a series of disconnected tones but a lyrical passage.

If I were to point to one overriding benefit obtained from using the BE approach,
it would be in the critical area of tone production. When I practice the pedal tone exercises at the beginning of the book, my sound and general control over the instrument improve in ways that are almost impossible to describe. I have never studied with anyone connected with the Chicago ‘bel canto’ school of trumpet playing, but I beleive this pure, singing tone which I have aquired of late is at the heart of their approach.

While I still have problems playing down to the lowest notes (pedal G & F#) with
anything resembling a respectable sound, the roll out exercises appear to have had the
greatest positive impact on tone production. My lack of results (i.e. being able to play the lowest pedal tones with a full, resonant tone) doesn’t seem to matter all that much, because the tangible benefits (i.e. increased stamina, range and tone production) keep rolling in like
money in the bank.

Over the years, I’ve transcribed other intervalic motifs in the tradition of Woody Shaw, Art Farmer, Lee Morgan (my all-time jazz idol), etc., and as my sound becomes more solidly defined, the music mysteriously comes alive. I wouldn’t pretend to play half as good as any of the trumpeters just mentioned, but the BE definitely helps keep the tradition alive by drammatically improving tone production. It’s no longer just a matter of pushing valves down mechanically and hoping for the best but owning the notes and making real music.

barry


[ This Message was edited by: barryj1 on 2004-01-06 14:31 ]
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TXBD
Regular Member


Joined: 17 Dec 2002
Posts: 35
Location: Edna, TX

PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2004 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Barry,

Congrats on your success with BE! For most of my playing career, my strongest quality has been tone. Shortly after beginning BE about two years ago, I noticed improvement in my tone quality in all registers. With increased range security, this is just icing on the cake.

Last May, I had a lesson with Jeff at ITG in Ft. Worth. Like many on this forum, I wanted to make sure I was doing things right, because, as a band director, I'm using BE with my beginning brass as much as possible. We all need to trust the clarity of Jeff's book. Jeff's main comment for me was that my double pedals were "too symphonic". It's true- because of earlier teaching, I was unwilling to produce that rattly sound fron the CD. After returning home and getting more of my lower lip out of the mouthpiece, tilting the horn up slightly, I was able to get those same notes- the G and F#- to sound in pitch with a very vibrant tone quality.

Here is my advice to all using BE:
- Imitate the CD as closely as possible.
- Don't complicate things with overanalysis. Do the exercises correctly, and move on.
- Be patient. Plateaus will be followed by improvement, then another plateau, then improvement, etc.
- Remember all your hard work when, suddenly, without thinking or trying, something that used to be difficult becomes natural. This is what BE will do.

Best of luck to you all!

Billy Marquis
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barryj1
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Joined: 12 Nov 2001
Posts: 408
Location: Attleboro, MA

PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2004 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bill,

I couldn't agree more!

barry
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_Don Herman
'Chicago School' Forum Moderator


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

PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2004 11:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A relaxed chop set (and everything else) translates into good tone. Being able to play notes while thinking about music instead of what your chops are doing translates into great tone. Seems to me I'd be surprised if BE didn't improve your (mine, everybody's) tone!

FWIWFM - Don
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Don Herman/Monument, CO
"After silence, that which best expresses the inexpressible, is music." - Aldous Huxley
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barryj1
Veteran Member


Joined: 12 Nov 2001
Posts: 408
Location: Attleboro, MA

PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 6:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not to belabor the issue but another benefit derived from the Balanced Embouchure approach is that, as tone production improves, the way I conceptualize a jazz solo has subtly changed. Where in the past I might have played a flurry of notes during a ballad to hide a rather thin tone and ragged intonation, now I prefer to hold out long tones as long as possible in certain passages and ‘play off the sound’.

The strategy here is to reduce musical clutter. By making the singing tone the focus of
attention rather than trying to impress the listener with a fusillade of meaningless notes, a
jazz solo becomes more interesting to the listener. Since working on the roll out, I can
bend notes, perhaps not as convincingly as Miles or Freddie, but it is an encouraging first
step (among many).

Every trumpeter will approach the BE with a different wish list/mindset. For me, the
improved upper register came as quite a surprise along with ease of execution (i.e. it’s no
longer such a physical ordeal to play certain relatively demanding passages). The one area
of my playing that BE has helped the most, though, is tone production and the huge impact
that a centered, harmonically dense tone has over all the other vital aspects of brass
playing.

barry


[ This Message was edited by: barryj1 on 2004-01-08 12:56 ]
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