20 min G?

Trombonastic · Regular Member Joined: 29 Dec 2002 Posts: 30

What exactly is this 20 minute G thing I keep hearing about?

Krafty934 · Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2004 7:37 am Post subject:

Trombanastic,
The 20 min. G is part of the Cat Anderson Method. What you do is you play the G in the staff as quiet as possible ("whisper tone") for 20 min. This is supposed to help your control and tone quality (at least, that's what it did to me!). Hope this helps.

Kaushik

Trombonastic · Regular Member Joined: 29 Dec 2002 Posts: 30

I take it that you expand the excersise after a while (ie play a C for 20 minutes)?

trumplyr · Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2004 10:11 am Post subject:

You can read about it here:

http://www.r-o-d-d-y-t-r-u-m-p-e-t.cc/catindex.html

Marty

[ This Message was edited by: trumplyr on 2004-01-11 15:03 ]

LeeC · Heavyweight Member Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Posts: 5730

Actually it's at the top of this page:

http://www.r-o-d-d-y-t-r-u-m-p-e-t.cc/cat6and7.html

I found the twenty minute, soft G to be very helpful. It just may be the most efficient practice routine for ordinary chop development. No other exercise (with the possible exception of the pencil exercise) seems to develop the embouchure quicker in such a short period of time.

Tried the twenty minute G on my newer embouchure a couple weeks ago. The next day I noticed my sound had really loosened up and gained more stability.

Just doing the twenty minute G probably won't give you a Cat Anderson triple C. This takes specific embouchure type(s). The soft G will help you develop what you do have though.

trumplyr · Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2004 12:03 pm Post subject:

leesbrass,

Your correct. Your link opens right to the 20 min. G routine. My link opens to the index of the entire method, for those who wanted to read/review the entire method.

Marty

trumpetplayer87 · Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2004 3:23 pm Post subject:

I played the clarkes #1 for 30 minutes as softly as I could and the next day my chops felt great. You can even do it while you're watching tv.

Bonnie

trumpetjunkie · Heavyweight Member Joined: 07 Jan 2003 Posts: 622

I've been doing some of that too, and I've found it very helpful to also go up the scale. Like a half step a minute, as quiet as possible. The cool thing about this is that you can do it while doing about anything. From reading Calvin & Hobbs and doing homework, to watching a movie or just laying down being lazy.

trumpetplayer87 · Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 7:43 am Post subject:

I just wanted to add you don't necessarily need a trumpet, the same effect is attained with just the mouthpiece.

Bonnie

Bootleg · Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2004 4:57 pm Post subject:

although I don't suggest playing while watching tv as the sofa isn't necessarily the best seat in promote good trumpet posture. mine's kinda soft

however, you can do the pencil exercise. heck, i even do it when i m playing another instrument (piano), 2 for 1 practising is da bomb. lol.

as for the 20 minute G, it's actually quite relaxing. your lips kinda buzz at the end of it and it feels soo warm and the mouthpiece is soo hot. lol...gotta love it.

HMHustead · Regular Member Joined: 23 Dec 2003 Posts: 73

Dang, those are some Crazy High Exercises! No wonder why Cat is the man!

telex95 · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 10:26 am Post subject:

I'm new to trumpet. Can anyone tell me what is the pencil exercise?
Thanks!

David Oulton · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 11:41 am Post subject:

see the "Search" menu option above (between "Edit Your Preferences" and "Private Message". Use search keyword "Pencil"...

or click here:
http://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?topic=16148&forum=6
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jamie · Regular Member Joined: 25 Sep 2003 Posts: 77

i figured i would tryout the 20 min g thing, other people got good results so why not try it? so yesterday i tryed it, while i was doing it i didn't really think it was going to do much shortly after i went to bed, but then today my playing was better than ever!!! dynamcis were better, creating the note was easier and my soung up higher sounded easier!!!

MaynardProdigy · Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2004 2:38 pm Post subject:

Maybe its all in your head. The miracle exercise!! Don't think so. I Belive that long tones need to be done daily but not that a 20 min g will make you sound great in one day. I belive more in one min per half step. Thats the best thing thats workded for me. It's a very useful study, and though it's long and tediouse, the results are fantastic.

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[ This Message was edited by: MaynardProdigy on 2004-01-22 17:39 ]

_dcstep · Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2004 5:44 am Post subject:

I believe that the 20-minute, whisper-quiet, middle-line G really does special things. It's particularly good at removing stress AND focusing the lips and air in very refined ways needed to keep a note going at these very low volumes. If you keep the same stress-free feel and focus on detail going as you go up the scale, these translate into increased range, tone and endurance. One caution, whisper-quiet is more important than pure tone in the beginning, so resist the temptation to add volume to clear the tone, instead increase your focus on you embouchure and correct the tone my minute changes as you play the G.

I don't think it'll "fix" an open aperture or other common problems, but for the basically sound embouchure it's pretty close to miraculous. IMHO, people with embouchure problems (open aperture, high pressure, etc., etc.) need to look toward another method, like Balanced Embouchure. The G is not at odds with methods like BE, but it will not cause your embouchure to correct for major inefficiencies, instead it enhances a basically sound embouchure, IMHO.

Dave
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