BE= Beautiful tonE for me

dyeabsley · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2004 4:26 pm Post subject:

Hi,

I got my BE book+CD in the mail 5 days ago. After reading the book and starting on the excercises, my tone and volume went from zero to hero!
Now when i'm doing the lip slurs, I get that brassy 'fat' sound! Yay! plus I can BLAST.

Now I know why trumpeters play loud. It's fun!

-Daniel

(sorry about the excessive use of the exclamation mark)

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

That's all well and good, just so you don't get discouraged when the road gets bumpy... cause it ain't all peaches 'n cream. It most likely won't be an insta-fix... still gotta put your time in. Anyway... congrats on the progress thus far and stick it out when the going gets tough.
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oj · Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2004 1:12 am Post subject:

Daniel,

Congrats - but don't go over board with it!

There is something called overblowing!

Have someone you trust listen to your sound. A "fat sound" that you hear can be a "non projecting sound" that drop dead close to the bell. A centered sound with lots of overtones that carry to the end of a hall may even sound thin to you at first.

Ole

[ This Message was edited by: oj on 2004-03-16 04:13 ]

_dcstep · Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2004 8:14 am Post subject:

Remember, "popping" the top notes on the slurs is an excercise. After the BE part of your daily work you then need to switch gears and pull everything in so that you play your "music" in context and with taste. That resonant buzz you hear during the excercises can become part of your performance tone, but you have to practice playing with focus and under control after you've completed the BE excercises. The BE will enable your real playing; however, you can now play so loud that it's beyond good taste. Like Superman, you must use your powers with discretion and restraint.

Dave

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[ This Message was edited by: dcstep on 2004-03-23 08:59 ]

ETK · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 5:08 am Post subject:

I have been doing BE for 6 weeks. My sound seems to have more punch and volume as mentioned above. Snaps on the top note are much better than when I started doing the exercises. I am sounding closer to the CD. But I would like to understand a little more about the snaps because they are working for me. Why are they effective? Do they help make the lips roll in more effectively? Do they help with breathing? Projection? How did Jeff come up with this effective exercise and why don't you see this more in other methods? I have read the book many times, but I guess I am looking for a little more insight and understanding as to why this this is such an effective method - maybe in different words from the book.

_dcstep · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 6:05 am Post subject:

Of course, I'll let Jeff answer as to how he happened upon the "snaps" as a great excercise. They're a new element for me and I've been at it 46-years.

I think they're effective because they require coordination between all eliments, particularly tongue and air. Also, the peak volume of air required is quite high and many players will not have previously experienced that. It shows you that you can easily overshoot unless you control, but you can't achieve the snap and star too conservative at the same time.

Dave
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dyeabsley · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 11:53 am Post subject:

Thanks for the good advice.

How do I tell if I am over-blowing? Does the sound change, or does something happen to the chops?

-Daniel

_dcstep · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 2:04 pm Post subject:

You may be responding to someone else, but I said "overshoot" not "overblow" in case you were responding to my post. They're similar, but not the same. I overshoot when I aim for a top space E and hit a G. I overblow when I play so loud that my tone goes beyond resonant and gets messy and blatty (who me?). Generally, overblowing is caused by too much air and too loose an embouchure. Overshooting is caused by too much air and/or too much lip compression. The "popping" of the slurs gets you right to those limits.

Dave
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Schilke '60 B1 -- 229 Bach-C/19-350 Blackburn -- Lawler TL Cornet -- Conn V1 Flugel -- Stomvi Master Bb/A/G picc -- GR mpcs
[url=http://www.pitpops.com] The PitPops[/url]
Rocky Mountain Trumpet Fest