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glhancox@gmail.com
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 Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2023 5:23 am Post subject: Matthias Hofs' Pedagogy |
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I'm a big fan of Matthias Hofs and the German Brass, and his sound is what I would like to strive for in my church orchestra/solo playing, so what practice routines does he incorporate, does anyone know?
I know from Wikipedia who his teachers were and the schools he attended and has taught at in Europe but would like to know if he endorses/uses any certain system of practice like Gordon, Adams, Caruso, Stamp, or does he have a published method of his own? Sorry if this has already been asked and answered, and just post the link if it has, and thanks!👍
Greg Hancox
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JayKosta
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| Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2023 10:23 am Post subject: Re: Matthias Hofs' Pedagogy |
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| glhancox@gmail.com wrote: | | I'm a big fan of Matthias Hofs and the German Brass, and his sound is what I would like to strive for in my church orchestra/solo playing, so what practice routines does he incorporate, does anyone know? ... |
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I don't know what Hofs does regarding his sound, but my general thoughts about what you can do are:
Long tones to try matching his tone. Probably involves striving for resonance and consistency of the sound through the entire duration of each note.
Listen to how he articulates in his playing, and choose what you would like to emulate. Also the details about space between notes, and how the written rhythms are actually played. How the notes are begun and ended.
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Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'. |
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kehaulani
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| Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2023 10:38 am Post subject: |
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My understanding is that Hofs had traditional German approach to music education and that was sound first. I was surprised when I started working and learning in Germany how much concentration there was on working for sound and that much of the technique would naturally follow.
But Hofs' education was always on high gear and a lot of his learning came from overcoming certain passages in the symphonic/operettic repertory, since he began professional work at an early age.
At any rate, I am not aware of any particular "school" he followed, especially an American one. This is not to say that he wasn't exposed to any other theories but what might come naturally over time.
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Billy B
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| Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2023 1:32 pm Post subject: |
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| kehaulani wrote: | My understanding is that Hofs had traditional German approach to music education and that was sound first. I was surprised when I started working and learning in Germany how much concentration there was on working for sound and that much of the technique would naturally follow.
But Hofs' education was always on high gear and a lot of his learning came from overcoming certain passages in the symphonic/operettic repertory, since he began professional work at an early age.
At any rate, I am not aware of any particular "school" he followed, especially an American one. This is not to say that he wasn't exposed to any other theories but what might come naturally over time. |
The "German school" was a favorite of William Adam. Bob Platt was his student and when he visited the Berlin Phil they gave him Monke Bb and C trumpets. Mutual respect.
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glhancox@gmail.com
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 3:39 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for all the replies and advice, and I'm not surprised that American schools probably didn't influence an outstanding German artist much but the other way around (I should have mentioned Schlossberg, Arban, St Jacome).
So William Adam was a fan of the German school... interesting. Then my next question would be what are the methods endorsed by the German school, and is there a method book from any of them? And I really wish I knew how Hofs warms up and practices before he gets into the literature. My setup looks a lot like his (except his never moves!), and I really like his sound, so that's why the inquiry.
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JayKosta
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 7:35 am Post subject: |
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| glhancox@gmail.com wrote: | ...
So William Adam was a fan of the German school... interesting. ... |
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It's unclear to me whether Adam was aware of the 'German school' - is there any reason to think he was familiar with it, or was a 'fan'.
Adam's ideas and methods might be similar, but perhaps they were self-discovered, or passed to him informally without reference to their source.
_________________
Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'. |
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trumpet56
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 11:10 am Post subject: |
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| Most of the early American trumpet sound and technique was based around the German School. |
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kehaulani
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 12:01 pm Post subject: |
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That's pure conjecture, Jay. Do you really think Adams was that myopic?
I suppose if one wanted to find a common denominator between Adams and German School it might be that "the body follows the mind".
OP - why ask us armchair warriors from America? Why not contact the trumpet professors of the German Hochschule fur Musik?
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JayKosta
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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| kehaulani wrote: | | That's pure conjecture, Jay. Do you really think Adams was that myopic? ... |
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yes it was conjecture, but I don't recall any mention of who taught Adam, or how his 'method' was developed. I'm sure he did have various teachers and others who influenced his playing and pedagogy, but did he purposely structure his teaching methods around what he KNEW to be the 'German school' - as compared to his knowing what worked for him and believing that it would also apply to others.
I don't know of any mention of Adam being a 'fan' of the German school. He might well have liked the 'German school' sound - but that doesn't tell anything about what he knew about the pedagogy.
edit: I am not questioning BILLY B 's earlier post regarding Adam and the German school - I misread that post.
I am not questioning whether Adam's method is similar to the 'German school' method, only whether he was a 'fan' and whether he intentionally used what he knew to be the German method as a basis for his teaching.
_________________
Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.
Last edited by JayKosta on Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:39 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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PH
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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Mr. Adam constantly cited the Germans as excellent musical role models. He specifically mentioned Hans Gansch to me many times and even (the otherwise villainous) Helmut Wobisch as fine players to emulate. How aware he was of German pedagogy is not clear to me, but Billy B spent a great deal more time with Adam than I did and would definitely know. Billy correctly cites Robert Platt as an Adam student who had an influential career as a performer and teacher in Germany.
Adam's teachers are a matter of public record. I found this list in a biography published by the ITG at the time he received the ITG Award of Merit. Adam studied with Harold Mitchell, Herbert L. Clarke, Hyram Lammers, John Leick, Louis Maggio, Mabel Keith Leach, and was also greatly influenced by William Vacchiano to the point that Adam said he studied with Vacchiano "indirectly."
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Last edited by PH on Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:34 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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PH
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:31 pm Post subject: |
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Now, let's get off this bunny trail and see who knows what about the teaching of Herr Hofs.
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Trumpjerele
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 2:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
I'm a big fan of Matthias Hofs and the German Brass, and his sound is what I would like to strive for in my church orchestra/solo playing, so what practice routines does he incorporate, does anyone know |
I have missed something, I think that more important than copying their routines would be to listen to their interpretations and copy them, note by note, phrase by phrase, imitate, imitate and imitate again.
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PH
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 2:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Trumpjerele wrote: | | Quote: |
I'm a big fan of Matthias Hofs and the German Brass, and his sound is what I would like to strive for in my church orchestra/solo playing, so what practice routines does he incorporate, does anyone know |
I have missed something, I think that more important than copying their routines would be to listen to their interpretations and copy them, note by note, phrase by phrase, imitate, imitate and imitate again. |
Exactly! And that is the essence of Adam's pedagogy, as well as the Chicagoans.
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kehaulani
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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| JayKosta wrote: | | yes it was conjecture, but I don't recall any mention of who taught Adam . . . |
But Jay. There was no Man before Adam. 
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Don Ellis
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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| PH wrote: | Mr. Adam constantly cited the Germans as excellent musical role models. He specifically mentioned Hans Gansch to me many times and even (the otherwise villainous) Helmut Wobisch as fine players to emulate. How aware he was of German pedagogy is not clear to me, but Billy B spent a great deal more time with Adam than I did and would definitely know. Billy correctly cites Robert Platt as an Adam student who had an influential career as a performer and teacher in Germany.
Adam's teachers are a matter of public record. I found this list in a biography published by the ITG at the time he received the ITG Award of Merit. Adam studied with Harold Mitchell, Herbert L. Clarke, Hyram Lammers, John Leick, Louis Maggio, Mabel Keith Leach, and was also greatly influenced by William Vacchiano to the point that Adam said he studied with Vacchiano "indirectly." |
Thank you! Great to know. |
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TrpM
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 5:40 am Post subject: |
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Here is a translated interview in German with Matthias Höfs that might shed some light on his approach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RZ4oyD8CYM&t=0s
I also remember vaguely that he once was a guest at the Bob Reeves podcast "The other side of the bell" |
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JayKosta
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 6:14 am Post subject: |
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That is a good interview, and gives info about Höfs' approach.
There is a brief segment that begins at about 3:20 were he mentions the need for technique. I think he is saying that a player needs to have sufficient technique and 'playing ability' in order to successfully produce their desired sound.
edit: I agree with the comments below from abontrumpet
_________________
Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.
Last edited by JayKosta on Mon Dec 04, 2023 9:54 am; edited 1 time in total |
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abontrumpet
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 8:45 am Post subject: |
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| JayKosta wrote: | | That is a good interview, and gives info about Höfs' approach. There is a brief segment that begins at about 3:20 were he mentions the need for technique. I think he is saying that a player needs to have sufficient technique and 'playing ability' in order to successfully produce their desired sound. |
In the 3:20 section, Hofs does not explicitly and chronologically order (1) sufficient technique and playing ability to (2) successfully produce their desired sound.
He does say you must have sufficient technique to be able to make music, but I think, in this case, he is speaking about successful playing a piece of music and doing it musically -- not referring to "their desired sound."
However, there is also evidence that he is thinking about technique as "how you are approaching the instrument (your form, your swing, your blow, your ____, etc.) in his opening paragraph. That is: how you approach the instrument is crucial to how well you produce your sound and vice versa. This is closer to your interpretation.
I transcribed this section below:
Q: "Some say you have to master the technique first before you can begin to make music. What do you think about that?"
A: "I think that it fits together. Of course we need certain perquisites to be able to to make music. But it's impossible to separate sound from technique. You can't look at them separately because with our instrument, technique is more than 90% inside the body. You have to feel it. I can't look at technique from outside with a mirror because technique happens inside the body: in the throat; also tongue position is particularly important for us. Relaxation in the diaphragm is extremely crucial for both sound and for technique. None of this can be separated. It all works together. Like it is with singers.
In principle, I think if you want to work music, you need solid technique and the ability to play the piece, I think we can all agree on that. Often though, in classical music, we justify metric inability, or the inability to play something at the required tempo, with an excuse because we want to make music and music means freedom. But freedom only begins if we have the ability to play it perfectly in time. If we later decide that we'd like to delay or play faster for this or that reason, then that's something different from rushing or dragging due to technical inability and then trying to justify it musically. It just won't work this way." |
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