Bob Findley's Book

[Terry]

Is anybody familiar with that book "Bob Findley on Trumpet"? I'd like to know more about it.

[dales]

He credits Caruso in the dedication.

Chapters are:
What Makes The Sound?
The Slot
Support
The 3 Major Steps to Greater Efficiency
Balance
Finding Your Balance
Maintaining Your Balance/Playing For Feel
Pressure/As It Effects Sound Etc.
Timing

Then he gives exercises 1-9. The first exercise is a variant on the Six Notes. The second is a harmonics exercise. The remainder of the exercises appear to be variants on Caruso interval studies.

Findley's instructions for exercises include:
1) Play as slowly as possible without running out of air.
2) Relax embouchure during rest bar, but keep mouthpiece touching.
3) Breathe through nose.
4) All breath attacks.
5) Don't run from harmonic activity (fragments of notes other than the ones played).
6) It's not important how high you get, only that you continue to play until nothing comes out of the horn.

He doesn't list "tap your foot" despite spending the previous chapter discussing time as a tool for increasing efficiency. It seems clear that he means for you to tap your foot although he neglected to say so in his instructions.

The above is not a complete list of his instructions--I've left out a few that depend on explanations in the book. However, the Caruso influence should be apparent, although Findley seems to explain more things and have some prescriptive instructions (such as listen for the slot, use as little pressure as possible and a few others).

Personally, I like the book. I got it recently after having spent some time focused more on chops, and its explanation of "support" was, for me, exactly what I needed to hear.



[ This Message was edited by: dales on 2002-10-24 13:07 ]