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A Balanced Approach to Playing


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PH
Bill Adam/Carmine Caruso Forum Moderator


Joined: 26 Nov 2001
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Location: New Albany, Indiana

PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2002 8:52 am    Post subject: A Balanced Approach to Playing Reply with quote

I posted this response in the "Orchestral Players Embouchures" thread over in the "Fundamentals" forum. I think that subsequent discussion of some of my points probably belongs here...

The way Adam students learn to play will almost invariably result in a well developed embouchure. However, we do not obsess on the embouchure. The primary focus is first and foremost on sound and secondly on a free and energetic delivery of the air.

One arrives at an efficient embouchure by first vividly imagining the music being played beautifully. Then you take in a great big relaxed (but energetic) breath and spin that air right through the sound you are hearing (which already resides in the acoustical properties of the trumpet-we just activate it). The tongue pronounces the music and the chops, the mouthpiece, and the trumpet act together on the airstream to make the imagined sound audible to everyone in the room.

Over time this results in a very efficient (and coincidentally usually good looking) embouchure setup.

The embouchure (like every other part of a balanced playing system) is of vital importance. However, 99% of trumpet players overestimate the significance of the embouchure in a balanced system. I have found that when the mind finally starts to work properly and the breath begins to be used more efficiently that the embouchure usually only needs minor tweaking.

If you think you need to work on your chops (or get a different mouthpiece or instrument) you probably need to iron out problems in your thinking or problems with your blowing.

As Adam says, "The trumpet is a wind instrument, not a lip instrument".

The earlier in the process of trumpet tone production one has a glitch (or fixes a glitch) the more dramatic the effect on the resulting sound.

The first and most important part of playing is the thinking. This is the control system for everything else that happens. Learning to think properly and hold that concentration for long periods of time will cure 95% of all trumpet playing problems.

The first physical thing that happens in the process of making sound is the inhalation. This is immediately followed by the exhalation. This is by far the most important physical part of playing.

As the air is exhaled it passes through the chest area, throat, over the tongue (under the palate, etc.) past the lips, through the mouthpiece, through the trumpet, and into the room.

This is also the order of significance of the elements of well balanced tone production:
1) Thinking
2) Breathing (inhale & exhale in that order)
3)Tongue and oral cavity
4) Lips
5) Mouthpiece
6) Instrument

Cheers!


<font size=-2>[ This Message was edited by: PH on 2002-02-18 16:40 ]</font>


Last edited by PH on Thu Nov 23, 2006 6:41 am; edited 1 time in total
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_Don Herman
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2002 10:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent, sir! And, if I may...

(1) What you think is important -- the music, and how you want it to sound. Not just the pitch, but the whole essence of the note -- pitch, tone, fullness, duration, attack, dynamics, etc. Now, I'm not saying you try to think of these individually, but rather to consider the sound you want to hear, not just the note you want to play.

(2) Inhale, then exhale, without pausing between. No use in letting tension build.

FWIW, this could just as readily appear in the Chicago Forum, imho.

Good stuff! - Don
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PH
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2002 12:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bingo!!!!

Don nailed it!

The change in direction of the air at that point where the inhale ceases and turns around into the blowing is a real trouble spot for some people. The slightest hesitation at this point introduces tension into the body and it is virtually impossible to release those tensions or the inhibiting effect they have on the free flow of air through the sound.

re: The imagination as the control panel: I find that with most students the first thing they learn to do is imagine the pitch of each note as they play. I usually start by having them imagine singing the phrase ("Dah DahDahGah Dah", etc.) with accurate pitch and consistent and crisp pronunciation.

Eventually they begin to trust the articulation/pronunciation to work reliably and they gradually find that instead of singing wiht the sound of their voice in their imagination they hear the trumpet tone. They begin to imagine the pitches with a trumpet timbre. In their mind they are "singing trumpet".

Gradually and over time their imagination becomes more vivid, they learn to trust their body to execute the musical commands without having to consciously micromanage the muscles, and they learn to concentrate and keep their mind almost totally into the sound. As they do so they can hear more and more details about how they intend the music to sound-dynamics, articulation, shadings, phrasing...MUSIC!!!

This is how the body is controlled, by placing a clear picture of the target and willing the unconscious mind and the body to make it so.
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Cozy
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2002 9:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:

On 2002-02-18 15:30, PH wrote:
They begin to imagine the pitches with a trumpet timbre. In their mind they are "singing trumpet".

Gradually and over time their imagination becomes more vivid, they learn to trust their body to execute the musical commands without having to consciously micromanage the muscles, and they learn to concentrate and keep their mind almost totally into the sound. As they do so they can hear more and more details about how they intend the music to sound-dynamics, articulation, shadings, phrasing...MUSIC!!!

This is how the body is controlled, by placing a clear picture of the target and willing the unconscious mind and the body to make it so.


PH,
This is imagery I appreciate, can learn so much from and hopefully utilize physically, mentally and musically. Thanks!

Cozy
http://www.cozychops.com
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rhodf
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 24, 2002 12:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have some questions regarding embouchure that I hope you can address. As a bit of background, I have played trumpet for about 20 years. I was a trumpet major in college and have recently investigated the Adam method/philosophy. I purchased the Adam videos and have been trying to implement this approach for about a year. I have also come across the Jeff Smiley Balanced Embouchure book and have been doing a bit of study of these concepts as well.

Now to the question at hand, should your lips be initially touching and slightly curled like when you say the letter "m" before you blow them into place with your air?

I agree in principle with the Adam/Chicago approach of focusing on the sound and let the body find its way as it leads to a more relaxed and natural way of playing. My biggest concern is that this approach may fail if you are too far away from a “correct embouchure”. For example, I can play with a big beautiful tone in the middle and lower register. The only problem is that I have never been able to play above a high C (two ledger lines above the staff). When I tried rolling my lips in, as suggested in the Smiley book, I was able to play/squeak out an E above high C for the first time in my life. After doing some research, there seems to be a lot of agreement that a closed "m" type lip set is best. I do not want to fall into the analysis/paralysis trap, but I am beginning to wonder if I need to make this change in order to ever have hope of a reasonable upper register. I currently play with a relatively open embouchure and stretch out my lower lip as I try to ascend into the upper register. While the Adam approach has increased my endurance and reduced my anxiety, it has done nothing to extend or strengthen my upper register. I know that there are many Adam students who have astounding high register prowess, but I wonder if this is because they were already setting their chops close to the “m” setting and then through practice and focusing on sound naturally refined this embouchure.

Although I know that we are not supposed to focus on the “chops”, but rather the sound, I am concerned that I will never increase my range unless a fundamental chop change is made.

I would appreciate any thoughts or recommendations.

Thanks.
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PH
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2002 6:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This requires a more thoughtful reply than I have time for right now. Soon...I promise! Meanwhile, I talk about this a good bit on some of the other threads. I particularly like the way I stated some of this on the "Common Quest" thread. Our late provocateur, Batman (who is still on this board in his secret identities), really brought out the best in me! He was the sand that irritated to produce pearls


[ This Message was edited by: PH on 2002-07-25 13:18 ]
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PH
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2002 10:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I am not sure that I use the “m” setting. I never thought about it, and neither did most of the rest of us. If both lips are in the mouthpiece you are ready to go. From this point on I would say “Don’t think”!

Most of the rest of this is edited from earlier posts I made on other threads.

I do think that this is very difficult to do at certain points in your development without a qualified teacher-either Mr. Adam or one of his better students.

rhodf, where do you live?

There is no situation where this approach doesn't work IF (and that is a big IF) the teacher is competent. In our (Adam & his students) approach to playing, the STUDENT doesn't worry about the embouchure but focuses on a beautiful sound, hearing the music, and keeping the air flowing. However, this does not mean that no one is observing the development of the embouchure. THAT IS THE TEACHER'S RESPONSIBILITY!

One of the misconceptions about the Adam approach is that there is a standard routine that everyone does in just the same way. That is not the case! Even when we all do some of the same exercises the approach and sound model has been customized.

The teacher prescribes a custom designed set of exercises and pieces for each student and models an approach to those exercises and pieces (including demonstrating a concept of tone, articulation, dynamics, etc.) that will cause the student's ENTIRE BALANCED PLAYING SYSTEM (which, of course, includes the chops) to evolve into something more efficient.

For the student/player to think of anything except the musical demands and the flowing air is distracting from core business and causes counterproductive psychological and physical tension.

This does not mean that the chops are not important or that we do not end up with a beautiful and effective embouchure. The question is, "How do we get there?" However, we believe that the most natural, musical, and effective way to develop great chops is to:

1) Develop the ability to vividly imagine exactly how you want the music to sound and hold your concentration on this unwaveringly.

2) Establish a rich, consistent, energized, relaxed flow of air.

3) Get the most beautiful, singing, and resonant tone you possibly can and carry that sound into every dynamic, all registers, a variety of articulations, different styles, etc.

4) Use "the force" and let your unconscious mind make adjustments in your chops, tongue, pivot, etc. It is not good to be self-conscious when playing.

The teacher is conscious of the student's physical approach and needs. The student is music conscious. A good teacher removes the burden of analysis and physical adjustment and manipulation from the student and shoulders that weight him/herself.

The Adam approach is about using more air & efficiently using that air along with the mental game of playing the trumpet. That isn't an "either/or" statement. As Adam says in the "1975 Clinic" (and many other places), the flowing air releases tensions in the body that cause problems with your playing.

It is important to be as relaxed as possible when playing. At the same time, it is important that your muscles feel energized and "ready to go" as you play. The feeling in your abdomen (for one example) should be like it feels as you are ready to jump into the swimming pool or right before you begin to swing a golf club or baseball bat. We achieve that balance between relaxation & energy (or I sometimes think of balancing "free" and "ready") by the flowing air and mentally imaging the tone.

I really can't address your personal situation without hearing you play in person. I need to hear your "good tone" for myself. My bet is that there is something lacking acoustically in your sound that is indicative of the reasons you can't develop your range and endurance.

One of the central aspects to Mr. Adam's approach (and one that obviously doesn't translate to a book or the internet) is that he changes each student's playing by changing their sound. He will listen to you play. By analyzing your sound he can tell where your body is holding unnecessary tension and/or causing turbulence in the airflow and the sound waves.

He knows that if a certain overtone is weak or not present in the harmonic spectrum of certain notes that the position of your tongue might be improper or that you might be retaining too much tension in your thorax (for two totally randomly chosen examples).

Adam will then demonstrate a sound throughout your lesson that you are to copy on each exercise or piece of music he has assigned. The sound he plays for you will be different than the sound he plays for anyone else (or for you next month for that matter). As you copy the sound model he presents your body changes the way it is working. The "bad habit" is replaced by a good one that is caused by learning to imitate the sound he has prescribed and demonstrated. Eventually, by focusing the student's ears on a personally prescribed tonal model, he causes each student to discover the best and most efficient way to play.

This "modeling" approach to teaching combines with a personally selected assignment of WHAT you are to practice plus a deep understanding of psychology (including motivational psychology & neurolinguistic programming) to help you discover your own natural and balanced approach to playing.

When we talk about a "great sound" in the context of Mr. Adam's approach we are talking about a tone that has resonance, opulence, core, richness... These are all terms that poorly describe what we are listening for. This is unbelievably hard to describe with words, but here I am on the internet giving it a foolish try.

For an Adam Student a "great sound" is one that has all of the harmonic spectrum present and balanced in the tone. When I play my long tones I feel like I am developing the fundamental and overtones in my trumpet sound as if I were standing in front of a brass choir tuning and balancing the notes of a chord until it sounds absolutely perfect. A great sound is both "bright" and "dark". The full harmonic spectrum is present in every note. This is what is called resonance, center, core, and a dozen other nebulous terms by different people.

A great trumpet sound has nothing to do with musical style. It has everything to do with producing the complete harmonic spectrum of tone. When this (our definition of a "great sound") happens you know that your body is working in sympathy with the physical and acoustical properties of the instrument. Adolph Herseth has this kind of sound. So does Arturo, Maynard (in the 1960s), Freddie Hubbard, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Maurice Andre, Vacchiano, and Doc Severinsen. Listen to these players and see if you can find the common qualities in their tones. It is hard to describe, but easy (I think) to hear.



[ This Message was edited by: PH on 2002-07-25 13:50 ]
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rhodf
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2002 1:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you for your prompt response.

In answer to your first question, I live about 2 hours north of IU and am a former alum, but not of Adam.

Since I am not currently taking lessons, I am trying to teach myself, which can be a source of over-analyzing to be sure. Range has always been my weakness and I have looked into this closed aperture idea as an approach that might give me those elusive notes above high C. As for my sound, I do not have the ears to tell with certainty if I am lacking in a certain upper harmonic. I do think, based on the description of my sound by others, that I have a somewhat “dark” sound. I know that Adam’s approach of “keeping everything to the front” has helped me. Although I didn’t consistently play gutturally, I would fall into that way of playing from time to time. I suppose that I would need someone else to diagnose my sound in order to guide me in the right direction.

Another thing that somewhat concerns me is the pitch I get on the leadpipe. Using a modern Bach 43 with a 25 standard leadpipe (not reverse), I get a solid concert D below the staff . I have to do all kinds of contortions and straining to try to get the pitch up to an concert Eb. This usually produces a nasty airy sounding D##. If I just “naturally” blow I get a D or lower. This pitch seems independent of the mouthpiece I use. Being a long time trumpet player, I have a collection of mouthpieces and have tried several, including the quintessential Bach 3C, thinking that the piece was causing my pitch to be low. Every time it settles on the D. This got me thinking that maybe my embouchure was the problem.

Thanks again for your help.
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_dcstep
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2003 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:

On 2002-07-25 13:47, PH wrote:
Well, I am not sure that I use the “m” setting. I never thought about it, and neither did most of the rest of us. If both lips are in the mouthpiece you are ready to go. From this point on I would say “Don’t think”!...(long discussion of good sound snipped)


My sound model was Don Jacoby. I heard him when I was ten-years old, sitting in center-orchestra about 12 rows back. That was an incredible sound-ephipany for me. That sound is still in my head forty-six years later. Anyway, I modeled my trumpet playing against that sound, with much success. I quickly achieved first chair in my junior high, then high school, then all region, etc., etc. but I used real pressure to get up to high-C and above. So long as I practiced a ton and didn't take a day off and built myself up for gigs requiring either high range or endurance, I was ok. My tone was always good, but I developed a callus on my top lip from the pressure.

Three years ago I took one, one-hour lesson from Pops and we focused the components of a closed embouchure. He suggested some free buzzing (to get that M-feel), whisper-soft practice, pencil excercise, increasing support and "setting" my embouchure for G on top of the staff. These developmental excercises and changes in approach quickly transformed my trumpet playing. (I made the change in about three weeks). I now regularly play G above high-C in performance and by endurance has quadrupled, all with less practice.

My point is that to focus purely on the tone and air, then assume that everything else will take care of itself is dangerous. I think there is a very large number of trumpeters with nice tones in the stave that have a lot of trouble getting above G or A over the staff. Some of these same times of players bust up to a high-C or E above high-C. Many times, I suspect, these players are playing with an open embouchure that will make it very tough as they go above G or A. Closing their embouchures will not cause any loss of tone (good examples should always be sought and encouraged). Playing more efficiently will make their playing much more enjoyable.

"Don't think" seems almost silly from my perspective. In learning any new behaviour we MUST THINK. We practice, over and over, so that with time we train our muscles and no longer need to think. Some lucky individuals, or "naturals" will fall into the correct behaviour (whether we're talking basketball, race car driving, or trumpeting) but most of us require specific instruction on certain attributes that need correction. I suspect that the gentleman that inquired about closing his embouchure (forming an M) needs to do just that.

Best regards,

Dave
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PH
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2003 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dave,

By editing out the long discussion of sound concept you completely distort and miss the entire point of what we are trying to do here.

In saying "Don't think", I am really saying don't think about your body mechanics, think in terms of musical sound. As I have said in other places in this thread, this doesn't mean that no one thinks about what the student is doing mechanically. It means that it is a counter productive distraction for the player/learner to think about their body. They must immerse their mind 100% in a world of sound. The teacher prescribes certain exercises and demonstrates a sound to model. The student imitates and trusts.

This is not a system of playing that can be self-learned in the early stages or through difficult transitionary phases. That would lead the student into too much analysis. The ideal way to study with Mr. Adam or one of his students is through weekly lessons where the appropriate sound model is reinforced by playing call and response with an expert teacher/player.

If the stuff you are doing is helping you, congratulations. It is diametrically opposed to much of what we believe in this particular approach to playing. Different strokes...
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_dcstep
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 22, 2003 5:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:

On 2003-09-21 22:50, PH wrote:

If the stuff you are doing is helping you, congratulations. It is diametrically opposed to much of what we believe in this particular approach to playing. Different strokes...


I hope you don't mind me commenting in your forum. I suspect that the approach advocated in this forum works for many, many people, particularly when combined with great instruction, but I worry about a "newbie" coming over here and thinking that they've heard the last word. The inquisitor that entered this thread seemed to have already developed a good tone, but had run into limitations. I don't know him, but suspect he's a "mature" player, so I thought that he may be experiencing the limitations of an open embouchure (as have I and many of my trumpet-associates). Listening to great players will not correct the inefficiencies imposed by an open embouchure.

Now, I recognize that some great teachers may have students with open embouchures and cure that condition without ever mentioning an "M" set, or whatever. Unfortunately, many "seekers" on this site don't have access to great teachers. Some will benefit from a more "mechanical" description of what's happening in the embouchure, while others will only be confused by such matters. Like you say, different strokes, so that was my point in commenting. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Best regards,

Dave
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PH
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 22, 2003 5:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

FYI,

I was lucky enough to get together with rhodf after this initial exchange. He is a mature player and a good one. After hearing him play I was able to make some minor adjustments to his concept of sound, moving him toward a more focused and centered tone (hard to describe, easier to model). Several weeks after we had been together he sent me a note telling me it had been helpful. I would be curious to know how it is going now. rhodf?

It is a little dangerous to try and fix your playing by going for tone without a mentor who understands how this works. If everything is basically OK with your playing and you adopt a good model to emulate it can work well in a self-teaching mode. However, as I said previously, this is hard to do in the initial stages and is a tough way to fix some major technical problems. You really need a teacher/mentor.

Also, many less experienced players can run into problems because:
1) They don't have a well developed sound concept.
2) They adopt a sound concept that doesn't lead them toward a better way of playing.
3) They don't really hear the sound coming from their bell.
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_dcstep
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 22, 2003 6:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:

On 2003-09-22 08:27, PH wrote:

It is a little dangerous to try and fix your playing by going for tone without a mentor who understands how this works. If everything is basically OK with your playing and you adopt a good model to emulate it can work well in a self-teaching mode. However, as I said previously, this is hard to do in the initial stages and is a tough way to fix some major technical problems. You really need a teacher/mentor.


I certainly agree with this. There are all kinds of hurdles implicit in that statement, BUT I whole-heartedly agree.

Dave
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rhodf
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 10, 2003 1:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for your kind words. As follow up to our lesson and my work since then, let me state that the single most important thing that I learned was what type of sound I should be playing with. By having you listen to me play some whole notes with different sound colors and having you identify the proper trumpet sound has changed the way I play and has made me a better trumpet player.

I can now listen to Doc, Maurice and Wynton play the Haydn and hear the subtle differences in tone color and timbre. Since our lesson, I can easily hear when my sound has gone astray. I know what to listen for. I have noticed changes in my embouchure set up, jaw and throat that are a results of focusing on maintaining that sound when playing my exercises and my music.

Thanks so much for all of your help.
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PH
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 10, 2003 2:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As rhodf says, it is important to be able to hear the subtle differences in tone color. However, it might be even more inportant to be able to hear the things that the tones of excellent trumpet players have IN COMMON.

It is this common core of sound and resonance that is the essence of the Adam approach. You hear it in Chris Botti, Randy Brecker, Charley Davis, Jerry Hey, John Rommel, Bob Platt, Sue Slaughter... The differences in their tones have to do with the demands of musical style and their respective musical personalities. The common characteristics are the core presence that every good trumpet player has in the tone.
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Billy B
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 8:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

DC,

I only met Don Jacoby once. He was one of the nicest guys. At the time I was pursing a girl friend who lived in Dallas. Don gave me all sorts of contacts in the area and encouraged me to make the move. He had great respect for Bill Adam. When living in Chicago Don studied with Adam.
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KT
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What if you can achieve a great sound through a really inefficient embouchure? I really like my sound, but I lack endurance and consistent high chops. I feel like I sound fine, but I'm doing everything wrong.
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rhodf
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 5:39 pm    Post subject: A Balanced Approach to Playing Reply with quote

What I found is that what I thought of as a "good" sound was not good after all. Over the last few years I have really dug into the essence of sound. Listening for every nuance in my sound as well as the sound of those players I admire. I listened to that sound and compared it very carefully to my own. As I did this over the course of several months, I began to hear things in the sound that I had never heard in 20 years of trumpet playing. I had never listened to sound with so much concentration and in so much detail.

I then began to really work on cleaning up my sound. I tried to get the sound as close to perfect as possible with each note I played from the first note of the day through the last. I had the sound model of great trumpet players in my head and was trying to copy that sound as exactly as possible.

I knew from a mechanical standpoint what my weaknesses were, but was unable to fix them by trying to "manipulate the meat". WHat I found was that by focusing so intently on the sound over several months/years, my embouchure is changing. I am no longer playing by feel, but by sound. I let the chops feel how ever they want as long as the sound is as close to my ideal as possible. Some days it really feals weird as my embouchure is changing, but I let it do whatever it needs to each day as long as the sound is right. As I go through this process, my sound is getting better and better, my endurance is improving and range is starting to improve as well.

If you are anything like me, I would bet that either your internal concept of a good sound is not well developed and/or you are not focusing on the sound with enough concentration and detail. You must also be willing to let the chops go different places than they ever have while only focusing on achieving the ideal sound in your mind.

As Pat has said above, certain trumpet sounds are better than others when trying to play efficiently. Listen to sounds like Phil Smith, Doc, Herseth, Ray Mase and Arturo Sandoval. Find the common thread in their sound and you will be taking the first steps toward really improving your sound.
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 3:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I usually don't read this forum but I was poking around today. I have only one comment. This sounds like a very teacher dependent method. Mr. Adam has an almost mystic perception of trumpet sound and control over his own embouchre so that he can listen to a student, figure out what the issue is, if any, decide how to fix it and come up with a sound ( along with a chop setting to produce it) that will point the student in the right direction. This ( and the Caruso method has similar problems) is almost magic. I am almost certain that Adam could measure the radius of the lake by pacing it off. How does a student of his, a mere mortal, carry on the tradition? Again, I have the same question about Caruso and I bet that Reinhardt, despite his intricate embouchre taxonomy, taught the same way. Buying the Encyclopedia, MCFB or the Adam videos would only be a poor approximation.
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Derek Reaban
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Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Posts: 4221
Location: Tempe, Arizona

PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jerry,

I’ve never studied with Mr. Adam. I did have the good fortune to hear his talk at the ITG Conference in Denver. Based on posts from Pat and Bill B and several others here who have worked closely with Mr. Adam, I have adopted the philosophy of his teaching approach into my own playing. I have the great fortune of sitting beside some of the best symphonic trumpet sounds around, and once I discovered how detailed my concentration needed to be related to the sound that I was hearing from behind the bell, I started making real strides in finding that same quality in my sound.

To be successful playing trumpet, I believe that you must find the very best sound models that you can, and emulate their sounds as closely as possible. So yes, “teacher dependent” is very important (you have to sit beside someone for an extended period of time to really understand the sound that has presence, vibrancy, color, and resonance). Applying Mr. Adam’s ideas (as presented here) have simply been transforming in my approach to sound production!
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest
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