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spleeahhhh
Regular Member
Joined: 26 Apr 2004
Posts: 37
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 Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 5:10 am Post subject: |
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I have been using one of these for mouthpiece buzzing but I continue to have a problem with air flow in the upper register. Basically as soon as I start buzzing out of the staff I am unable to keep the ball in the up position. I have been working at if for a while ( months now) staying relaxed keeping the air going etc, etc…but I cant seem to keep a good air flow up there…
Any ideas on what I can do to work on this? |
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dbacon
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 11 Nov 2001
Posts: 8592
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| Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 9:44 am Post subject: |
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Practice the trumpet more, songs and melodies. I would not worry as much about mouthpiece practice outside of melodic playing. Simple melodies on the mouthpiece until things are free and easy, then get to the trumpet. Use breathing exercises to activate the bellows system, then make music using plenty of freely flown energy. Worrying about keeping the little ball up or not takes your attention from good productive practicing.
Make music, not exercise!
Do scale forms, drills etc. as if they were passages of music. |
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Derek Reaban
Heavyweight Member
Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Posts: 4221
Location: Tempe, Arizona
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| Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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I have used the incentive spirometer for visualizing flow rate in the past. There are lots of positives to be gained from this kind of practice, in moderation, and understanding what it is you should be focusing on. I will second Dave’s response, however, and say that more time on the trumpet is really the most beneficial.
Please consider the following point:
- LESS FLOW RATE is required in the upper register
This is my favorite quote about flow rate from John Hagstrom of the Chicago Symphony:
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He says, "The biggest misconception of Chicago Symphony high brass tone production: It is that we are blowing huge quantities of air through the instrument in the way the trombones and tuba do. This is false, but it is not hard to see how this misconception starts and spreads. Everyone has been told at one time or another in their training to use more air support, which gets distilled down into 'Use more air!' At first, our sense of what it feels like to use more air is rather crude, but our efforts in that direction pay off handsomely. Tone and consistency improve, but the improvement is the result of air being put into the position of starting the sound, with the lips and tongue being much more of a reaction to the air. Even so, the player may improperly conclude that it was the quantity of air that made the difference, when it really was the immediacy and the compression of the air that were responsible for the improvements. In fact, the trumpets and horns are blowing much harder than the trombones and tuba, but much less air quantity actually goes into the trumpet and horns, especially in the high register. The goal of efficient high brass tone production is to have the action of the air at the beginning of the tone generation process. Combined with a strong and healthy mental image of what the player is trying to sound like, the lips and tongue will gradually begin to react in balance with the air to create the desired sound."
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Now, when you use the incentive spirometer, it can certainly help you to visualize an energized flow rate that will transfer to the instrument. Remember, though, what you are seeing when you buzz the mouthpiece above the staff is LESS flow rate. It’s not possible to keep the ball at the top of the spirometer in that register with similar resistance to what you are using when buzzing in the staff. In fact, if you try to use the same flow rate in that register you will experience a lot of back pressure that is unproductive.
Find your personal benchmark value on the spirometer for each of the registers that you are buzzing in and use that as a guideline.
Hope this helps.
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
[ This Message was edited by: Derek Reaban on 2004-04-28 01:45 ] |
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ccall
New Member
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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howdy,
I've just been using a spirometer and working on the whole relaxation thing and this is what worked for me.
First off, if you try to relax you're in trouble, it's nearly impossible to force your body to relax. For example, right now sitting at the computer on a scale of 1-10 (one being the most loose, ten being the most tense) NOTICE how relaxed is your throat, shoulders, or what ever your problem areas are. Then, pick up the horn and play some notes and NOTICE, rate, and compare how relaxed those areas to when you are sitting naturally. I did this while noticing my throat and using the spirometer. I started on low C and worked my way up slurring octaves. During the inhilation I was aware of how relaxed the throat was and NOTICED if any change occured during the playing of each slur. Soon, with practically no effort and a relaxed throat I was easily playing notes with the proper air speed that minutes earlier I was unsucessfully trying to force.
I hope all this jumble makes sense and will help you out, if not, sorry and books like the inner game of tennis and of song and wind might really be able to help you out. Also, sorry about the repetitive use of the word notice, but awareness of what's actually happening can make a huge difference. However, making music is key, and what ever you do don't over analyze. |
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_Don Herman
'Chicago School' Forum Moderator
Joined: 11 Nov 2001
Posts: 3344
Location: Monument, CO, USA
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2004 1:42 pm Post subject: |
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Listen to Dave and Derek. It takes LESS air volume, not more, to play up high. The spirometer is better used in the lower and mid registers. Also, mouthpiece buzzing should be a very small part of your routine -- essentially just a warmup check, imo. I do it to establish a starting point with good sound and not much else. I move quickly to the trumpet, no more than a minute or two of mpc buzzing (usually far less).
ccall's points about relaxation are good, and in line with avoiding overanalysis. Follow the good sound in your head and it will be yours.
Make music! Jacobs used instruments like the spirometer to develop things off the horn, or mpc. When the mpc gets into play, musical sound is the goal.
HTH - Don
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Don Herman/Monument, CO
"After silence, that which best expresses the inexpressible, is music." - Aldous Huxley |
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johnski25
Veteran Member
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Posts: 108
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2004 2:20 pm Post subject: |
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I totally agree with what everyone is responding with. I think it is incredibly important to make mouthpiece playing as musical as possible. Playing the MP is so similar to singing that it is our best way of producing the song that is(or should be)in our heads. As far as air-flow with the MP, simply playing the MP improves your air-flow. As James Thompson says in the start of his Buzzing Book, "Because the mouthpiece offers less resistance than does the instrument, buzzing helps accustom the player to using more air."
Play your MP like you are Caruso!
John Fraser |
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