Pedal Tones

frmrleadplyr · Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:24 pm Post subject: Pedal Tones

Obviously, a huge part of Stamp's routine involves a lot of pedal tones. I can get down to the C in the first warm up, but once i go below the F sharp (the last true note) all the notes are raspy, quiet, and have a harsh edge to them. I've incorporated the Stamp warmup into my playing since last September, and I recently bought the book. Do these notes develop over time, or should I just expect them to never really form into (true) notes?
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Spencer

janet842 · Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:18 pm Post subject:

Just give it time. It can take a while to train your embouchure for pedals. The same with playing over high C -- time and persistence is usually required to increase both sides of your range.

Sometimes it helps to play a note somewhere around the pedal E and bend your note up and down to increase flexibility in the pedal register.

Janet

Stan Lawton · Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 7:12 pm Post subject:

I've been using the Stamp method for about two years now and one way to make the pedal tone sound truer is by not going for the note but rather loosening your set and smearing down to the pedal.

Hope this helps!

Stan

Shaft · Heavyweight Member Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Posts: 980

You know it took me a while to get those once I found my set up. not long about two months I guess. I had to remember to keep a firm aperture tunnel around the note in the cup of my mouthpiece. I use warm air and that's it. There is a firmness that surrounds the note for me in my lips.

connicalman · Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 9:43 am Post subject: Pedal tones

Trust your instrument to follow you, and always provide it quality support.

Elsewhere on .th. you'll read about Sandoval shaking the stage with monstrous pedal tones. Can't imagine him being a white-knuckle driver, can you? Same thing with taking your axe for a walk.

Breakthrough advice? On a whim I took a group singing class. The teacher had us "think low" when singing high, and "think high" when singing low.

Imagine rattling windows with a big fat pedal F, support it like you're headed above the staff, then work your way down to C.
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kochaavim, csillaagkep, αστερρισμός, konnstelacji, connstellation... ...a.k.a. the 28A!
Other Conns: Victor 5A & 38A, New Wonder & 80A; 'stella 38A; 36A; 'quest 76A...

ScottA · Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 6:03 am Post subject:

I would agree with Janet: just keep working on it with a steady approach. It will come with time. It may sound like cr*p for awhile but that is not the point.

I would also caution against ANY change in your physical set-up to acquire the pedal tones. The point is to keep the approach the same throughout all registers of your playing. I believe any loosening of your set-up beyond what you would do in normal playing would tend to defeat this purpose. This is why the Stamp exercise move directly from Pedal to normal register. It's about flexibility!

I recall huge pedal C's coming from Mr. Stamp's bell with no visual change in his set-up from the other parts of the exercise he had just played.
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Scott Apelgren
Indialantic, FL