The world-renowned American Brass Quintet will be holding a mini-residency at Brigham Young University November 11-13, 2008. For a YouTube promotional video of the group, visit here. All events are open to the public. The full residency schedule is as follows:
•November 11, 12-1:30pm: Chamber Music Master Class (C130–DeJong Green Room)
•November 11, 8-9:30pm: Historical Performance Master Class (DeJong Concert Hall)
•November 12, 7:30pm: Formal Concert (DeJong Concert Hall). For tickets, visit www.byuarts.com.
•November 13, 12-1:30pm: Business of Music Class (DeJong Concert Hall)
•November 13, 3-4:30pm: “Informance”–Informational/Informal Performance (DeJong Concert Hall)
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Filed under Jazz, Videos · Tagged with Al Grey, Andy Martin, Bill Watrous, Bob Brookmeyer, Carl Fontana, Conrad Herwig, Curtis Fuller, Frank Rosolino, J.J. Johnson, Kid Ory, Ray Anderson, Slide Hampton, Steve Turré, Urbie Green, Wycliff Gordon
The Comeback Trombonist
As a trombone teacher at BYU, I work regularly—3 or 4 times a year—with players who have just taken 2 years away from their horn (for their LDS missions) and are returning to playing. After helping numerous students, consulting with other brass teachers around the state, and working through it as a player myself, I have come up with a few basic suggestions for the “comeback trombonist.” Presumably there are at least some applications for other, non-mission situations where players have taken considerable time off and are hoping to return.
1) Get Supervision—Returning from time off can actually be a great opportunity to “wipe the slate clean,” shedding old bad habits you may have had before. However, you don’t want to start a whole new set of bad habits. For this reason, it’s pretty important to get lessons with someone as soon as possible to make sure you don’t injure yourself or start any bad habits.
2) Return Gradually—Be patient! It’s going to take a little time. As with athletes returning after time off, the biggest danger for brass players is pushing too hard too soon. Rushing things is when performance injuries occur. It depends on the individual player, but four to six months is a reasonable amount of time to expect a low brass player to get their total playing ability back. A full, thick, free-blowing tone should always be the priority. High range and endurance are, of course, the last things to return. If you’re itching to do more, add some peripheral things that will help your playing but won’t stress your chops—listen to recordings, go to performances, look at scores, do jazz transcriptions, etc.
3) Flood Your Mind with Great Sound—Your mind has been elsewhere for a long time, and there’s a good chance your ideal sound is no longer as clearly in your head as it once was. Listen to lots of great trombone tone—both recorded and live—and get that sound firmly back into your mind. It will go a long way towards helping you re-establish your playing.
4) Enjoy—Some players become frustrated because their playing ability isn’t immediately where it was before and they begin to question whether they want to go into music after all. The first year after returning is definitely the time of highest turnover. Remember what it was that originally made you want to go into music. Have fun and enjoy all that’s great about making music.
As coordinator of brass chamber music at BYU, I require that the groups I oversee rehearse at least one hour a week without a chamber coach. I have found that these ensembles seem to get significantly more done when they have some concrete things to work on (in addition to the obvious–notes and rhythms). Below is a brief handout with some ideas on what to focus on in chamber music rehearsals.
Questions for the Successful Chamber Ensemble
(What should we work on?)
Will Kimball, Brigham Young University
1) Are the attacks and releases of the ensemble together? What is the body language of the other members of the group? Because there is no conductor, this aspect of performance becomes paramount. Watch the movements of the other players as they prepare for an entrance or make a release. Become accustomed to what they do so you can match entrances and releases exactly. Adjust your own body language if what you are doing is not clear enough to be seen peripherally.
2) How does your pitch (intonation) sound relative to the voice closest to you in pitch? Follow the intervals created by the two voices as you play a piece. Consider, especially the following: unisons, octaves, fourths, fifths, and “landing points.” Are you making the necessary harmonic adjustments (e.g., lowering major thirds)? As you listen for pitch, begin with the instrument closest to you in range and branch out to the others.
3) Is the ensemble blending well? Are some in the group playing with a bright sound, while others have a darker approach? You may decide to meet in the middle. If you are serious enough as an ensemble, you may even wish to make equipment changes. Also, make sure your understanding of terms such as “dark” and “bright” are the same.
4) What is the texture of the piece (or passage)? Thick? Thin? Consider this both as an ensemble and as an individual. How does your part fit within this texture? Are you making the ensemble sound too thick when it should sound light and transparent? (Or vice-versa?) Are you blending too much when you should be coming forward as a soloist? (Vice-versa?)
5) What is the color of the piece (or passage)? Bright? Dark? Consider this both as an ensemble and as an individual. Should it be bright and aggressive, like a fanfare or shout chorus? Dark and chorale-like? Biting and edgy? Does the ensemble really match? How can you manipulate your individual sound in this respect to help the ensemble?
6) Does the melody get passed from one instrument to another? Are you anticipating, like merging into fast traffic or passing a relay baton? For example, when passing off a melody mid-phrase, the initial player shouldn’t taper the end of his/her passage, and the second player shouldn’t overemphasize his/her first note, or the overall melody will probably end up with the wrong shape. Recording the group is very helpful for detecting these types of issues.
7) What is the role of your instrument (or part) in the ensemble? Do you lay down the bass line, supply inner harmonies, provide the countermelody, or play melody? In actual practice, you fill numerous roles, of course, depending on context, and you should be aware of which role you’re in at any given time in any piece of music. More generally, how does your part fit into the work as a whole? Be continually aware of how your part reflects the meaning, nuances, colors, story line, character, or other expressive elements of the music.
8) Which part interplays rhythmically most closely with yours? Notice the interplay—whether your interpretation of specific rhythmic figures matches, whether your pulse is ahead of or behind theirs, etc.
9) Try listening to specific pairings as you play through a piece. How do the volume, rhythm, and tone color of your part relate to other specific voices in the group? Listen to your part as it relates to each member of the ensemble. Consider playing through passages with various instrument pairings (trumpet-tuba, horn-tuba, trumpet-trombone, horn-trombone, etc.).
10) What emotional content in the piece would the ensemble like to convey to the audience? Discuss this as a group, including specific ways you can convey this content in a unified manner (e.g., note length, phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone color, rubato, vibrato).
11) How should the biographical background of the composer, history of the work, and time period in which the work was written affect interpretation of the piece? Discuss these elements with the group and pay attention to whether the ensemble is reflecting them in actual performance.
12) How should the musical form, style, and construction of the piece affect performance? What are you going to do to help the audience recognize the recap? Are you matching style in every statement of the fugue subject? Are you mistakenly trying to make the whole jazz arrangement a shout chorus? Consider musical form in light of both your specific part and the ensemble as a whole.
13) Are you willing to compromise when you don’t agree about interpretation? Chamber music is all about give and take. Be willing to at least try someone else’s way or meet somewhere in the middle.
14) Is everyone allowed to express their opinion freely? A chamber ensemble should ideally function as a true democracy, with every player in the group entitled to an equal voice. Many successful professional chamber groups actually vote on matters ranging from repertoire to note length. Can’t agree? Try a vote.
15) How can you communicate verbally in a manner that is both clear and respectful? Since they have no conductor to make decisions, chamber ensembles rely heavily on good verbal communication. How do you receive criticism? Work on developing a thick skin and not taking offense at criticism; professional chamber musicians universally agree that having a thick skin is absolutely critical for success in the business. On the other hand, work on being considerate and not needlessly offending people; very little progress is made when colleagues are irritated and defensive.
Due to the nature of the trombone (the slide), we have the unique ability to adjust pitch to almost any degree without sacrificing tone. Thus the trombone has the potential to be the most in-tune instrument in the band and the most in-tune wind instrument in the orchestra. The other side of the coin, of course, is that the trombone, if played sloppily, can also be (and often is) the most out-of-tune instrument. In addition, I have noticed over and over as I work with brass chamber groups that intonation is one of the most glaring and consistent problems in college chamber groups; intonation problems are just much more glaring in small groups than in large ensembles. With these things in mind, a few year ago I put together this brief handout for my trombone students, later adapting it to all brass for Brass Pedagogy, Brass Workshop, and Brass Chamber Music classes. Hope it helps in some small way!
BRASS INTONATION REVIEW
Will Kimball, Brigham Young University
Partials:
•Seventh partial is very flat—30 cents, or approximately one third of a half step. For B-flat trumpets, B-flat tubas, trombones, and euphoniums, seventh-partial concert A-flat (open or first position) is unusable. Change the fingering or adjust the position.
•Sixth partial is sharp—20 cents, or one fifth of a half step. Change the fingering, extend extra tubing, or adjust the trombone position.
•Third partial is a little sharp—5 cents, or one twentieth of a half step. Adjust only in combination with other factors (e.g., also playing the third of major chord).
Mutes:
•Mutes make you go sharp. The tighter the mute, the sharper you go. (Bucket mute, the exception, generally makes you go flat.)
•Note: This tendency is dramatic enough to warrant adjusting the tuning slide, especially with a really tight mute like a harmon with the stem out, but remember to move the slide back in afterwards!
Volume:
•Loud passages tend to go sharp. Relax.
•Soft passages tend to go flat.
Temperature:
•Cold makes you flat.
•Warm makes you sharp.
•Note #1: This tendency is dramatic enough to warrant adjusting the tuning slide, particularly in a long piece, and definitely through the course of a recital. It is also useful to know that pianos go the opposite direction—flat—as a room warms up. Adjust!
•Note #2: This pitch tendency varies according to mass. Tubas, for example, will fluctuate much more than trumpets. Thus a brass quintet does not go equally sharp as it warms up.
Harmony:
•Major triad—lower the third approximately 15 cents.
•Minor triad—raise the third approximately 15 cents.
•Fifth—raise (very slightly—adjust fingering/slide only in combination with other factors)
•Unisons and octaves—Tune these first. If they’re not in tune, forget it!
•Half steps and whole steps—the tendency is to make the interval too small (and try to resolve to a unison). Maintain a true half step or whole step.
•Note: Do not make harmonic adjustments when playing with keyboard, which uses equal temperament. If you lower the major third and you’re accompanied by a piano chord, it won’t work! Instead, focus on matching unisons with keyboard.
Range Extremes:
•High range tends to be sharp (because of pinching).
•Low range tends to be sharp (because of not opening up or relaxing enough).
Timbre and Balance:
•Lack of blend because of timbre/tone differences is sometimes confused with intonation problems. While this is a misconception, it is still important from a listener’s standpoint. Play in tune and blend your sound.
•Poor balance can also make a chord sound out of tune. In terms of priority, the root should always dominate, the fifth should be next in volume, then the third, then the seventh (if any). This remains true with inversions.
Practice:
•With an electronic tuner, play slow 2-octave scales. At the beginning of every note, try to be at least within 20 cents sharp/flat (on many tuners, this will activate a light). Also check extremes of range and dynamics.
•Stephen C. Colley’s TuneUp is an excellent tool for practicing intonation. It comes with a CD that produces both drones and purely-tuned chords in all keys. You practice with the CD by playing various members of the chords, scales, etc.
•Duets are great for working on intonation. Some people even practice intonation by recording one part of a duet, then playing the other against it (this has the added benefit of highlighting your own intonation faults).
•In an ensemble, have everybody but one person sustain a drone or a major chord. The player not sustaining then plays a slow 2-octave major scale against this held note/chord. Rotate the person playing the scale. Vary keys, dynamics, etc.
•In an ensemble, practice slow chorales, focusing exclusively on tuning. Bach chorales are excellent for this if you can find arrangements for your particular ensemble.
Below is a handout I put together when I started teaching college and realized I should probably be helping students a little with some of the nonmusical aspects of recitals that sometimes go unsaid. Almost everything on the list results from personal observation or personal experience. Some of the suggestions are, of course, just opinion; the important overlying ideas are communication, making the audience comfortable, and basic courtesy.
SOLO PERFORMANCE ETIQUETTE
Will Kimball, Brigham Young University
1) The soloist enters the stage first, then the accompanist, then the page turner (if any). Walk purposefully and relatively quickly. Don’t mope onto the stage.
2) It is general practice to stand in or near the crook of the piano (providing good positioning for visual contact between soloist and accompanist and good visual symmetry for the audience). Acoustically, it is usually best for trombone and trumpet players to aim toward the rear right corner of the hall rather than facing straight on. To be sure which position and bell direction is best, experiment with acoustics in the hall during your sound check.
3) Acknowledge the applause when you enter. (This is an important concept: As a general rule, when you receive applause you need to acknowledge it, otherwise you’re being rude.) A slight bow or nod of the head is enough when you enter, if you prefer. You needn’t acknowledge the accompanist at this time.
4) It is generally preferable, in my opinion, to tune with the piano after you have warmed up but shortly before you get on stage to perform. If circumstances don’t allow this, go ahead and tune in front of the audience, but don’t take an inordinate amount of time doing it. As a soloist, it is uncomfortable tuning in front of an audience because you have to be both quick and accurate (nobody in the audience really enjoys listening to it, but if you don’t quite get to the pitch, everybody hears it, and you have a strike against you before even beginning your performance).
5) Make eye contact and/or nod to the accompanist when you’re ready to start (don’t expect the accompanist to just know when you want to start or to lead you).
6) Look professional and generally upbeat while performing. Don’t grimace if you make a mistake, scowl when you’re finished, roll your eyes, etc. If you watch professional performers, you will notice that they almost all have a very positive bearing when performing. Even if it’s an act, it’s more enjoyable to watch someone who has a positive bearing.
7) When you finish a piece, it’s usually helpful to the audience if you give them some sort of visual cue that you’re done, especially if the piece isn’t well known. Lowering your instrument and looking up to the audience will accomplish this. Do not wait for the applause before lowering your instrument at the end of a piece; the audience will think you’re not done if you keep your instrument up!
8) After the applause has begun, bow. Bowing is not arrogant at all, it’s simply saying “thanks for the applause.” Bow at the waist (not at the knees), look down at your shoes (not at the audience), and slowly count to two. After you bow, acknowledge the accompanist by extending your arm in his/her direction; the accompanist will then bow as you do this (don’t steal the accompanist’s credit by bowing again at this time). *One exception to the above sequence is when you play a sonata or other piece in which the parts are considered equal. In this case, when the piece ends and the applause begins, the pianist stands, the two of you make eye contact, then you bow together. **Also, there is now a feeling among some accompanists (or “collaborative pianists”) that all bows should be together (see #11, below). It never hurts to avoid an awkward situation by checking with your pianist beforehand.
9) Walk purposefully off the stage (again, don’t mope). At the very end of the whole performance, as you leave the stage, most audiences will extend the general courtesy of applauding until you’re off the stage. Instead of grubbing around at this point, trying to gather up all your stuff (mutes, instrument stand, water bottle, music, etc.), consider coming back for it afterwards (or sending the stage hand for it). As with the entrance, when you exit, your accompanist follows you, then the page turner (if any). The soloist always leads.
10) At the end of the whole recital, if applause dictates more bows, it’s usually just the soloist who should go back onto the stage and bow (i.e., don’t wait for the accompanist to go back onto the stage with you). However, depending on the nature of the performance and/or piece, the pianist may enjoy an extra curtain call with you (e.g., if you’ve worked particularly hard on a piece together). Just be sure to communicate so you’re not colliding or tripping over each other.
11) There is currently a direction in performance toward more equality than the traditional solo-accompanist etiquette. For example, the pianist may wish to be referred to as a collaborative pianist instead of accompanist, and to take all bows together (instead of soloist, then pianist). Check with your pianist to see how they feel about this. The best course of action is to discuss it beforehand and find out what the pianist prefers instead of bumbling around during the performance.
12) One more little thing…This will seem silly, but there will be some audience members who will be distracted by the way you empty your spit. I know, it’s silly. However, I have actually personally seen excellent professional soloists stick their slide straight out toward the audience and let out a giant, horselike spray, while the piano player is executing some soft, delicate interlude. It can be distracting. Just consider downplaying it a little.
That’s it. The more you immerse yourself in the music and enjoy, the more the audience is likely to enjoy!
Professional etiquette is one of those subjects that, to a certain extent, people just pick up along the way. Below are a few bits of advice from my own experience that might help jump-start the process and save some grief. Most of the suggestions are “no-brainers”; however, sometimes there are things that are irritating or frustrating to others that haven’t even occurred to us. Also, I am not trying to say I am the superlative example myself; in fact, many of these suggestions come as a result of learning from my own mistakes! The basic ideas are simple courtesy and care for our craft.
Section Etiquette & Professionalism
•Avoid playing, even in warm-up, another player’s solo or part.
•Avoid grimacing or rolling your eyes, no matter who makes a mistake (including yourself). Audiences notice these cues!
•Avoid doing anything that would be distracting or make another person uncomfortable while they’re playing and you’re not (talking loudly, moving around, gaping at them, playing their part softly, etc.).
•Make sure your part is prepared! Develop the reputation of being a consummate professional—someone who is reliable, someone who is pleasant to work with, and someone who will come in and consistently lay down the part.
•Play whatever you need to play in order to feel comfortable and warmed up; however, be warned that “show off” warm-ups (the flashiest concerto you know, the fastest technical exercise you can play, etc.) tend to bother some people.
•Don’t brag about how little you’ve practiced something—whether it’s an audition, competition, gig, or whatever. It’s not that cute. It’s not impressive.
•Count the rests. Don’t get into the habit of relying on someone else (or even a conductor’s cue, which can be unpredictable). On the other hand, don’t be a snob—be helpful if someone else loses his/her place while counting.
•Be a professional. For rehearsals and performances, don’t just be on time—be early. Many successful musicians plan a time “buffer” of an extra 30 minutes to get to the gig (especially if it’s out of town), just in case they forget their music, get a flat tire, forget a mute, can’t find the place, or whatever. Being late for just 1 or 2 gigs, even if it wasn’t really your fault, is noticed.
•Don’t be cocky. Few people will put up with an egotist for very long, even in music. If you want to brag about yourself and drop names, tell it to your mother or your former teacher; let everybody else find out for themselves. It’s much more impressive that way.
•Shuffling your feet or clapping lightly on your leg is a nice courtesy when someone within the section or group plays something well, but avoid doing it in sarcasm when someone messes up.
•Be willing to compromise, particularly when it comes to intonation. It’s your job to be in tune and make quick adjustments. There’s no such thing as “Everybody else is out of tune except me.” It doesn’t matter if you have perfect pitch or your tuner is showing you’re right on A440. The correct pitch center is where the section or group is at the time. Don’t try to be a hero. Adjust!
•When it comes to asking a conductor questions during rehearsal, there really is such thing as a dumb question. Consult with your section leader first and consider whether it might be more appropriate to handle the question as a section or check the conductor’s score during a break.
•In general, in professional situations, keep your playing suggestions to yourself (unless someone solicits them or you are the section leader). If other players really want your opinion, they’ll ask.
•React respectfully to applause. The audience is trying to show appreciation when they applaud. Don’t ignore it, talk through it, or play through it. Acknowledge it politely.
•As you interact with people from the audience after the performance, accept compliments gracefully—Don’t say, “No, it was really bad…that’s the worst I’ve played…” In the words of Wynton Marsalis, “Never deny a compliment after a performance. Say thank you!”
Below is a list of the 20 most-requested tenor trombone orchestral excerpts from a tally of audition announcements of 18 major orchestras. I use the list regularly in teaching excerpts to undergraduate trombone majors and consider it a kind of “bare minimum” list for performance majors to keep under their belts.
Top 20 Tenor Trombone Orchestral Excerpts
Source: Lisemby, “Preparing for Orchestral Auditions” (tally of audition announcements from 18 major orchestras)
1. Ravel, Bolero
2. Brahms, Symphony No. 1
3. Mozart, Requiem—Tuba Mirum (2nd trombone)
4. R. Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel
5. Berlioz, Hungarian March (Damnation of Faust)
6. Rossini, William Tell Overture
7. Wagner, Ride of the Valkyries
8. Wagner, Tannhauser Overture
9. Brahms, Symphony No. 4
10. Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade (2nd trombone)
11. R. Schumann, Symphony No. 3 (“Rhenish”)
12. Hindemith, Symphonic Metamorphosis
13. Mahler, Symphony No. 3
14. Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian Easter Overture (2nd trombone)
15. R. Strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra
16. Stravinsky, Firebird
17. Wagner, Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin
18. Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique
19. Rossini, La Gazza Ladra
20. Saint-Saens, Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”)
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