Recruiting and Retaining Trombonists in the Band

ProgramThe Basics!

Presented by:Robert Kehle

Pittsburg State UniversityAt the Kansas Music Educators In-Service Workshop

February 24, 2006 2:45-3:35Century II Room 206

Wichita, Kansas

This program has been made possible through a grant from C. G. Conn.

Robert Kehlerkehle@pittstate.edu

- University Professor of Music @ Pittsburg State University

- Principle Trombone with the Springfield, MO Symphony Orchestra

- Trombonist with the PSU Brass Quintet

- Artist/clinician with C. G. Conn

- Degrees in Music Education and Trombone Performance from:

– Washington State University

– Indiana University

Studied trombone with:– Mr. M. Dee Stewart

(Philadelphia Sym. Orch.)– Dr. S. Thomas

Beversdorf (Pittsburgh Sym.)

– Mr. Keith Brown (Philadelphia Sym. Orch.)

– Mr. Ed Kleinhammer (Chicago Sym.)

THE BASICS

It is how you get better.

Accept no substitute.

Breath support• The alternative to

breathing is not very pleasant.

• This should be a natural process; unfortunately we often make it harder.

• Never stop talking about it.

• AIR, AIR, AIR, AIR, AIR, AIR, AIR, AIR, AIR…

AIR

In order to improvethe playing of astudent we mustconcentrate on thecritical factors ofplaying.

• AIR is #1.

AIR

The diaphragm workslike a bellows. Itsucks air in and theresult is an expansionof the lungs as thediaphragm movesdownward.

Diaphragm

Centrum tendineum

the chest

Diaphragm

at inhalation

at expiration

AIR

Do not let the shoulders rise unduly as this just creates tension in the upper body and lungs.

Tension = Tight sound

AIRReasons we cut back on the

air.Long phrases.

Seeing how long we can play.

Super soft playing.

These result in areduction of air tothe embouchure;therefore, theEmbouchure shutsdown and we losethe pitch and tone.

AIRProper air.

Demonstration techniques:

1. The Yawn.2. Breathe in on

“HAW.”3. The nose breath.4. Normal breathing.5. A poke in the ribs.

Exercises:

Inhale on a MOE for a 4 count –exhale on TOE for a 4 count.

Do not hold it in!

AIRTo open the oral cavity:

1. Breathe through a paper towel tube or place 2 fingers in your mouth. The throat is an extension of the tube.

2. Say in a regular beat; “ee, ah, oh, ee, ah, oh” then inhale through the larger oral cavity.

AIR

Inhale

Exhale

It should be like a circle or swing, in and out.

The inhalation and exhalation should be one complete process.

Do not hold the air in as it creates tension.

Air – the Exhalation

To help a studentachieve acontinuous fullexhalation try thepinwheeldemonstration.

Blow at the pinwheel and keep the wheel moving.

Breathing Problems1. Noisy inhalation (especially a high sound) is a symptom of

tension and constriction. Try lowering and relaxing the tongue. 2. Make sure that the student is not using the breath as a chance to

change the embouchure in different registers. 3. Air blockage is a common problem. Often we tighten up in the

throat or upper chest and in so doing we compensate by forcing the air. In reality what we have done is to constrict the airflow.

4. As a good rule, breathe early rather than waiting for the last second to breathe. Late inhalations are often tight and forced.

5. Breathe in time with the music. One beat or two, depending on the tempo will help relax the drawing of the breath and help you feel the tempo and beat.

6. The shoulders should stay calm and not rise up. 7. Grunting sounds usually indicate that the player is constricting

the throat.

Air – the Inhalation

• Using inspired volume measuring devices can help measure the amount of air taken in.

• These are used in hospitals.

AIR & Posture

If you slouch you will not be able to breathe properly.

Sit up straight, but relaxed. Not at attention as shown.

When standing, standtall with the legsslightly apart. Notrigidly at attention asshown.

Playing over the top of the stands can cause incorrect embouchures

AIR & PostureNEVER do this!

For marching band youmay need to tilt backslightly in order to getthe horns up. It is anecessary evil, but amore normalposture following thelines of the teeth isbest.

Mouthpiece Angle

Follow the teeth.

The horn is straight outand look at themouthpiece seal, orlack of proper seal.

Holding the instrument,it makes a difference

The left hand formsa ‘L’ or gun.

This is what itshould look like.

The Bad Slide Hand

The ‘claw’

Hold that bell, NOT!

The ‘finger’

Embouchure

“There is nothing wrong with your

chops, your mind is messing them up.”

Paraphrase from Bud Herseth, Chicago Symphony

Embouchure

Various ways to discussthe embouchure.

1. Saying ‘M.’2. A straw in the

mouth.3. Say “Beau-ty”

and hold on “Beau.”

Embouchure

Keep the cornersdown.1. Pretend that you

have dental floss across the teeth and pull down the corners.

2. Think of an anchor on both sides of the mouth.

Embouchure• The puffy cheeksTrombonists need to anchor thecorners of the mouth, hold thecheeks against the teeth, but notrigidly, and minimize the puffing.

• The bunched chinKeep the chin flat, especiallyas you ascend. Look in amirror as you practice and beaware.

Embouchureand Pressure

Left-handed embouchure. “Let me cram the mouthpiece through the back of my face,”says the masochist.

Try pressing your thumb against the loweredge of the front teeth. Now look at theindentation in the thumb. Imagine whatthis is like to the soft lip tissue.

Ring on the lips.If the lips become swollen it is a result of poor

circulation.

Embouchureand Pressure

An improper balance between the airflow and the lips.

- It often results in tension in either the chest, throat, or both.

Embouchureand Pressure

The smileEmbouchurecreatesa set of “thin” lips.

EmbouchurePressure Fixes

1. Make sure the air is there for the lips. Double check the breathing process.

2. Consciously strive to pull the horn away from the lips without losing the basic seal needed to play.

3. Make sure the lips are not thin in the mouthpiece. There needs to be a lip cushion, but too much will result in a stuffy sound.

“Air takes the stress off the embouchure...”

Norman Bolter, Boston Symphony, master class October 2, 1991

Embouchure

• If the student tends to drop off from one note to a lower harmonic it may be due to not having enough lip in the mouthpiece.

• The drop off can also be the result of the air velocity dropping in intensity. Use the “block of air or sound” concept

• The same can be true if there is difficulty in starting the note or keeping on pitch.

Embouchure buildingThe best way to build up theembouchure and increaseendurance is to do:1.Lip slurs.2.Flexibility studies.3.Mouthpiece buzzing (in

moderation).

Tone and the Mouth Cavity

The mouth cavity should not beclosed; rather it should be in aslightly open fashion.

Try closing your lips and let thejaw hang; don’t close the teeth.

Tone Results from:1. Proper Air.2. An open mouth cavity. Remember let the jaw

hang open.3. A solid tone concept.4. Good equipment. (There are some slides at the

end of the presentation that deal with this topic.)

“The horn is a megaphone for us.”Eric Cress, Co-principle Trombone with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Articulations

“Attacks are the first thing people hear of

your sound.”Jay Friedman, Chicago Symphony

ArticulationsTONGUE CHART

Tu = a defined start to the note

Do= a soft attack

Thu = a softer attack

Lu = an unaccented articulation. The notes butt up against each other for a very smooth legato sound

This creates a space between notes.

This allows for long notes and less space.

Almost a legato articulation with virtually no space between notes.

The true legato tongue.

Articulations

Stop tongueThis is where the player ends the note with the tongue. Brass players do not do this as it usually causes a disruption of the tone. It most often produces a ‘toowhat’ sound.

To fix the problem liken it to blowing out a match or candle. You just stop blowing and use a burst of air timed the proper length to get the job done.

Articulations

The square root sign and/or ballooning the note.a. Do not allow the air to drop after the

articulation like a square root sign. This will result in a ‘doowa’ type of sound.

b. The balloon is similar in that. The player pushes off the end of the note with a crescendo.

Articulations

No tongueThis is where the student has learned to play the note

without starting with an articulation. Somewhere along the line they didn’t hear and retain the concept of articulations.

To fix this you will need them to do what I call “beat the head against the wall practice.” This is where the student must practice with a ‘tu’ or ‘du’ articulation on various notes and ranges over and over and over and over ... again. DO NOT HOLD THE AIR IN BEFORE STARTING THE NOTE. Remember it is one process of in and out.

It is great TV commercial practice time.

ArticulationsLegato tongue

This is by far the hardest aspect of trombone articulation.The slide must be very fast. Tell them 100 MPH.

1. The slide must work correctly.2. Practice by glissing between the notes. Make it so fast that you can barely hear the slide.3. Use a ‘thu’ tongue to begin with. This is close to a true legato and works well in ensembles.4. Once the ‘thu’ works then deal with the ‘lu’

tongue.Make it happen on the note ‘F’ then add chromaticAdd motion.

Articulations

Multiple tongueAn alternation between:

tu’ & ‘ku’ or ‘du’ & ‘gu.’

Practice saying it, but use the air too.

Tone“In my opinion, the trombone is the true head of the familyof wind instruments, which I have named the ‘epic’ one. Itpossesses nobility and grandeur to the highest degree; ithas all the serious and powerful tones of sublime musicalpoetry, from religious, calm and imposing accents to savage, orgiastic outbursts. Directed by the will of themaster, the trombones can chant like a choir of priests,threaten, utter gloomy sighs, a mournful lament, or abright hymn of glory; they can break forth into aweinspiring cries and awaken the dead or doom the livingwith their fearful voices.”

Hector Berlioz, 19th Century composer

Range

- The primary key to range is AIR.- The air must be faster and more compact as

you go higher.- One way to speed up the air is by changing the mouth cavity by using the syllable ‘dee’ as opposed to ‘doo.’- The air column must change like a camera lens reducing in size due to increased lighting.

- Lip slurs are a must in order to improve range.

Intonation

• There is no substitute for tuner practice.• Train the student to listen for the ‘beats.’

Problem with being flat?• If the tuning slide is way out it is usually

a symptom of someone trying to play with his or her lips apart. Make sure the air separates the lips.

Intonation

• Use easy, but fun music that includes a CD play along to assist in early intonation building.

• Here are a couple of examples I like.• Tons of Tunes published by Curnow

Music• Double Dip duets published by Club

Hip-Bone

Warm-up

A warm-up to a brassplayer is like a warmup is to a runner. Youdo not run flat outwithout stretching andgetting the musclesfunctioning. Thesame is true for thetrombone.

Warm-up

1. Get the air moving! Use breathing exercises.

2. Play semi-long tones. 4 beats at q = 60

3. Use scales and arpeggios for articulation work.

4. Play lip slurs.5. Try some mouthpiece buzzing as

they mature.

Warm-up - Fun stuff

1. Use easy children’s tunes to help warm-up and to begin to deal with improvisation.a. Mary Had a Little Lambb. Old MacDonald

Warm-up - Fun stuffHave the students play children’s tunes.Do not tell them the key. Just let them goby giving them a starting note. They willexplore and learn new notes on theirown.

This is a beginning improvisationtechnique.

Equipment Recommendations

Most new beginning horns are at least OK.

Things to look for:1. A slide grip that is not one piece.2. You get what you pay for.Used horns:1. Does the slide work correctly.2. Are there large dents on the horn.

Particularly check the slide and tuning slide bows for dents.

Equipment Recommendations.

Mouthpieces.To start on a 12C(Bach designation) isfine, but switch them assoon as possible to a6½ AL. Middle schoolor by high school is agood time to switch.The 6 ½ AL will takemore AIR, but it opens

up the sound.

Mouthpiece Trueing Tool

Equipment MaintenanceThese are problems.

Stuck slide http://www.oberloh.com/SPL/spl1.htm

Sprung slide http://www.slidedr.com/

Slide width http://www.slidedr.com/

Repairmen

There are lots offine and qualifiedrepairmen.

They should not usean expander toremove slide dents.That is model ‘T’equipment. Askthem about it.

I use the Slide Doctor John Upchurch.

http://www.slidedr.com/

Slide LubricantsOil

• A great way to slick up a tile floor.

• Your custodian will love to have it on the floor!

• Give it to the trumpet players.

Slide Lubricants3 good 1 bad

Slide-O-Mix

Super Slick

Trombontine

Thank you.Blee a Blee a Blee

that’s all

folks!