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II.
Air Support
Proper air support is derived from the ability to breathe both properly and
efficiently. The support created through the exhalation of breath will
greatly increase the quality of sound achieved by both the individual and
the ensemble.
In order for correct air support to take place, a mastery of the principles
of correct and efficient breathing must be achieved.
Releases
Just as the concept of Breathe, DAH! is imperative to the starting of
phrases, the concept of a proper release is imperative to ending phrases.
In order to achieve this, you must BREATHE IN ON ALL RELEASES.
We must think of sending the sound out of the instrument and allowing it
to resonate, rather than capping the sound with an obstacle.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Both lips must have enough flesh on the mouthpiece to allow for
a full, rich buzz.
Aperture
The aperture refers to the actual space between the lips that is created
after proper formation of the embouchure.
The center of the aperture should always remain loose and open to allow
for proper vibration when buzzing and to restrict the flow of air as little
as possible.
STACCATO
Contrary to popular belief, Staccato does NOT mean short, but rather
separated. While articulating staccato passages, make sure to create
equal blocks of sound and keep the air stream supported.
ALL NOTES, NO MATTER THE LENGTH, ARE OPEN-ENDED AND
REQUIRE A BREATH RELEASE!
The LAST thing we want to do is produce an articulation that sounds like
dit.
Tongue Use
Definition in regard to use of the tongue for articulation purposes is often
forgotten and not touched on until there is already a noticeable issue.
CORRECT TONGUING TECHNIQUE SHOULD ALWAYS BE USED,
REGARDLESS OF THE SITUATION!
In order for proper use of the tongue to take place, care must be given to
ensuring that the tip of the tongue is striking the spot in which the top
front teeth meet the gums and then returns to its resting place on the
bottom of the mouth.
We must also understand the effect of utilizing the pitch of back of the
tongue to increase or reduce airflow. If the tongue is pitched too high, it
will restrict the airflow and cause the sound and quality of the buzz to
weaken. If the pitch is too low, the air will lose velocity and cause a
bottoming out of the buzz.
Mouthpiece Use
The first notes that you should play everyday should be on your
mouthpiece.
As this will only amplify the sound you are able to achieve through your
existing buzz, we must make sure to pay special attention to the type of
sound that we produce when utilizing our mouthpiece.
II.
When buzzing, strive for a dark, open and warm sound. If the
sound is too bright, drop the jaw and make sure the corners are
firm. If the sound is too muddy, firm the corners and ensure
that proper air support is being used.
III.
Pitch Tendency
Each horn will have a natural tendency to be either sharp or flat within
certain pitches. A thorough understanding of ones horn and its behavior
in relation to tuning will aid greatly in the ensembles ability to effectively
be on tone and in tune.
Within chords and in regard to intonation, we must also understand the
role of the different notes with the chord. In order to accomplish this task
of micro-tuning, you must know your place within the chord.
M3
Narrow by 15 cents
m3
Widen by 13 cents
P4
Narrow by 2 cents
P5
Widen by 2 cents
m7
Narrow by 4 cents
Yet another issue with pitch tendency that we encounter is the effect of
valves on intonation. For each valve or combination of valves, we have an
undesired affect on the pitch. In order to correct this, the appropriate
slide or lip adjustment must be made.
1
1+2
2+3
1+3
1+2+3
Cold = Flat
The idea behind the pyramid is to illustrate that the most prominent
sound should be the bass voice and as you move up the pyramid, each
voice group above that should be heard a little less. This may also be
referred to as building from the bottom.
We will use this as the basis of our approach to balancing the brass
ensemble.
Blend
Blend refers to the characteristic colors and voices of each group of
instruments and how they relate to each other.
Blend issues will become apparent once the entire section is both on
tone as well as in tune and properly balanced.
When examining the concept of blending, we will look at the pyramid as
if it were a concentric circle in which each player strives to fill up the
circle of the lowest sounding voice.
The Wall
The Wall refers to a Wall of Sound. Much of what we do as a marching
arts ensemble relies heavily on the effect of everyone playing all the time.
Because our arena is outdoors and we dont have the acoustics of a
concert hall, our sound dissipates extremely quickly.
In order to create such a seamless sound, we must effectively utilize the
concept of stagger breathing. The basic rules of stagger breathing are:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Sneak in and sneak out. No one should know you took a breath.
Step-Outs
For the same reason we utilize mark time, we will also utilize step-outs.
Step-outs will serve as a physical representation of the beginning of a
musical phrase, much as they do in representing the beginning of a visual
phrase in relation to drill.
1st Trumpets
II.
2nd Trumpets
III.
3rd Trumpets
IV.
2nd Mellophone
V.
1st Mellophone
VI.
Tubas
VII.
Euphoniums
VIII.
3rd Baritone
IX.
2nd Baritone
X.
1st Baritone
It will be the responsibility of the Horn Sergeant to set the arc prior to
rehearsal beginning.
Breathing
As stated earlier in this guide, we will be using a myriad of breathing
exercises throughout the season to better serve our purposes of helping
to create a great brass ensemble.
While it is not practical to include details about the different exercises,
there are few terms that you will need to know in relation to concepts
that will be discussed pertaining breath and air support.
Capping the Breath
The term capping the breath refers to physically stopping the intake of
air during inhalation. We want to strive for a smooth, fluid motion when
both inhaling and exhaling.
Diaphragm
Although many of you have undoubtedly heard this term, it is a safe bet
to assume that youve never actually been told what the diaphragm really
is or how it actually works.
The diaphragm is a convex muscle attached to our ribcage that, when
contracted, creates a negative pressure inside us. This causes air to rush
in to balance the pressure.
In athletic breathing (brass playing included) other muscles, including the
intercostals (rib muscles) assist in creating this internal vacuum, thus
increasing the breathing capacity.
During exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes allowing for a natural release of
air. However, during athletic breathing, the intercostals as well as the
abdomen and lower back muscles will engage to literally push the air out.