If you have read the last post, you will have seen that I my routine is based loosely on the Claude Gordon model, and so it may not be a surprise that I have adopted many of his ideas in my approach to playing as a whole. Claude Gordon is well-known for having many "phrases" (I like to call them "mantras"). One of his "mantras" that applies now is "It's not what you practice, but how you practice that counts". I believe this is true. You can practice lips slurs and flexibilities all day long, well-known as a beneficial exercise for playing any brass instrument, but that doesn't mean you will improve.
I'm going to go through my routine (as it stands now) and explain my approach to these areas of playing.
WARM-UP - this usually takes around 15 minutes.
1. Breathing
Breathing exercises are very useful. The title of Claude Gordon's book "Brass Playing is No Harder Than Deep Breathing" explains his view on the importance of breathing in the title alone. The book is a must have if you want to know more.
I try to do at least three sets of the breathing exercises everyday, completely separate to practice. Obviously, this doesn't always happen. I like to do them when I'm alone, purely for concentration, so finding time to do this and then time to practice the instrument can be difficult. When I'm driving tends to be the best time, but obviously concentration on the road often takes priority. Early in the day, I do a set of Preliminary Exercises, then later full Exercises (as many times as I can) and then return to Preliminary Exercises as part of my warm-up.
Inhalation should be be full and relaxed. I like to imagine saying "HOME" as I inhale because that allows my mouth to open enough to fill up without resistance, whilst not opening so much that I overbreathe. As I inhale the chest rises. I am at a stage where my chest rises automatically, but I have had to concentrate on this in the past to make this happen, sometimes concentrating a little more now when first doing exercises ensures that this is habitual.
By holding the air, whilst full, the chest learns the feeling and the support muscles around the chest and intercostaldiaphragmatic muscles also learn this feeling. It is important to be relaxed. If I have felt the shoulders rise a little, I lower them at this point. They don't tend to rise often, but occasionally.
Exhalation should be a hard blowing action, still trying to keep the chest up. The chest will fall a little, obviously, the lungs are emptying, but by trying to keep it up the support muscles of the abdomen and intercostaldiaphragmatic areas are engage properly. These muscles are also used in Wedge breathing, by understanding a little about this my awareness has heightened.
By continuing to 'squeeze' the air out during the exercise, the support muscles are worked extra hard. This is important to a) learn the feeling b) make it a habit and c) develop the musculature. This is when you become most aware of which muscles are used. Start at exhalation now to get that feeling. Then go to the beginning of the routine and notice the difference in how long you can blow, and the strength of the muscles because of filling up at the beginning.
Although keeping the chest up is a strange feeling at first, it soon becomes natural and is actually quite logical. Singers do it. Watch. David Krauss, Principal Trumpet of the MET Opera Orchestra, recommends it. Hakan Hardenberger, internationally renowned trumpet soloist, recommends it.... kind of.
2. Claude Gordon's Long Holds + 5 Notes
This is important for a few reasons. Firstly, pedal notes at the start of the playing day are a nice way to relieve the lips and the rest of the playing system of any tension from yesterday. If you've had a hard day, they tension goes away immediately. They're almost like meditation for brass playing. I'm a big fan, even though many, many, many players at all levels aren't.
By playing this exercise, which isn't actually from Claude Gordon, but loosely based on his exercises, the pedal register becomes a major focus. In Claude Gordon's pedal exercises, which he supposedly adapted from Louis Maggio, he teaches that you should push the final note as long as you can, and longer. This is engages the support muscles on the same way as the breathing exercises, the second of the important reasons for pedals. I like to do this. It is a work out as well as a warm-up that way - multi-tasking!
I play down to "Triple Pedal C" on soprano cornet (which is three octaves below the C under the treble stave). I can play further (usually to the G below that, but I feel that triple pedal C is plenty for warm-up). There are many contentious issues around pedals, with regard to embouchure. Some say that you shouldn't change the embouchure (including Claude Gordon), some say that you should. I think that because I am focussing on relaxing the lips and getting the air moving, I am happy to alter my embouchure if I need to. Without distorting the embouchure, I can play to pedal G (an octave below low G). Then I start changing it a little, gradually putting the lower lip under the mouthpiece.
When the pedal-purists reading this have picked themselves up off the floor, I will support this by saying that I don't expect to always do this. I couldn't always play to pedal G this way. I still can't play pedal A to G with valves - I have to play them open. Only recently have I been able to play pedal B and B-flat with correct valves, i.e. the same as the octave above.
3. Claude Gordon's Upward Arpeggios (+ 5 Notes)
I tongue the arpeggios, slurring the last five notes, and don't hold the last note too long. Just enough to hear and feel the full sound of the note. I go up as high as I can, which is currently up to D major/E-flat major (i.e. high E or F above high C). High D is my highest "usuable" note. I can hit it and sound full on it. Until recently, the last two months or so, coincidentally, notes above high A were only there 75% of the time. Now up to high D is at least 95% there.
MAINTENANCE - this usually takes around 30 minutes with rests
1. Lip Flexibility
Playing smoothly, focussing on a full sound on each note, is the priority in these exercises. Whether it is at mm.=c.42 or mm.=c.184 doesn't matter, full sound and smooth playing is the priority. It is better to play accurately than quickly. I also make sure to crescendo towards the higher notes in flexibility exercises, this encourages the correct breathing. I could talk about tongue level here, but that is another contentious subject. All I will say, is that if I whistle a low note to a high note and back down my tongue moves to change the pitch. When I play the instrument, the same happens. Try it for yourself. If this doesn't work for you, fine. If it does, fine. We're all different. In my teching experience, I haven't met anyone who didn't feel this relationship in their playing, but I am happy to meet the first one.
2. Clarke Studies
I like to use these as a multi-tasking tool. They develop finger technique, including strength of fingers and learning of patterns, but I also use them to develop tonguing and articulation. I play with single, 'k', double and triple tongues as appropriate. By 'k' tonguing, my double tonguing improves. I always aim to a strong 'front' to the note, whether it is single, 'k' or multiple tonguing. This is important. If I can tongue hard, I can tongue soft. The reverse isn't true. In tonguing, hard can be softened, soft can't be made hard.
Adding a faster pattern, working on double and triple tonguing, is a development of agility. Double and triple tonguing is meant for speed. This is important to practice.
REPERTOIRE - as much time as I can find, resting often
I work on specific pieces as needed, or look at pieces for development of general or specific areas of technique. All music develops musicianship, some can also develop tonguing, rhythm, finger technique, dynamics, range etc...
WARM-DOWN - five minutes at most
As Bud Herseth, former principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony and father of the American Orchestral trumpet sound, used to say - leave the lips how you would like to find them the next day.
I use three octaves descending arpeggios, working down to from low C to usually triple pedal G, one key at-a-time.
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I hope this helps to clear up some of the elements I discussed in my last post. I hope to post some videos of my routine over the coming weeks,m which should go some way to explaining the concepts a little further.
Please leave a comment below if you have anything you wish to post, questions welcome.
Thanks - John
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