Monday, October 13, 2008

Probably one of the things we brass players have the most difficult time with is our high register. There are several things we should remember when working on those high notes:

1. The most time we spent up there, the better it'll get and the easier it'll become. Just like any other aspect of our playing....if we want to improve we need to spent a good deal of time practicing it.

2. Blowing more air is not necessarily the best way of approaching it. Remember that air quantity and air pressure should be inversely proportional. In simple words: the high register needs less air but blown with more pressure. The low register, on the other hand, needs more air with less pressure.

3. Stop tonguing so hard. Try playing Bolero without tonguing at all and record yourself. You'll notice how it sounds articulated enough. Remember that due to the nature of the trombone partials are closer in the high register.

4. High resgister is like planting a seed. It'll be small at first but the more we work on it the bigger it'll get.

I hope this helps a little bit.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

I just attended a master class by Gene Pokorny (tubist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) and guess what does he use for his daily routine?.... that's correct.... Michael Davis' book.... there is also a 20 minute version of the book I commented on before..... what do you think?

Monday, October 6, 2008

And here we go again....

Lately, I've been having a hard time getting my daily playing started. Sometimes I feel very tired to play or I just feel like starting playing my solos and excerpts instead of working on my basics. The true is that basics are more important than we sometimes think and finding the proper way of working on them should be an ultimate goal every day.
Last Saturday one of my students at Knox College in Galesburg, IL brought to class the Michael Davis "15 Minutes Warm Up" book. What a terrific pedagogical tool!!!! The book includes the most basic exercises we all know (long tones, tonguing, flexibility, etc.) but it also comes with a CD you can play along with. It is a very refreshing experience since while you play you are also working on pitch and rhythmic accuracy just by listening to the songs in the background. And the most important thing: you feel that you are actually playing music just by working on your basics!
If used properly and by adding your own variations to the suggested routine, this could help you developing a healthy and musical daily routine!!!!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Welcome!!! Bienvenidos!!!

Hello everybody and welcome to my blog spot!!!

I'll be posting more information/news/comments during the following weeks. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or suggestions. Pura Vida!!!

Hola a todos y bievenidos a mi blog spot!!!

Estare agregando mas informacion/noticias/comentarios en las proximas semanas. Por favor, no duden contactarme en caso de que tengan preguntas o sugerencias. Pura Vida!!!