ARNOLD JACOBS WORKSHOP- 7/26/93

A. The embouchure is not complicated

• It’s just vibration- we can buzz anywhere on our lips

• We don’t need to find placement; we just hear notes

• We buzz without thinking

• The lips just have to vibrate

• When there’s air, there’s not necessarily a buzz

• We need great knowledge of the art of sound and ignorance of physiology.

B. The brain must have a concept of good sound

• Memory is very important

• We aren’t aware of our vocal cords during speech

• We should treat the embouchure as vocal cords

• The adult brain should only be involved in music

• The body is only hardware

• Sound is most important

• Demonstration is the most successful form of teaching

• Stabilize the sound, not the body.

C. The nervous system

• Motor nerves- carry signal from brain to effectors

• Only carries signals one way

• Takes orders from brain to body parts

• Sensory nerves- gather information only

• We learn through our sensors and act through our effectors

• Therefore, always focus on the product, no the process

D. The nervous system and practicing

• You can’t use the sensory system primarily when embarking on a motor activity

• i.e. listening to yourself play instead of practicing

• You must be involved only with the message

• The instrument is a powerful stimulus for bad habits

• Focus on the person, not the musician

• Always focus on the product, not the process

• If there’s a physiological problem, take care of it away from the instrument

E. Be a storyteller of sound

• There are 2 instruments- one in the hand and one in the brain

• The horn in the hand- must be a mirror of your thoughts

• Imitation is a powerful learning tool

• Hear the ideal sound in your mind always

• To drive a car it is not necessary to know how a car works

• The human body is too complicated to understand

• Don’t blow and just listen to yourself

• Don’t stabilize the meat, stabilize the sound

F. Sensory awareness can’t be involved in performance

• You should be aware only of your mind’s horn

• Don’t just listen to yourself when you practice

• Demonstration- “Promenade” from Pictures at an Exhibition

• Performers shouldn’t be afraid to play in public

• We’re in an art form

• Practice so you’re performing

• We’re communicating

• Low pressure in oral cavity, high air flow through horn

• Little backpressure

• Go to extremes during practice- use as little air pressure and as much wind as possible

• You can blow hard but not have much air

• Your body can lie- your diaphragmatic area can expand without any air being inhaled

• Less pushing, more air

• The psychology of suction in inhaling causes less pressure in exhaling

• It’s almost impossible to be tense when you’ve taken a free, full breath

G. Blowing air out freely is the physiological opposite of childbirth and defecation

• Don’t stabilize the diaphragmatic and laryngeal regions, or else you may trigger the Valsalva Maneuver

• Don’t confuse your body by tensing up these regions and blowing

• As long as there’s tone, there’s wind

• Pressure always exists as a phenomenon of wind

• Minimize the air pressure, and the tone gets automatically better

• we do this by using more wind

H. Accuracy comes from the brain, not the chops

• The “breath builder”- you must use it with a minimum of effort

• Because of hyperventilation, you can only do 3-4 repetitions

• After working with the breath builder, the horn in your mind must become more important

• The tongue should only be used in extreme range leaps

• Inhale deep breaths with as little effort as possible

• Raise the chest if necessary

• Don’t breathe deeply according to body motion-just take in a lot of air

• When making physical changes, always do them away from the instrument

ARNOLD JACOBS WORKSHOP- 7/27/93

A. The tongue

Takes up most of the space in the oral cavity in repose

• Ah, Oh, Oo- 3 most open vowel sounds

• Ss, K- most closed

• ‘T’ is an unvoiced consonant- it cannot make a sound

• It’s a blockage of air

• ’T’ makes no sound or music whatsoever

• It does strange things and consists of many muscles

• Stuttering on a brass instrument is caused by isometric contraction

• The tension can be felt under the chin

• This isometric contraction also occurs in swallowing- it closes off the windpipe

• Having the chin down in playing closes off the airway

• Inhaling openly and largely prevents closure in exhaling

• You must get the tongue out of the way during playing

• The tongue and “diaphragm” can cause the most problems in playing

“A most unruly organ”

• During a deep breath the larynx moves down and opens up

• Static air pressure (‘t’) we try to avoid

• Concentrate on blowing air out, not on the tongue

• Think of wind, not pressure

• You can’t control the meat in order to control the sound

• Don’t concentrate on the feelings of the tongue or chops

• This makes pressure, not wind, the most important

B. When you play your horn, forget about it all except for the music

EXERCISES:

• Slow breathing- in 4 counts, out 4 counts

• Allows you to “follow through” and use all necessary muscle groups

• Also helps for stage fright

• Done many times throughout the day

• Start with a full lung capacity

• A study of the psychology of breathing

• Vary speed by making tempo progressively faster

• Study of the rapid, full breath (However, don’t think about breathing exercises during playing!)

• Don’t fight old habits, replace them with new ones

• In legato playing, slurring is done with the brain, not the valves

• Fast inhalation- exhale for 7 eighth notes, inhale for 1 eighth note

ARNOLD JACOBS WORKSHOP- 7/28/93

A. Strength

• 654 of our 659 muscles are antagonists to each other

• All of us have more than enough strength to play

• We want weakness, not strength

• Conceive of air outside the mouth, not inside

• A sure sign that things are working correctly

B. Questions

Resuming practice after a long vacation
a) Focus primarily on interpretation

b) Find your finest quality of tone- even on 1 long note

c) Make sure you go after the music, not drills

d) Gradually increase range

e) Don’t try to stabilize the meat, stabilize the tone and sound

f) Hypertrophy- decreases after 3 weeks of not playing

g) Play easy music that you know

h) Don’t accept lower standards even though you haven’t been playing

i) Copying is very important at this stage

What causes hiccups?
a) An irritation of the diaphragm- the diaphragm makes a spasm downward

b) Rebreathing in a bag or holding breath works best to get rid of them

c) Increase carbon dioxide in the lungs

d) Sugar scrapes the throat; works for some

How do you form a mental image while playing music you’ve never seen?
a) Mental image should be based on past experiences

b) Music should remind you of music you’ve played or heard before

c) Sightreading is like walking through tall grass -1st time- no path is made; no memory is achieved -Each additional time a greater path is made; a better memory of the piece is achieved

Where should the destination of the air in the lungs be?
a) No specific region; just the lungs!

b) Every area of the lungs fills equally at the same rate

c) Thinking about full breaths allows more air than thinking about regional breaths- More area to expand

d) In high flow rate instruments (tuba) it is more important to have air reserves

e) The ribs lower as you get out of breath -As you inhale the ribs widen and raise- You can’t expand the lungs with the back muscles- it is very inefficient- allow the rib cage to move up -Just take in huge volumes of air and don’t worry about being wrong

Controlling long phrases without running out of air
a) Maximum efficiency -If the embouchure wants to vibrate, less air is automatically required -Concentrate on a free buzz

b) Some have a smaller “gas tank” than others, but we all need the same amount of air to play -Those with a smaller tank just need to take in more breaths

c) Long tones make things much more efficient

d) Articulation- sometimes wastes air

Mouthpiece buzzing
a) Produces a feeling of strangeness which can be beneficial in getting rid of bad habits

b) It is a pure connection from the brain to the lips

c) Don’t warm up- use the lips as vocal cords -Mental thought in playing should be the same as in singing- only the message reaches the lips through the 7th cranial nerve rather than the vocal cords vial the laryngeal nerve -Buzz songs that aren’t too fast or slow

d) Avoid problems involved with adding the horn -Breathe a thick column of air -Think air and buzz, song and wind

e) Covering backbore causes the same resistance as the horn -Good for buzzing pedal tones

f) Length, thickness and tension exist in all vibration -When articulating in the low register you must use a slightly more tense embouchure than if playing legato -Playing general music in the low register helps -Interpret music down there

C. Playing routine

1. Concentrate on the love song- music

2. Whether long or short tones, always play with the same quality of tone

3. Daily practice

• Long term goals- ex. orchestral excerpts -Anything practiced regularly

• Recital program

• Short term practice

ex. etudes, Orchestral parts- even practice quarter notes!
Practice things you don’t include on the job- balance.
Control the tone to control the meat, not vice versa
Piston (lungs) down when you breathe in, up when you breathe out
Breathing exercises can only do 4 repetitions if you do things correctly
Don’t concentrate on moving the body during breathing- if you breathe correctly it moves without thought


D. Replacement breaths- exercises

1. Slow breath- long body (as if standing)
a) 5 counts each way
b) Study what happens to your body during the slow breath- like “long bow” exercises
c) Mid 40’s or so- some elasticity is lost -Still keep breathing deeply- it shouldn’t matter if you were breathing correctly in the first place.

2. Exhale for 4 beats, inhale 1 beat, exhale -You must work as a person on breathing, not as a brass player

3. Exhale 7 eighth notes, inhale 1 eighth note- Use your arms as a visual aid during the exercises
a) During exhalation, move arm away from the body

b) During inhalation, move arm toward you -Arms represent air well because they are visual and represent change -Air cannot be felt as air below the larynx- it’s more of an imitation

• Many times replacement breaths are inadequate

• Practice moving air out and in by thirds while moving the arms- begin to sense quantity

• Also, do long and fast inhalations using arms

• Short breaths can fill lungs to capacity- you must be very efficient (no half breaths)

• You can’t get tense or you can’t get full lungs capacity

• The sensation of having too much air to get a fresh breath is caused by too much pressure inside the lungs

• You don’t have to empty lungs totally when playing; there is always gas exchange

ARNOLD JACOBS WORKSHOP- 7/29/93

A. Summary

The source of stimulus must be in the brain for the embouchure
a) ex. Trumpet part to Zarathustra- Hear the high ‘C’ a moment before you play it
b) High register- must be played in enough – Play songs up high – Lyricism more important- get a good concept of what the high register should sound like – Stabilize the sound and the music- the embouchure will develop later

Make sure replacement breaths are large enough
Every note must have a stimulus in the brain
When buzzing, feel where the lips are vibrating
It’s the buzz that plays the horn, not the air
Always mentalize when you play
Always sing when you play- even use numbers or solfege if needed

Don’t tolerate anyone who plays better than you
a) High standards are in the head, not the lips
b) The horn in your hand must mirror the horn in your mind
c) If your mental image is good enough, soon you will play better than those you imitate

You can’t control the embouchure- you must control the music
The less air pressure and resistance you use, the better tone you will have
a) Darker
b) Pull tuning slide in, though
c) Endurance will increase greatly

• Match tone qualities when slurring octaves

• As you rise one octave the backpressure doubles -ex. 7-14-28 6-12-24

• The freer you play in the low register the less backpressure you will need

• Arpeggios- must be free

B. Breathing aids

The breath builder
a) A good “frog and tip” study
b) Use weakness
c) Closing the port- causes more resistance
d) You must put the tube between the teeth and over the tongue
e) 3-4 reps only

Hospital inhaler
a) Can have variable resistance
b) Keep the ball up as long as possible
c) Anesthesia bag- like long tones -Put mouthpiece in to measure air used when playing
d) Inspiron alone, or with rubber tube for mouthpiece work -Ordinarily it is a breath exerciser

3/4 inch tube- lets you feel the air going into the mouth
a) Putting your mouthpiece through it aids resistance
b) Finger also works in place of the tube

Snatched inhalations- use arm for visualization
a) Smaller women- must be more efficient
b) Snatched inhalations- practice quickly using arms -Also practice on horn

C. You must have a note in your head during silences

D. Pressure in the body during playing

1. Standing and sitting should feel the same

2. Replacement breaths- must be large at all times

3. No gasps

4. 80% of lung capacity can be removed in one second in healthy males

• 5% – takes 2-3 seconds

• 5%- residual air; can’t be removed

Large inhalation stretches tissues
a) Tissues have an elastic rebound effect
b) 3/4 lbs. of pressure right after inhalation
c) Rest position- This portion usually used during sleep; about 1/3 of lung capacity; in balance with atmospheric pressure

The amount of work gets greater as you pass 0 pressure
a) Asthmatics and emphysema sufferers- take longer to empty lungs
b) Work harder than healthy persons
c) Also occurs in older people

Replacement breaths- don’t need to fill lungs totally, but should be comfortable into the positive pressure area
a) In general, breathe comfortable large breaths and exhale in a way that expels air the quickest
b) Practice holding your breath without closing your throat, or try panting, or a gasp of surprise
c) Hold your breath without closing the throat and use the breath as needed in orchestral situations (actually this can be very calming).

Refilling the lungs can be very quick no matter where you are in the pressure curve (neural inhibition= reversal of inhale and exhale is instantaneous)
a) Palpating the sternal region- makes exaggeration in the chest region apparent- bring the chest up and utilize that space
b) Every area of the lungs must expand- the chest and diaphragm area included
c) Aerobic exercise doesn’t help lungs, but does make you healthy!

If you use 4 liters of air, take 4 back in
a) Stay out of the negative pressure curve
b) Always take air in through the mouth
c) Think of the air vacuum meter at the lips

ARNOLD JACOBS WORKSHOP- 7/30/93

A. The embouchure

• Play it down- it develops based on the music you play

• It develops with lots of range, dynamic and musical practice

• Basic musculature

a) Upper lip consists of all the muscles from the nose to the lip opening
b) Lower lip consists of all the muscles from the top of the chin to the lip opening
c) The cheek muscles are also involved- from the ear to the mouth
d) No embouchure exists except inside the mouthpiece
e) The embouchure consists of only the vibrating surfaces

High register problems
a) Adjust the vibrating surfaces, not the rim surface
b) Small muscles of the orbicularis oris bring the vibrating surfaces inward
c) We aren’t aware of these small muscles- we must concentrate on the sound instead
d) High notes are nothing but a fast vibration, Low notes are nothing but a slow vibration
e) The high register doesn’t involve strength
f) Don’t stabilize the embouchure, stabilize the sound
g) Try getting a good high sound in your brain
h) Too often the embouchure in the high register is forced to vibrate
i) No forcing is needed
j) Take music you know and put it in the high register- it will take a little time, but it will develop with more practice
k) The ring around the embouchure consists of hypertrophy of small muscles
l) Mouthpiece pressure has a purpose

• It helps isolate the region

• No pressure- only works in fanfare situations

m) Prepare everything but air pressure when playing- the cellist prepares everything but motor movement

Changing mouthpieces
a) If you go by the product, changing doesn’t affect it (The same rim helps, though)
b) If you go by feeling, it affects playing (however, we shouldn’t play by sensory information)
c) Changing mouthpieces helps the psychomotor aspect of playing

Strangeness- gets rid of conditioning
It changes the stimulus- thoughts become more important
3 variables- the horn, the mouthpiece, and the embouchure-
Placement of the mouthpiece
a) Much to do with taste
b) You should find your own placement
c) Pressure should be equal at all points- if the angle isn’t correct we will try to equalize pressure at all points, causing overpressing on one lip
d) Pivot system- don’t pivot for small intervals like 3rds, 5ths, etc.

• We should concentrate on small embouchure changes

• Pivoting definitely helps in large intervals, but don’t overdo it in small intervals

e) Buzzing
Visualizer- very inefficient- no acoustical benefits

• It isolates the vibrating surfaces though

• Can cause more air pressure than in the horn and less air flow- a danger exists of carrying this to the instrument

• Practice only low and middle ranges with the visualizer

Buzzing without the mouthpiece (free buzz)

• Difficult to transfer to the mouthpiece- the ring makes transfer easier

• It is almost perfect buzzing, but it is so close to being right it is dangerous (the embouchure does not actually buzz this efficiently)

• Can make the vibrating surfaces too tense

1. The visualizer isolates muscles for buzzing but lip pressure is not the same

2. The double buzz is an airway problem

• Caused by not thick enough of an air column

• Not enough air- therefore not an embouchure but an air problem

f) Puffing cheeks

• Don’t draw attention to it- the corners of the mouth are the only thing that matters

• Fix this problem by working on articulated interval studies- they require firm corner muscles

-Demonstration- Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto-

• If you don’t always use your full lung capacity you run into problems in later life

• Inhale feeling friction at the lips during suction- suck!

• Air and embouchure, not air and tongue- even in fast staccato passages (the visualizer helps awareness in buzz, not tongue)

• Full and empty exercises using arms as frog and tip visualizations

• Suck air at lips, not throat

• Inhaling is much more important than exhaling

• Slow breath studies for quantitative purposes

• Exhale in 4 beats, inhale in 1

• Put lips forward during suction- the tube in the mouth alters the stimulus

B. The aging process and wind playing

45-50 was the age that brass players used to retire
a) Loss of elasticity and chest wall compliance
b) Tonguing problems also showed up

• Those who then gear toward the feelings they had when they were younger also ended up retiring

• Bud Herseth and other successful older brass players are geared toward music and therefore don’t experience this

• Age brings on only a “shortening of the bow”- Mental states are much more serious

• Difficulty in tonguing and tightening of the throat are the first symptoms

1. More wind- the solution

2. Music and song always

-Demonstration- Rochut etude #4

• Add the dimension of song

• Listen to musicians and singers- copy and create

• All practice must be based on the concept of art

• Don’t prepare tissue, or there will be no music- hear notes, prepare the music

• Song and wind

• Song is all-important

• Wind is secondary

• Put the mouthpiece in an inspirometer; try to lift the ball while buzzing- imagine raising a ball when buzzing on your horn

C. Final comments

Song and wind are very simplifying concepts- the only challenge in playing is musical
a) Preconceived sound

b) Very important; almost vital to a brass player

c) A brass player must have excellent relative pitch

d) Have recall after you play also

e) Mouthpiece buzzing is very important in developing relative pitch also

f) Solfege is a fine way to develop this; even think the syllables when you play

g) Singing and brass playing are closer to each other than any 2 instrument families

Talking is very easy because there’s a message- if you have nothing to say it gets difficult- the same is true with brass playing
You can sound great when doing everything physically wrong if you think musically

Vibrato
a) Use visual aids; shake the horn, etc., and don’t allow any guessing internally

b) Always go by sound

c) Imitation is also important