Breathing device videos

Working with air

If you have followed my practice sessions, you know I generally incorporate breathing, what brass player doesn’t? It is so critical to what we do, it is also full of habits. To help me with those habits I make use of various breathing devices in a focused way as a bridge between conception and playing (read the book Song and Wind)..

I have been fortunate to work with some of the best breathers out there (most of them studying with Jacobs at some point, or one of Jacobs' students). Breathing devices can be complicated, or simple depending on how we use them. What they do allow us to do is introduce strangeness into our air, and provide a means of visual information and feedback. We can then use that information to inform our playing.

Since everyone doens’t have access to the same resources I am slowly releasing videos that deal with the use of various breathing devices that I use and have been with me for awhile.

The first two are below and more are on their way.

Happy practicing.

(My youtube channel - feel free to subscribe as I am planning some other videos on playing beyond breathing)


Basics session

Back!!

Now that the Ghost Opera has finished I am back to some what of a normal schedule (as much as a freelancer can say) so I am hoping to be back sharing sessions. Below is the basics one I did today after a few days off.

Summer lesson deal. I am also running a deal on online lessons right now Learn more below (it is a pretty solid discount, and limited space) (40% off single lessons, 50% off bookings of 4)

LEARN MORE

The session

The goal: Get back in touch with the buzz and air relationship after time off

  • Breathing exercises - your choice, I did some basic flow work.

  • Buzzing - Sirens and simple songs

  • Buzzing with Incentive Spirometer (in the inverted position)

  • Long tones - 10 beats @ 60BPM, five beats up, five beats down, 5 beats rest between.

    • I did C major, a minor, G whole tone.

  • Lip Flexibility - Pick something easy

    • Remingtons moguls

    • 4 - 5 - 6 -8 - 6 -5 - 4 (All fingering combinations including B horn)

    • 2 - 4 - 8 - 4 -2 (All fingering combinations including B horn)

  • REST

  • Lead pipe buzzing - 4 times, lead pipes second harmonic

  • Clarke no.1 slurred and tongued

  • Clarke no.2 slurred and tongued

  • REST

  • Concone no.1

  • Concone no.2

That is it. This is a simple session, the goal is connecting the air and the buzz after some time off. Shouldn’t be hard, should be nice and focused!

Gekker and Schlossberg for control and ease

The session today makes use of Chris Gekker’s book Endurance Drills for Performance Skills and the Schlossberg book again. If you don’t have the Gekker book you could find similar approaches in Clarke, Shuebruk, and Nagel. I just really like the Gekker book, it is also a nice way to take a step back from the Clarke book and let that refresh itself.

Once we hit our stride this becomes a back and forth of technical and flow/flex. Also pay close attention to the concepts of the Gekker book and what is being worked on, spoiler, it isn’t speed.

The Routine

  • Breathing exercises - Flow but focusing on expanding the breath (so instead of working to in for 1 out for 1, work your way up to something like in for 16 out for 16 with a metronome at 52 bpm. Great one to use a breathing tube with)

  • Schlossberg no.6 down an octave. This is just so we start on Harmonic 4 instead of 8.

  • Schlossberg no.12 (as written)

  • Schlossberg no.21 and ascending on the Bb horn.

  • Gekker no.1 going as high as can be controlled. No tension or straining in the Gekker exercises.

  • Schlossberg no.15

  • Gekker no.3

  • Schlossberg no.25 (same was as in the Schlossberg session starting on the harm 4 C)

  • Gekker no.7

  • Schlossberg no.52 (following procedures from the Sclossberg session)

  • Gekker no.10

  • Etude of choice, I’d go with Kopprasch or Kling, something focusing on articulation and moving around the horn to reinforce what we worked on.

That is it. It is a focused session and heavy work. If you start losing the ability to keep it in control, jump to the etude after a 5 minute break and call it.

A mixed bag session

This session is another one I hit every so often, or version of it. Details below

If you haven’t seen I have started a project related to this one called “practice logs”, it is a project where I am aiming to upload one of my sessions a day. I am trying to make sure those sessions are similar to these. For days like yesterday when I was in rehearsal all day, there may end up not having an upload since no one wants to read a list of rep I worked on with measure numbers. The button below will take you there.


The Session

  • Breathing and light stretching, incorporate breathing exercises into stretching.

  • Bodet Daily Exercises no.1 - Follow instructions, go only as far as is controlled plenty of time to work on the high range.

  • Bodet Daily Exercises no.3 - Follow instructions, max 15 minutes, same thing with range, go only as far as necessary. (I recommend transposing the exercise down a fourth. Or play as written, your call.)

  • Break (5 - 10 minutes)

    • Stretch, setup practice logs for the day, goals, etc. Make the time active.

  • Clarke Setting up drills Group 1

  • Laurie Frink - An Integrated Warm-up - Part I

  • Break (5 minutes)

  • Brass Gym - Lip Flips

  • Brophy - Technical Studies for solving… - Low register exercises 1 - 4

  • Etudes

  • Lead sheet work (couple tunes)

Another short and sweet one. I usually use this one in the morning (or one similar looking) I find it nice and straight forward, and it works well for me.

Happy Horning.

3 duets inspired by Concone and Bordogni
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