A session on the road

Just not while you drive…

I am currently up in Edmonton right now, taught a masterclass yesterday and Timepoint has a show this afternoon. Which leaves the always somewhat complicated playing away from home scenario. For context this was my morning… in an AirBnb with a practice mute. I have a few “warm and fuzzy” sessions I like, this is one of them.

Play everything BIG, not sound wise, tone wise, even with the mute, find that big phat sound.

The Session

  • Soft buzzing, really soft, find that spot where are and sound meet and dance around on it.

    • mostly simple tones, move slowly, soft, and phat.

  • Louis Maggio - Warm up A (Max 15 min)

    • Extend it down, LOW. Always a big phat sound, don’t move past the note until it is exactly how it should be (hense the max 15 min.)

  • Expanding intervals from the best note (15 min max)

    • I start on a G and play it several times, long tones. Then expand up a semi tone and copy the sound, Then return to the note and move down a semitone. Do things like:

      • Play the non-best note for a quarter note, slur back to the best note, slur back to the other note.

      • DON’T GO PAST A NOTE UNTIL IT IS TOTALLY EVEN

  • Slurs into scales. (Up and down)

    • I did this in a recent practice log here is how it works.

      • Start on Harmonic 2, go up the horn ala the Farkas lipslurs.

      • Reaching the top (for up version (harm 16 or 12, and bottom harm 2 for descending) Switch to the scale pattern to return to the starting note.

      • Scale Pattern all slurred (adapt it to work if you only go to harm 12):

        • Descend 1 octave, small fermata on the pitch,

        • Slur up to the Dominant (so if we are on F horn series C to C, slur up to G) then descend 1 octave. small fermata on the pitch.

        • Slup up to the Tonic (C for F horn series) descend 1 octave….

        • etc. So if you only go to harmonic 12, you start the pattern doing the scale from the

        • note: you don’t always need to do Tonic-Dominant. Work your ears.. do things like… Subtonic slurred way back up to supdominant, etc. You are working on intonation in chord resolutions, so, do that in many ways.

You are done… again this is a road session, it is quick, it works on some crucial parts of playing, but also gets some sensitivity into the chops right away.

Share, comment, like it is greatly appreciated.

Practice session - General morning

Today’s session is another mixed bag. It isn’t based around anyone book, it is “practice aid heavy” but that is alright. It is also going to be a pretty quick one, so lets go.

The Session

  • Breathing exercises (5 min)

    • Inhalation with a Triflo

      • 4 reps with each ball

    • Peak flow meter 8 reps going for target

  • Long Tones (pick 4 pitches, do them in all octaves with hairpins)

    • Do these with a tuner or pitch visualizer for stability

  • Scales numbers are scale degrees

    • 1-5-1-5-1-9-5-9-5-9-1-3-5-8-10-12-10-8-5-3-1 (in 16th notes, various articulations, pick several scales)

    • Major Pentatonic scales over 3 octaves

    • Whole tone scale from G over the entire range of the horn slurred and tongued

    • 1 octave descending scales with flutter tongue, going over the break

  • Lip slurs (recorded and reviewed.)

    • Farkas style

      • Play the quarter note version that starts on middle C (or Harm 5 of whatever valve combo you are using) complete the exercise. Take a deep breath and do the 8th note version from the bottom (harm 2)

  • Etude

    • Kopprasch no.13 with repeats

      • As written and down the ocatve.


That is it, another quick and focused one, the next post will be some insight into why I don’t have a set routine. So until then, happy horning.