Flexibility - the 'necessary' actions

[JayKosta]

Flexibility is an important part of being able to play well, and 'flexibility exercises' are usually found in method books, videos, etc. But less discussed are the 'skills' and 'actions' that are needed to achieve good 'playing flexibility'.

These are my initial thoughts about those skills and actions.

Basically, flexibility means being able to quickly and accurately move among notes of different pitch, and especially different ranges.

A key part of this is having good control of lips and embouchure so the changes and adjustments can be made with minimum physical movement, and with good control so the desired note can be sounded correctly, and on-time.

Ideally, those changes come about unconsciously by seeing the written note, imagining the pitch, using correct fingering, and making the appropriate embouchure and air adjustments.

A critical issue is being able to make those embouchure and air adjustments quickly. A large part of this is the ability to make small 'tweaks' in adjustment, and to avoid needing large (slow) physical changes. Doing slow long-tone practice is a good way to learn the adjustments for the various notes, but that can lead to excessive 'rigidity' in the setting for each note (and range).
AFTER you have learned to correctly play the various notes, it is important to learn how to reduce the amount of physical movement so the time to 'get set' for the next note is short.

If anyone can give me links or references to good instructional / teaching material about this, I'd appreciate it.
_________________
Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.

[rhatheway]

Jay, as probably one of the newest members here on TH I don't really feel I'm qualified to give you advice, but...

The "Arban Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet" (which is what I've been using this past year as I've been working on getting my chops back) has exercises that cover just about anything you might want to learn. There's a great section on slurring and legato playing (>20 pages of exercises), which covers a lot of what (I think) you're asking about, and has exercises in different key signatures and meters, from slow to fast, which are definitely useful in developing the flexibility you talked about (it's helping me anyway).

https://www.amazon.com/Fischer-Complete-Conservatory-Method-Trumpet/dp/B017X3KDJY/ref=asc_df_B017X3KDJY
_________________
Richard H
------------------------------------------
Working on getting my chops back...

“Without music, life would be a mistake” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

1958 Conn Director 14A
1968 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1977 Reynolds Medalist CR-58

[stuartissimo]

I found this video by Alex ‘Trumpet Brain’ a good starting point. It discusses some basics on how he thinks these exercises can be approached efficiently.
_________________
1975 Olds Recording trumpet
1997 Getzen 700SP trumpet
1955 Olds Super cornet
1939 Buescher 280 flugelhorn
AR Resonance mpc

[JayKosta]

[cantabile]

I really like the flexibilities (Lip Slurs) in Michael Sachs' Daily Fundamentals For The Trumpet. They are well graduated from lower to higher register, with variations and musicality.
Many of his exercises in various sections of the book also develop warm, full airflow as well as the focus technique. His tutorial text in each section is well-explained for learning.

[Jaw04]

[JayKosta]

[abontrumpet]

I don't believe Alex Brain's description or methodology really gets to the heart of improving flexibility. It won't hurt, but it's not really explaining anything.

EDIT

On a personal note, I think that people place "flexibility" too far up the totem pole (i.e., make less important). Important is too weak a word, I would go further and say it is foundational/essential. You cannot play the instrument without the ability to navigate "the path" (i.e., mastering the overtone series). In an ideal world, beginners would master 1. "tone/sound" 2. "path". On a very personal note, "control" is anti-productive to mastering brass, but I understand that all of the above may just be a semantic issue. That being said, we need to "let" (relinquish control) as much as possible (disclaimer: I'm not saying you can't control aspects of playing for improvement, but the goal is to eventually relinquish control -- there may need to be a period of focused consciousness for that to happen -- which may include a period of "how little can I control and still achieve the same result," not just the other end of the spectrum).

[kalijah]

. He seems to like the idea of "let the lips vibrate" but keeps demonstrating free-buzzing, rim-buzzing and mouthpiece buzzing.

He needs to just blow air through the lips in all cases, THAT is what occurs when the instrument resonance is not present.

He also pops the mp and says basically "sound with no air flow". Actually, there is indeed flow during the "pop" it is just of very short duration.

Take any teachers "science" with a grain of salt.

[abontrumpet]

[kalijah]

[abontrumpet]

[kalijah]

[abontrumpet]

[Doug Elliott]

[kalijah]

[Rhondo]

Question:

To boil it down to the essentials:

Assuming you’re very familiar with where the notes are on the horn, is the key just air support and practicing?

[JayV]

Jim Thompson teaches essentially the same thing as VerMeulen about flexibility. In fact, buzzing basics exercises 3 and 4 are explicitly designed to help the student create and feel that "pop" as the slur finds the resonance in the horn. "The path" is just another way to conceptualize and practice the same thing: finding the minimum effort to make the most resonant sound and navigate the intervals the most efficient way, without "steering" or "muscling" anything. Tony Prisk was just on Ryan Beach's podcast discussing and demonstrating the same thing. Virtually all highly skilled brass players have this approach to tone/flexibility.

I think Charles Colin's "Advanced Lip Flexibilities" are another great way to practice these concepts.

[JayKosta]

Link to video discussing 'buzz', and sound production

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hM8hAfZ52R8

I think a BIG part of what he is discussing is said in these 2 sections -
11:15 - 12:15 'allow the buzz', but not mentioned is that 'lip / face engagement' is what controls how the lips are allowed to buzz.
and
28:20 - 29:00 - where he talks about 'guide the buzz' and 'face engagement'.
_________________
Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.

[JayKosta]