Brass Band Guide for GYSO members
Contents
1. always and never lock the throat In then out no pauses or disruptions to the cycle If dizziness sets in at any point and it probably will sit down and rest until you feel normal again PART ONE Opening Up For 4 counts inhale smoothly as you gradually raise your arms above your head touching your palms together Then WITHOUT LOCKING THE THROAT you may wish to use a breathing tube 35mm film canister with bottom cut out inserted partially into the mouth to prevent throat locking Hold breath for 4 counts as you gradually lower your arms Note the big open feeling in your chest Remember this puffed up chest feeling and mimic it when you play like to imagine a resonating cavity behind my breastplate about the size of a basketball Exhale evenly for 4 beats Rest for 4 beats Then inhale for 6 beats as you raise the arms Hold Breath for 6 beats as you gently lower the arms exhale for 6 beats rest for 6 beats Inhale for 8 beats hold for 8 exhale for 8 rest PART TWO Paper Airplane Use your incredibly vivid imagination and make a paper airplane For 4 beats wind up to throw the airplane and for 4 beats let it fly with a beautifully steady tailwind Watch it soar out of sight IMPORTANT You must evenly pace your inhale and exhale over the course of 4 beats Don t be full before 4 beats nor empty before 4 beats At the top of the cycle do NOT stop the air and do NOT lock the throat Gently let t2. or more if you d like
3. you are not showing such support reserve the right to move YOU to a new instrument Empathy is stronger than sympathy after all Transpositions in Brass Band This is an essential element to Brass Banding and might be a new concept to many of us Please read and re read this section until you have a firm grasp We ve already noted that every instrument in the ensemble is pitched either in E flat or B flat With the exception of Bass Trombone everyone in the band will be reading a Treble clef part in either E flat or B flat it will tell you which in the upper left hand corner This will be a challenge for all of us initially so let me try to explain a few things Why do they pitch these instruments as they do and why have 2 different transpositions actually 3 including the Bass trombone bass clef part The answer is one of practicality The availability of B flat and E flat instruments made them an obvious choice The presence of two different pitch families allows for a more diverse and colorful range of sound Why not allow for C cornets F horns C tubas etc in addition to B flat and E flat instruments Obviously pitch center and unification of sound is a challenge when everyone has a different tonal center on their horn But why limit it to just two B flat and E flat Think of the Brass Band tradition and the earliest days of the art form factory workers miners and hard laborers Situations in the mines and factor
4. Baritones and Trombones A cornet on the other hand is thought to be a CONICAL instrument Think of a cone It tapers from one end to the other In other words the bore size is constantly increasing Because of its conical shape it prefers a conical mouthpiece IMPORTANT cornet players you must NOT use your trumpet mouthpiece in the cornet While agree that you can make it work it will not achieve the proper sound and you will struggle mightily with intonation have met one person in my life that uses the same mouthpiece in his trumpet as he does in the cornet with tremendous success His name is Allan Dean and he is an extraordinary artist Until your ears grow as big as his and your artistry develops to his level you will struggle to achieve a pleasing Cornet timbre with a cup shaped trumpet mouthpiece So please give it up The trumpet makes a wonderful brilliant focused bright and penetrating sound It heralds the great events of the day That is not the desired tone color for Brass Band The conical Cornet has a more round mellow less brilliant sound That s what we want Back in the day great wind band music and orchestral music called for both trumpets and cornets Composers obviously appreciated the difference and exploited the difference One of our greatest challenges in this band will be to appreciate this difference too When American Brass Bands play alongside their British counterparts the most noticeable
5. GYSO Brass Band Handbook Practice Guide Road Map Tips by Dr Tom Gibson Ph 770 714 0393 Email tom trombonelessons com First of all CONGRATULATIONS and welcome to the wonderful world of Brass Banding have prepared this guide so that this experience can be an enriching and rewarding one for all of us hope you re excited about this maiden voyage we are undertaking would like for us all to pause for a moment to think about the people to whom we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude supportive parents encouraging teachers trusted friends and peers the highly energized and talented staff of the Dozier Centre and the altruistic philanthropic generous spirit of Mr Don Dozier To all of the above Thanks Let s make a commitment shall we to not waste this opportunity Brass banding is as you will soon come to realize a unique and very special variety in the musical spectrum It s roots spring from the blue collared tradition of the Industrial Revolution Originally these bands were formed to quiet restless workers with new found political clout and legitimate concerns about their work environments Management in the factories and mines wisely decided to use the most powerful art form to ease the rising tensions MUSIC was their answer The fact that they chose music as an outlet for the workers was really a no brainer Most of the workers were amateur musicians as was a great percentage of the populace before radio TV
6. al with that particular length of tube will always follow the order shown above octave P5 P4 M3 m3 etc Thinking of it another way what you see illustrated above are all the open notes for your instrument If you are playing the Alto horn for instance these are the notes for which you would press NO valves What would these notes sound like Well all the written C s would sound like E flat QUESTION what would the 2 line G sound like on Alto horn ANSWER B flat How did figure that out Well if the written middle C sounds like an E flat on Alto horn the written G is a Perfect 5 above that must be a sounding B flat QUESTION what would the written E top space on staff sound like on an E flat tuba ANSWER It would sound a G Why On E flat tuba all written C s sound like E flat right The written E is a Major 3 above the written C What is a Major 3 above a sounding E flat The answer is G QUESTION what would the written G sound like on a B flat tuba ANSWER QUESTION what would the written C sound like on Tenor trombone remember the tenor trombone is a B flat instrument ANSWER If we didn t have valves or slides trombones we could never change the length of our tube right Thus we would only have one Overtone Series to worry about Just like a simple bugle Some ingenious people however came up with ways to vary the length of our tube and thus allow us many more Overt
7. and Internet spoon fed us the entertainment we thought we craved The managers needed only to supply some instruments and sheet music and the workers saw to it that the art form took flight Through some very tough times this music has soothed many souls and quieted many discontented hearts It has stirred patriotism spawned ferocious competition inspired romance bonded communities and it has built a solid and longstanding tradition My personal goal for each of us is that we gain a thorough appreciation of this tradition and carry the art form forward as we respectfully look behind us through a colorful rich history As a matter of fact The Salvation Army uses this artistic genre to deliver its message of hope to the less fortunate Whether or not you accept their religious leanings it cannot be denied that this organization has done exhaustive work in alleviating the suffering of the poor and neglected people around the globe They accentuate their work with Brass band music They are experts in the art and are responsible for the publishing of many thousands of great Brass band works We are very fortunate to have a strong relationship with the Georgia Brass Band too This is one of the finest Brass bands in all the land and they will be a resident ensemble right here at the Dozier Centre can t tell you what a boon that could be for you as a newcomer to this genre would expect to see all of your smiling faces at every GBB concert
8. at the Dozier Centre We also will tap into their expertise by hiring many of these players to coach the GYSO Brass Band It is in the works too that we ll share the bill on a concert each year with the GBB These are great friends of mine and can be a terrific source of knowledge and inspiration for each of you They set a great example in terms of artistry and professionalism They are set to rehearse each Tuesday evening at the Dozier Centre Every member of the GYSO Brass band is invited and encouraged to attend their rehearsals performances In this guide will list resources such as books web sites recordings dvd s etc The more you delve into researching this brass band business the more you will gain from the GYSO experience Avail yourselves of the resources that lie before you great coaches a great facility great repertoire great colleagues a great mentoring ensemble and great instruments Soak it all in and give it your very best effort This means in your daily practice of course but I m thinking of more wide ranging efforts would like each and every one of us to be experts in the art of Brass Band We ll know its history we ll immerse ourselves in its rich palette of SOUND we ll know a bit about the instruments in the ensemble as you may have gathered they are somewhat atypical for American brass players we will seek to learn more every time we get together Why do think that s important Music is our
9. difference is the Cornet sound Since we are weaned on trumpet here in the U S it s challenging to switch gears and achieve the more covered dark sweet tone of Cornet The GYSO Brass Band will embrace this challenge and we will indeed master the Cornet sound Your high range will be more difficult due to the funnel shaped mouthpiece Your pitch centers will feel different than trumpet You will at first over blow and distort the sound of the cornet expecting that brilliant feedback you are used to on trumpet All of these issues will arise in your daily practice and you may grow discouraged Don t EXPECT the cornet to behave like a trumpet They are different animals entirely Think of a golfer he she has many different clubs in the bag to achieve different results They don t expect the driver to behave like a 5 wood or 3 iron Their swing is fundamentally the same but they EXPECT differing trajectories and distances They also have the golfer s prayer which says Lord give me the strength to hit it easy think that s a good analogy to Brass playing too As issues occur to you on the cornet you will compensate with airspeed airflow and a serious LACK of air pressure OK Perhaps the best habit would be to listen to great cornet players and let their sound sink into the deepest recesses of your sub conscious Check out recordings by David Daws Phil Smith Roger Webster Use your Google The physical and
10. e one vacant chair that proved hard to fill Consider yourself special Bass Bone player IMPORTANT Tenor trombonists you will be reading from a B flat Treble clef part This is not as difficult as it seems If you can read tenor clef and every trombonist should right the B flat transposition is quite simple READ THE PART IN TENOR CLEF BUT ADD 2 FLATS TO THE KEY SIGNATURE Adding 2 flats is equivalent to SUBTRACTING 2 sharps right What happens when the key signature has 1 sharp Adding two flats will cancel that one sharp and leave one flat remaining Thus you are in the key of F with one flat This will very quickly become second nature but you will occasionally be burned by a written C flat It would translate as a sounding B double flat wouldn t it IMPORTANT although our parts will look the same whether we play E flat or B flat instruments they obviously will not sound the same For instance when a B flat player plays a written C the resulting sound is a concert B flat When an E flat player plays that same written C what do you suppose comes out the bell A concert E flat These are obviously all written C s correct If you re playing a B flat instrument these will all sound like B flats If you re on an E flat horn they ll sound like E flats For that matter if you were playing flumpelshnozz in F these would all sound F Make sense The Overtone Series for Brass Instrument
11. es Feel the cycle of air as a gentle natural relaxing sensation Then do 4 repetitions of a 6 count paper airplane 6 beats in 6 beats out Then do 4 repetitions of an 8 count paper airplane 8 beats in 8 beats out PART THREE Bow n Arrow Again use your wildly creative imagination and assume a posture as if you were going to shoot a bow n arrow A really big bow in fact Pick a very specific target somewhere out in space at least 10 feet from where you stand Draw the string back evenly over 4 beats feeling the incredible tension on the string Time the inhale just perfectly so at the end of 4 beats you LET THE ARROW FLY for 2 beats Watch it hit the target Do 4 repetitions PART FOUR Dart You re in a fine English Pub and you re ready to throw a dart Intensely study the bullseye Inhale for 2 beats as you prepare to throw then 1 beat exhale as you watch the dart hit the center of the board Congratulations Good darts as they say REMINDER you re NOT locking the throat right You re simply letting the cycle be faster than the paper airplane Good Do 4 repetitions PART FIVE Rifle Fill up comfortably for 1 beat then FIRE for 1 beat 4 repetitions PART SIX The Cycle Put the Airplane Bow n Arrow Dart and Rifle in a cycle like so 4 beat Airplane 4 in 4 out Bow n Arrow 4 in 2 out rest two beats Dart 2 in 1 out rest one beat 2 Rifles 1 in 1 out do it twice Repeat 4 times
12. he airflow reverse direction Air s always moving in or out Always Also do NOT cram more into your lungs than is comfortable Do NOT try to get that last 5 to fit This will be air under great pressure and will come out as such This doesn t lend itself to making a good easy full sound call this over breathing and it s what causes many players to suffer in the high range and at louder dynamics They have the mistaken idea that they need more air PRESSURE up high so they take HUGE inhales and blow really hard They don t understand that as far as volume of air is concerned you need almost NONE up high You need a small quantity of air flowing very quickly and very freely They may very well feel like they re blowing as hard as they can when in actuality almost no air is flowing past the lips If they d pull the mouthpiece away they d immediately see that this is indeed the case And when it s time to play loud they cram air in and wonder why it doesn t flow freely on the exhale AIR going IN under pressure will COME OUT under pressure Conversely air flowing freely IN will flow freely OUT Remember that By not over breathing in these exercises you stand a good chance of correcting this all too common problem Use the natural lung capacity you were blessed with and use it steadily and efficiently NEVER lock the throat and don t try to cram 20 pounds of stuff into a 4 pound bag Do 4 repetitions of these 4 count paper airplan
13. ies were intense and extremely dangerous Injuries even death were not at all uncommon Often people wouldn t make it to band rehearsal because of a particularly tough day at work It was crucial that every player be flexible enough to cover the vacant part The tradition has moved away from this requirement of flexibility mostly because blue collar work scenarios have improved dramatically We can all be thankful of that Get this it s ingenious if you re playing a B flat instrument and reading a B flat part the fingerings are exactly the same if you pick up an E flat instrument and read from an E flat part The only challenge is the different mouthpiece but reading brass band music is the same for every part the fingerings never change Amazing system and cleverly designed as a matter of necessity Fingering charts are included in this Guide and they are the same for each instrument One simply needs to pick up an E flat instrument to play an E flat part or a B flat instrument to play a B flat part In theory we should all be able to move about the band and cover all parts This was very frequently done back in the day The exception is Bass Trombone In England during the 19 century bass trombones were pitched in G more often than not They had no valves Players were trained to read Bass clef It must have proved difficult to re train the players and the availability of bass bones with valves was nil guess that was th
14. l Guidelines 1 Please be punctual for all rehearsals and performances Typically that means 30 minutes prior to the report time 2 We respect each other as we respect this outstanding facility our instruments our sheet music and this art form 3 Have a pencil handy at all times I m a huge proponent of marking your music but do so lightly in pencil please 4 Come warmed up Be ready to play Do a Breathing Routine every single day of your lives but especially before rehearsals and performances 5 No matter who is on the podium STOP when they do 6 Talking is very distracting to the conductor Make it a habit that you simply don t talk while rehearsing With that being said if you are very sincerely trying to solve a problem with your stand mate or section mates please do so quickly and quietly If a musical discrepancy is apparent raise your hand 7 Be open minded adventurous and take well conceived musical chances at all times Nothing s worse than a bored musical rendition Let s never do that If you cross the line FII let you know If you never approach the line you re completely missing the point 8 Ask lots of questions and respect others that do so 9 LISTEN like CRAZY Try to hear the Melody always and gauge how your part is to portray it enhance it color it embolden it 10 Please have fun Breathing Routine I ve been playing a Brass Instrument of one sort or another professi
15. lette of colors available to Brass band If you couple the tremendous force of this music with research inquiry and curiosity you will find for yourself a veritable feast of the senses encourage you to do this Go ahead and try to nurture a passion for Brass band Be passionate as you study it be passionate as you speak to others about it be passionate as you listen to Ieo but above all be passionate when you are lucky enough to PLAY it So where to start Here are some books web sites and bands that you should check out Movies about Brass Band Brassed Off a terrific film that accentuates the spirit behind the music VERY highly recommended British National Brass Band Finals the annual competition from Royal Albert Hall are made available each year now on DVD These bands are the best of the best Books about Brass bands The British Brass Band A Musical and Social History edited by Trevor Herbert The World Of Brass Bands by Violet Brand Web Sites The Brass Band Bibliography http www harrogate co uk Harrogate band books htm The Brass Band Portal http www bandsman co uk 4 Bars Rest http www 4barsrest com default asp Brass Band World http www brassbandworld com Bands to listen to Georgia Brass Band Black Dyke Flowers Brass Band River City Brass Band Brass Band of Battle Creek That ought to be enough to get you started Follow your curiosity please and use your Google The Inst
16. most powerful art form and most potent form of human communication As young musicians you may already have a very clear sense of this Think of the role that music plays in your own life then think of the role it plays in the life of a society Amazing We hear it when we go to war we hear it when we go to church we hear it when we drive our cars when we shop in malls when we start a ballgame when we receive diplomas when we wed when we hang out with friends when we mourn when we watch movies when our phones ring and on and on and on It is an essential element to a well balanced and well lived life What makes Brass Band music so important in my opinion is its uncanny ability to connect with the masses have had the privilege of performing many styles of music have never encountered a style as delicious as Brass band For performer and listener alike just have never seen a more intimate natural easy connection made between people and music In my mind it s magical am tremendously excited at the opportunity to explore it further hope that some of my excitement transfers and that you too get swept up in Brass band You won t be sorry can assure you at least of that As you may have surmised have faith in this music have no doubt that if you simply listen and allow your musical sensibilities to rule you will discover many hidden fruits in this genre Many of the world s finest composers have exploited the pa
17. onally for a long time now cannot stress strongly enough the benefits of a good breathing routine You ll feel better you ll sound better you ll even look better A very thorough routine is listed below It s from my website and can be found at this URL http trombonelessons com breathing html am also a huge fan of The Breathing Gym by Patrick Sheridan and Sam Pilafian You should check it out http www breathinggym com site index cfm Here is my Routine and hope you do it every day This routine may very well be the MOST important part of your Daily Practice You don t even need a horn to do it Once we ve coached our bodies to blow a relaxed steady FLOW of air through the instrument albeit at different rates of speed ALL other aspects of making music become easier and more consistent Do not take these exercises lightly and do not fail to do them every day You ll notice a difference in your playing almost immediately must thank my student Eric Dotson for developing this particular regiment It is an elaboration of a Breathing Routine have all my students do and must say it s a very good one Thanks Eric First you ll need to set a metronome to 60 Leave it on through the entire exercise Stand up Imagine a cable suspending you by the top of your head This should put your body in a tall wide relaxed position Once you ve learned these exercises apply them to your music Breathe in rhythm
18. one lowers Open Overtone Series by a Tri tone a k a Diminished 5 Augmented 4 Whew There you have it the physics of Brass in a nutshell Study this until you understand it implicitly It will help you get a handle on fingerings and transpositions very quickly For example if you know the Open Overtone Series for any given instrument can you not draw a complete fingering chart for that instrument using the above information Yes you can and here goes In the following pages will start you with an Open Overtone Series and then a portion of the Series for 2 valve 2 position trombones Complete the chart please We will show the Overtone Series from the Fundamental to the 10 Partial or 10 note of the Series It is very rare that we are called upon to play higher than our 10 partial You may wish to notate common enharmonic equivalents C versus D flat F versus G flat etc It s OK to use the 8vb 8va symbols to avoid a jungle of leger lines above and below the staves They simply mean down up an octave respectively Fingering Chart Slide Position Chart Open or Lst position on Trombone P Ist and 2nd valves together or 4th pos on Trombone Tu mar f 2nd and 3rd valves together or Sth pos on Trombone Fi Tan par A lstand 3rd valves together or th pos on Trombone 4 La ig h Ist 2nd and 3rd valves together or 7th pos on Trombone fi Sar Rehearsa
19. one series That s what the valves and slides do Essentially the valves and slides of our instruments provide us with 7 discreet lengths of tubing So to learn all the fingerings or positions for notes on our instrument we need to know 7 different Overtone Series These 7 Overtone Series allow us to play every note in the chromatic style Before we had the means to vary the length of tubing we were stuck with one set of notes If we are thoroughly acquainted with all the Open notes on our instrument trombonists open equates to 1 position for you we can easily determine the 7 different Overtone Series and thus figure out every fingering Valves always function in the following manner Open 1 position on trombone this is the length of our tube with no valves pushed This determines the pitch of our horn B flat cornet E flat alto horn etc and gives a specific array of pitches known as the Overtone Series 2 valve 2 position on trombone lowers the Open Overtone Series by a half step 1 valve 3 position on trombone lowers the Open Overtone Series by a Whole step 1 AND 2 valves together 4 position on trombone lowers Open Overtone Series by a minor 3 2 and 3 valves together 5 position on trombone lowers Open Overtone Series by a Major 3 1 and 3 valves together 6 position on trombone lowers Open Overtone Series by a Perfect 4 1 2 and 3 valves together 7 position on tromb
20. preciation for the difference American low brass players often sacrifice clarity transparency and cleanliness in an effort to play dark broad and heavy ARGH LET S NOT DO THIS Let us understand fully the many different timbres in the band and let s each play our role to perfection OK Listening will be the key Refer to my list of great bands and start checking them out on a regular basis See if you can hear what I m talking about IMPORTANT all of you playing on these lovely new Yamaha instruments will use the mouthpiece provided cornets altos baritones To allow each of you to find a mouthpiece that initially feels more comfortable or more like I m used to will wreak total havoc on the overall sound and pitch of the band cannot allow it With proper concepts and diligent practice you will grow into the new set up and the band s sound will be glorious promise need you all to be open minded committed to improving and selfless in your pursuit of excellence You must accept that our band s sound will be shaped from the podium and will do my utmost to guide you towards a homogenous sound like you ve never heard Trust diligence and patience please On the other hand those of you playing your native instruments and feeling quite at home right off the bat you will show sympathy and support for your peers who are bravely accepting the challenge of learning a new instrument If sense that
21. ruments Typical instrumentation for a Brass Band is this 1 E flat Soprano Cornet 9 B flat Cornets 1 B flat Flugelhorn 3 E flat Alto horns referred to often as Tenor Horns in England 2 B flat Baritones 2 B flat Euphoniums 3 B flat Tenor trombones 1 B flat Bass trombone 2 E flat tubas 2 B flat tubas 1 Drum Kit 2 percussion In the GYSO Brass Band we have allowed for 10 Cornets 4 Altos horns and 4 Tenor trombones A few things might strike you as you look at this list First of all no trumpets How many of you know the difference between a trumpet and a cornet Secondly baritones AND euphoniums How many of you were under the common assumption that they were one and the same A third observation might be hmmm all the instruments are pitched in either B flat or E flat Do you understand what it means when we say that an instrument is pitched in a certain key Alright then why no trumpets Trumpets differ from Cornets in their characteristic sound This is due to their shape since the length of both is precisely the same A trumpet s bore the diameter of the tube measured from the inside is mostly CYLINDRICAL Think of a cylinder the diameter for the most part is constant throughout the length of the tube right Although the trumpet flares as we approach the bell this is basically true It is considered to be a cylindrical brass instrument What are the other cylindrical instruments in the Brass Band
22. s Learning about transpositions is easier when we understand the physical properties of brass instruments The physical properties of brass instruments are entirely determined by the natural overtone series Think of a bugle one tube no valves specific length that cannot be changed Only a certain number of pitches can be played on a bugle Those pitches represent the Overtone Series Different length bugles have different overtone series What valves do for brass instruments is basically allow for a number of different length bugles 7 different lengths as a matter of fact The intervals of the Overtone series always come in this order Fundamental octave perfect 5 perfect 4 Major 3 minor 3 really minor 3 whole step whole step whole step The fundamental is the lowest note we can play sometimes called the Pedal The fundamental on larger instruments is easier played than on smaller shorter instruments In other words trombones can play their pedal notes but trumpets have a very hard time doing so Here is the Overtone Series for a brass instrument shown on a staff The lowest note is the Fundamental If this happens to sound like a C we can assume that this instrument is pitched in C If the Fundamental sounds like a B flat we would say this instrument is pitched in B flat It makes no difference what the sounding pitch of the Fundamental happens to be the array of pitches we could play above the Fundament
23. timbral differences between Trumpet and Cornet are exactly analogous to Baritone and Euphonium Baritones and Euphoniums are both pitched in B flat right That means they are the SAME length They are however shaped quite differently as you can readily see The Euphonium looks much bigger and it is The bore size is greater than Baritone and it is CONICAL whereas the Baritone is CYLINDRICAL What are the differences in tone we might expect How might we expect their mouthpieces to differ IMPORTANT Baritone players you are not allowed to use your big euphonium mouthpieces in the Baritone But it works you say if just use a small shank version of my Euph mouthpiece disagree Take a closer look at the mouthpiece that came with the baritone The wise folks at Yamaha know what they are doing and with each of these instruments they have a shipped an appropriate mouthpiece The baritone mouthpiece is smaller than the euph It is shallower less funnel shaped on the INSIDE where it matters and the rim is noticeably narrower All by design to achieve a characteristic sound assure you IMPORTANT what bothers me most when hear amateur American Brass Bands is the fact that the players don t seem to be striving to make a CHARACTERISTIC sound on their particular instrument Cornet players are really trumpet players and don t strive to play any differently Baritone players are really Euphonium players and have little ap
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