Thats a tough question. Heres some good guidelines. Learn to breath properly and blow the air effectively. The text i believe that helps the most is the David Vining Breathing Book. Next I would recommend LONG TONES! Play for at least 5min. a day. Play them with a metronome/tuner always. Now im sure youve been told this before. However you have to know why they are important. My recommendation is to listen to the quality of sound. Ask yourself these questions... Is the sound clear and even? Is it in tune? Is the tone weak and un-supported? Does the tone sound forced? Does the tone lack a good center of pitch? etc... These are just some of the questions I ask myself when I play long tones. One of my favorite long tone/flexibility studies is one that I took out of a variety of resources. I set the metronome at 80bpm. Then I play the concert Bb for two beats and go down a half step to A for two beats then I return to Bb for 4. Next, I play the B-flat then I lip down a semi-tone to A. Then go to A push the valve down to G#. Next go up to A. Play A again lip down... I do this chromatically all the way down into the pedal range. This really helps you with center of pitch, tone consistency, flexibility, aural skills... I would also recommend you to listen to all sorts of music. Find your favorite euphers and emulate them. I would also recommend to listen to other instruments as well. Such as voice, woodwinds, strings etc... There is always something to learn by listening to other musicians outside the low brass world. Im sorry im so long winded. This is only scratching the surface. I would recommend you hire a tutor (if you havent already) to help you through this process of finding "your sound". Good Luck
James Long
Besson 2052
SM3U
Falcone Finalist
Oakland University Brass Band