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Thread: Instrument doubling

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Varese,Italy
    Posts
    384
    Quote Originally Posted by John Morgan View Post
    Franz: How are you doing with this virus thing? I know Italy is really getting hit hard.

    "coulisse trombone" = slide trombone

    Help me a little with your use of the word "emission" please.
    Hi John,
    By emission I mean the expiration of the air in the instrument, which requires a different approach in the different instruments, especially in the baritone which has much more resistance and, if you exaggerate in the emission you get a very bad sound. As for the corona virus epidemic I live in the region where there has been the highest number of infections and deaths, but the infection is still contained in my city. Here is a curfew, we are relegated to the home, we can only go out for proven reasons of necessity ( by food, go to work), the shops, except for the groceries, are closed, as well as many factories, except those of essential importance. I work on alternate days and, during the 7 km journey to go to work through deserted roads, there is no one on the road, really bleak: it seems to be in the movie " I am legend" with Will Smith". Hopefully the situation will resolve itself, I didn't take us right now that I'm 3 months after retirement. However I am serene, I live in a single house with a large garden: I cannot go out to do my usual routes with the racing bike, but I have a gym for bodybuilding equipped and a lot of time available to play my instruments. And how is the situation there?
    2007 Besson Prestige 2052, 3D+ K&G mouthpiece; JP373 baritone, 4B modified K&G mouthpiece; Bach 42GO trombone, T4C K&G mouthpiece; 1973 Besson New Standard 3 compensated valves, 3D+ K&G modified mouthpiece; Wessex French C tuba, 3D+ K&G modified mouthpiece.

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,867
    Franz: I live in South Dakota, a pretty rural (low population) state. But schools are closed, concerts and gatherings cancelled or postponed, etc. I think we are one of only 7 states that still have restaurants open. I am hoping we can get a handle on this soon so our economy doesn't totally collapse. I am wishing you safety and good health! And so sorry for what is happening there.
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  3. #33
    Quote Originally Posted by Roger View Post
    I know many euphoniumists double on tuba or trombone, but how about trumpet? I started on trumpet in Jr high and switched to baritone horn in the 9th grade and stayed with it. I'm 74 now and playing euph, but am thinking about picking up a trumpet just for my own enjoyment. Will playing that small mouthpiece from time to time negatively affect my euph embouchure?
    Roger,
    I went to the opposite route. I have been a trumpet player since age 12. After a 10 year break, I picked up the trumpet again about five years ago.

    I am 76 and play off and on in 3 different community bands. In one of the bands they had no euphonium/baritone players. So I purchased a new King 625 baritone and I like the horizontal positioning of the valves.

    Plus it was the only horn I could afford.

    It took me about two months to get good enough to play at the level needed in this (senior) community band.

    Now I practice the trumpet and the King every day as well as my alto horn (also referred to as a Tenor by the British Brass Banders)

    As others have suggested, some people can do this doubling while others can’t.

    The one advice I can offer is to not try to rush the trumpet. Go online and read the different suggestions as how to start playing trumpet; especially at a later age.

    The key thing is to take your time. Do not practice on tired chops.

    Make sure you play with maximum air pressure. (Not air volume).

    Imagine your body is a high pressure air compressor with the valve (chops) opened at a pin-hole.

    In other words let the air pressure do the work.

    An exercise that seems to help a lot of trumpet players is to start the day with a few minutes of chops flopping like a horse.

    Then play a C below to staff with a lot of air pressure but with just a very small pin opening of your chops. Play at the lowest possible volume you can make.

    Do that soft C for about 5 to 10 minutes. Every day.

    Then follow up with chromatic scale‘s starting at F# below the staff up to whatever range you can comfortable do. DO NOT push the range.

    Later, when I have a chance, I will find the link for these chromatic warmups. I’ll post it here.

    Meanwhile look at other forums that talk about starting trumpet at a late age.

    With the COVID/19 we can’t go anywhere anyway. Plenty of time to practice. But again, you cannot rush it. Many have failed because they damaged their chops by overdoing it.

    It is entirely possible that on a particular morning you start practicing trumpet and your chops feel tired immediately. That’s a good day to skip the trumpet.

    By the way, a year ago I also bought an E-flat saxophone and a B-flat clarinet. When my brass chops need a rest, I play the woodwinds. I don’t have any ill affects between brass chops and woodwind chops.

    One last comment.

    Play SOFT. Let me repeat that, play SOFT. Do not increase the volume until you feel naturally ready to increase the volume. The quickest way to limit the time you can play in the day is to play at a higher volume. The softer you play the more time you can practice before your chops are tired. In other words it’s an efficient use of your time and your chops will thank you.

    Hope this helps and good luck with it.

    I will post the link for chromatic warm ups later. It’s a play-along version.

    Cheers,
    Harry
    PS

    Did I mention that it is important for the time being to play SOFT........ 😀

  4. #34
    I play the bassoon and the flute, I don't have any trouble going back and forth. *shrugs*
    "Thig crioch air an saoghal, ach mairidh gaol is ceòl."
    "The end (of the world) will come, but love and music live forever."

    Euph: Geneva Symphony (4v-comp, trig)
    Euph: Besson New Standard (3v-comp 1978)
    Bari: Wessex BR-140 (3v-comp, lacquer)
    Mpcs: Euph (SM4) Bari (Stork T1)

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Sacramento, CA area
    Posts
    309
    Ametropia - At the risk of going off topic for a tuba/euphonium forum, I would ask this. But aren't a bassoon and flute embouchure rather different from each other? After all, one is pointed kind of downstream through pursed lips (flute), and the other involves grasping a double reed that you are blowing across while it is partially in your mouth (bassoon). I ask about the various woodwind instrument embouchures because I am not familiar with them. And on a different angle, size alone suggests that it is easier to fill up a flute with air (breath support), than a bassoon, and that easier than a euphonium, easier than a tuba.

    Brass instruments sit on the embouchure basically the same as each other, but have a difference quantity of air required for good tone production. This similarity and difference between them can make the switching for a double difficult for some. To make an analogy. It is easy to do two very different tasks well, because there is less overlap, like cooking and cleaning (playing flute and bassoon), but more difficult to do two similar tasks well, like cooking both French and Italian food (playing trumpet and euphonium).

    Feel free to correct me if I am wrong about woodwind playing technique, or if you see some relevant flaw in my analogy. Just putting it out there for discussion, and trying to widen what I know about aerophones (all four instruments mentioned above are "wind" instruments). I think that is still relevant within the initial general topic of instrument doubling

    - Sara
    Baritone - 3 Valve, Compensating, JinBao JBBR1240

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Netherlands
    Posts
    338
    also, doubling on different brass instruments can be a challenge because of mouthpiece sizes. I, for example, am physically unable to play the trumpet or the french horn in any decent capacity, because the mouthpiece is just too small for my particular facial muscles. Alto/tenor horn is... slightly doable, but the only instruments I can play decently on are baritone, euph and tenor trombone, because they're all roughly the same size.

    Some people have a facial structure that's more forgiving with this, or they are coming from a smaller instrument so it's easier to switch as long as you keep playing the trumpet/french horn/cornet etc, but a lot of people don't.
    Euphoniums
    2008 Willson 2960TA Celebration
    1979 Boosey & Hawkes Sovereign (Round Stamp)
    Mouthpiece: Denis Wick SM4
    Baritone
    1975 Besson New Standard
    Mouthpiece: Courtois 10

  7. #37
    Quote Originally Posted by Roger View Post
    I know many euphoniumists double on tuba or trombone, but how about trumpet? I started on trumpet in Jr high and switched to baritone horn in the 9th grade and stayed with it. I'm 74 now and playing euph, but am thinking about picking up a trumpet just for my own enjoyment. Will playing that small mouthpiece from time to time negatively affect my euph embouchure?
    As promised:
    Chromatic warm-up link.

    http://www.thetrumpetblog.com/how-i-...e-the-warm-up/

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