Angie and Becky's Horn Page

Becoming a Professional




from the Instrumentalist July 1995 by Michael Meckna



From the trumpeter who wants to play solos in a community band to a trombonist who aspires to play professionally, every brass player will benefit by following the examples of veteran musicians. Such experts as Doc Severinsen, Harvey Phillips, and Philip Farkas have experienced most of the physical, mental, and spiritual challenges of giving consistently fine performances. Their advice goes beyond standard methodology of how to play scales, lip slurs, and long tones to the essence of practice or preparation to perform well. "I try to drive the point home with young players that they have to practice," trombonist J.J. Johnson once said. "There will never be a time when you won't have to practice anymore." Most performers also advocate a careful warm-up period before every practice session.

Jazz legend Clifford Brown never picked up a trumpet until after completing an hour of warm-up and mouthpiece work. Even while on the road, trumpeter Doc Severinsen devotes much of his daily two hours of practice to warm-up exercises. Severinsen first collects his thoughts, breathes deeply, and buzzes a little on the mouthpiece before playing long tones "as musically as possible, with a symphonic tone and an alert ear for intonation." Then, as if singing, he plays lip slurs throughout the range without any skips. The great tuba player John Fletcher stressed the importance of warm-up periods and assigned a routine of long tones, lip slurs, tounguing, and scales for his students at the Royal Academy of Music.

Once warmed up, professional musicians hold definate ideas about what, how, and even where to practice. Tuba player William Bell, who frequently performed at Carnegie Hall, prescribed a memorized daily routine of scales and arpeggios over two octaves in all 12 keys. At his frequent clinics, euphonium player Brian Bowman suggests practicing scales in two octaves with a metronome. "Start slowly and work every day to increase the speed without ever sacrificing accuracy," says Bowman. In addition to practicing slowly, trumpeter Maurice Andre also recommends playing softly and recording practice sessions to study the minor details. Andre's collegue, William Vacchiano, is equally meticulous. Vacchiano's advice mirrors his teacher Max Schlossberg's philosophy: concentrate on the liabilities. "There is a cure for everything - endurance, speed of tongue, flexibility, and intonation," Vacchiano says. The most famous horn teacher of his generation, Philip Farkas suggested, "Take the problem and practice it to the extreme. Play the high passages a tone higher, the low ones a tone lower, the slow passages too slowly, and the fast passages too fast."

Without question, aspiring performers spend countless hours in the practice room. According to horn virtuoso Barry Tuckwell, success on an instrument demands the same discipline as achieving success in other fields: hard work and concentrated practice. Tuckwell's British collegue, Ifor James, echoes this stance by urging students to learn to enjoy practicing for long periods of time. However, Norwegian hornist Froydis Ree Wekre believes it is a mistake to practice long periods without a break, and trumpeter Allen Vizzutti also follows this approach and attributes his endurance to short sessions of vigorous practice. Even the rigorous Johnson recommends practicing in moderation and discourages the "no pain, no gain" ideology. "Don't practice to the point where you're beating [it] to death and your lips ache," he warns. Ralph Sauer, principal trombonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, practices in segments of 10 or 20 minutes to focus his mind and mimic demands of playing trombone professionally. The first full-time trombone soloist, Christian Lindberg, recalls that at first he practiced only three 20-minute periods each day.

Despite the differences in these approaches, all agree that there is no substitute for practice time. Cornet virtuoso Herbert L. Clarke stood to practice; Maynard Ferguson spends half a practice session standing in front of a mirror; and trumpeter Don Cherry prefers to practice out-of-doors. "Practicing is just like going to the bank," says Clark Terry, whose trumpet has been heard from the early days of the Duke Ellington Orchestra to Tonight Show broadcasts. "If you put the money in regularly, it's always there."

Breath control is a concern to all professional wind players; tuba player Harvey Phillips believes it is the key to artistic expression. His collegue, Daniel Perantoni, focuses students on the goal of breathing correctly: "Breath is the most important physical aspect of tone production because it is the source of energy that causes the lips to vibrate." Arnold Jacobs, who is the master teacher of breathing, introduces his vocal and instrumental students to the phenomenon of wind: "The idea of air blowing out through the instrument to prevent pressures form building up inside the lungs." Jacobs uses a respirometer as well as an etude or orchestral excerpt to achieve good results. He also uses a variety of exercises without the instrument, such as blowing on the back of the hand, so students learn to breathe freely.

In addition to breath control, professionals stress the importance of playing long tones. "Anyone who does not consider long tones a basic necessity lives in a fool's paradise," tubist John Fletcher once wrote. Bell also advocated long tones. "Occasionally a pupil will rebel at their incessant practice," Bell said, "but practice them he must if he remains my pupil." Euphonium player Leonard Falcone developed a standard long-tone exercise now used by many brass instrumentalists. "Start the tones softly but firmly," he explained, "gradually increasing the volume to its loudest in the middle of the tone, then diminishing it to a very soft ending." Each student should practice long tones chromatically over the entire range, holding each tone for 8, 10, or 12 slow counts depending on his breath capacity.

Although professional brass soloists diligently work on technique and tone, technical perfection is not an end in itself. Timofey Dokschitser, the widely admired Russian trumpet soloist and clinician, stresses the importance of studying etudes and the dangers of concentrating too much on technique: "It should be remembered that technique is only a vehicle for expressing the music of a work." Toscanini's favorite trumpeter, Harry Glantz, wrote a celebrated method book that includes rigorous tongue and slur exercises in each key. However, he also wrote that at a certain point, techinical skills become secondary. "Master the technique of your instrument," Glantz advised, "but then try to project yourself beyond the trumpet part into the soul of the music."

Philip Jones, whose ensemble almost single-handedly revived brass chamber music in the 20th century, believes that after learning the basic techniques, the focus should be on the quality of sound and expressive playing. The late horn player Meir Rimon also advised students that technique should not be the only goal. "Music comes first," he often told aspiring performers. "Technique is the only tool."

Carl Fontana states that "99.9% of trombonists play too many notes. I would recommend to all trombone students to have reasonable technique. It's the misuse of technique that I'm against." Fontana cites trumpeter Bobby Hackett as an example of someone who plays only a few notes, but plays them beautifully. Despite his complete technical mastery, Jack Teagarden was a cautious player who rarely called attention to his virtuosity. Such recordings as The Sheik of Araby (1944), My Bucket's Got a Hole in It (1950), and Body and Soul (1953) reflect his intensely personal and deceptively simple trombone style.

Most professionals are preoccupied with sound quality. Over and above speed, range, and volume, trumpeter Armando Ghitally advocates a beautiful sound. "I spend most of my time on the concept of tone and later [devote time to] the technical aspects," he says. Helmut Wobisch attributes his trumpet sound to holding long notes and practicing lip slurs. Jazz legend Miles Davis also believed that tone was essential. "If you don't have a pleasant sound," he once said simply, "you can't play any melody." Whatever the piece, Hackett concentrated on tone quality, and certainly no one plays a sweeter trumpet solo than his String of Pearls with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Of all the instruments, horn players seem to be the most preoccupied with tone quality. Rimon scrutinized his tone on performances and urged students to focus on tone production. Great soloists have distinctive tone quality, as well as what James Stagliano noted as a "repose;" a noticable savoring of "each tone to the maximum, avoiding any sense of urgency." Heard on such soundtracks as Gone with the Wind and Fantasia, Stagliano began his career in Hollywood before a 26-year reign as pricipal horn of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Teachers cannot dictate a specific sound for students to emulate, but many performers aim for a singing style. "I think of music in vocal terms," Hackett said. "An instrument is an extension of yourself, so sing into it if you want to sound musical." Although far removed from Hackett's style, Baroque trumpet expert Don Smithers also suggests a singing approach to performing early music on authentic instruments. Ghitalla compares the trumpet to singing, and his favorite artists include Pearly Bailey, Enrico Caruso, and Ella Fitzgerald. Ghitalla believes that a singing approach develops tone and interpretation as well as intonation. Philip Jones prefers teaching trumpeters to play more lyrically and less martially. "If you want to be a good musician on any instrument, you must go and listen to singers and fiddle players," he once told collegue Vince Cichowicz. "From them you caqn learn about line, about joining up notes in interesting ways, which we are not taught on our instruments."

Trumpet players such as Jones, Ghitalla, Dokschitser, Adolph Herseth, and Rafael Mendez studied vocalises or solfege to develop vocal qualities in their sound. Rimon once said simply: "For me the horn is a singing instrument," and many others agree. Because he started out as a vocalist, Hermann Baumann is a strong advocate of singing styles. "I try to sing on the horn, using a small vibrato," he told a writer for The New Yorker. "You can color the sound of the horn just as you can color a voice - warmer for Strauss or Brahms, cooler for Mozart or Bach," he said. According to his students, trombonist Arthur Pryor set tone and a singing style as primary pedagogical goals. Trombonist Bill Watrous, a popular clinician with a lively performance style and personality, believes a performer should know the lyrics of a song to interpret it accurately. Phillips also believs in developing lyrical vocal qualities and frequently assigns a hymn ot an aria to students. Legendary euphoniumist Simone Mantia even arranged and recorded opera arias.

While horn players may concentrate on a pleasing tone, trumpet players tend to want to play higher and faster. Frequently asked about his dazzling high range, Maynard Ferguson offers ideas from the practice of Hatha Yoga and other meditation techniques. Mendez, Wobisch, and Edward Tarr are less mystical. Tarr claims he maitains thrilling high notes by opening the throat and developing a strong embouchure. "If you wish to play high," an enthusiastic Mendez said at clinics, "first you must learn how to play low." However, Wobisch, along with advocating the minimizing of mouthpiece pressure on the lips, warns against too many pedal tones and uses them from time to time because the lip movement creates a lot of good circulation. To develop a fast tongue Mendez reminded students that the tongue is simply a muscle that develops from exercise followed by rest. Mendez also advised placing only the tips of the fingers on the valve caps. Doc Severinsen's daily routine to develop speed and facility involves technical studies and "banging down the valves - hard." Great examples of quick fingers are found on Mendez's Moto perpetuo and Severinsen's Malaguena.

Playing high and fast is thrilling, but mouthpiece pressure can be a problem. Andre urges his students to play in a relaxed manner, without any pressure from the right or left hand. Ferguson also advises against pressure, and he warns not to shake the hand for a trill. Roy Eldridge attributed his amazing stamina to a minimum of pressure against his teeth; because he had false teeth at the age of 17, Eldridge had no choice but to take some pressure off his lips. Eldridge urges students to learn to sing, play a keyboard, and know the history of jazz. Even Wynton Marsalis did not have an easy time at first; after Al Hirt gave him one of his old trumpets, Marsalis was lucky enough to find a generous teacher in John Longo. "I hardly ever even paid him," Marsalis remembers, "and he used to give me two- and three-hour lessons." Now Marsalis visits schools to encourage young instrumentalists. Freddie Hubbard frequently visits college campuses and offers clinics where he admits he should have accepted an opportunity to receive more formal training. Clark Terry also faced the problem of not being able to afford an instrument or lessons. His first horn was a length of garden hose attached to a kerosene funnel, on which he practiced what a friend learned fron Saint Louis jazz master Joe Gustat. Such sentiments are not limited to jazz performers. Herseth discusses education and music history as much as technical and expressive matters in masterclasses or clinics. Smithers agress: "There is no excuse for a performer not being well-read, especially in the very matter and spirit of his chosen art."

Among the other brass instrumentalists, trombonist Urbie Green strongly recommends taking lessons, learning theory, and studying history. Although he frankly admits having done little or one of this himself, he believes his progress would have been smoother had he done so. Tuba player Floyd Cooley received years of training for his jobs with the San Francisco Symphony and at the San Francisco Conservatory and Stanford University. Yet after reaching these oracular positions, Cooley took at least three lessons every year from Jacobs in Chicago; he also studied with other instrumentalists such as cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and violinist Jacob Krechmalnick. "Their recommendations are basically musical," he reflected, "so I get a lot out of it, especially when their comments push me to explore the physical limits of the tuba." Bell believed music students should not only learn their instruments, but also receive advanced training in theory, composition, history, and piano. "One of my biggest regrets," he confessed after joining the faculty at Indiana University, "has been the lack of an academic education in music."

Professional musicians also advise listening to others. For instance, Hubbard recommends listening to the great performers and attending concerts. "I don't practice as much as I listen," he says. As trumpeter Cootie Williams grew up, he devoured the recordings of Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Red Nichols, and King Oliver. Even during his professional years Williams avidly followed the performances of Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie. Herbert L. Clarke advised listening to singers and violinists to develop interpretive skills. Bernie Glow also strongly recommended learning by listening. Anyone who watched television, went to the movies, or listened to the radio heard Glow's sound because he was the most frequently recorded trumpeter from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s. "I know of no greater way to learn than to listen," he said at the National Trumpet Symposium in 1971.

As a young player Green avidly listened to other performers and played along with recordings and the radio, and thereby he developed a technique to match what he heard. Fontana advises listening to such players of other instruments as Hackett, Parker, Stitt, Coltrane, and Getz. "When I was young, I could not find anyone to study [euphonium] with," Bowman recalls. "I got some early recordings of Leonard Falcone, and I bought all the music that was on those records." The late Rich Matteson learned a great many jazz patterns from trombonist Frank Rosolino, trumpeter Clifford Brown, and pianist Oscar Peterson. Matteson later developed a method for learning improvisation by practicing these patterns in all keys and transcribing solos.

Despite being spokesman for different instrument companies, many professionals admit that performing well is neither in the instrument nor the mouthpiece but in the person. Art Farmer plays a French Besson flugelhorn with a deep mouthpiece, but he cautions against any obsession with equipment, saying "It's better to spend your time looking for the perfect notes." In spite of his vast collection of trumpets, Roger Vosin echoes other master performers by advising pupils not to search for better instruments or experiment excessively with various lead-pipe and bell combinations. French hornist Georges Barboteu becomes impatient with those who search for the perfect horn. "It is not so much the make of the horn that matters as the way one plays it," he said. Phillips frequently observes, "Playing the tuba is 95% human and 5% metal," and the trumpeter Mel Broiles echoed this sentiment, often saying that the instrument "is only the loudspeaker - it is the man behind the horn who makes the music." Severinsen agrees. "It's important to have a good horn and mouthpiece, but the basic requirement to be a good player is not the equipment but practice, practice, practice."

Making music is far from an easy life, and Jacobs advises anyone who wants to make tuba performance his profession: "He has to love to play." The remarkable success of Tuckwell may perhaps be in part from his Draconian standard: "You must play every concert as if your life depended on it." Before any performance, Ferguson sends everyone away for a few minutes so he can meditate, not on anything so specific as high notes or breath control, but on the idea of enjoyment. Even the severest critic cannot deny that a joyful exuberance pervades Ferguson's signature pieces such as MacArthur Park, Frame for the Blues, Ole, and Maria. "To bring joy to people," Ferguson said, "that's what you're really doing."

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Michael Meckna is an associate professor of music at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Meckna studied trumpet with Lester Remsen and horn with Fred Fox, and won a Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Book Award for Virgil Thomson: A Bio Bibliography. This article is dedicated to the memory of music educator Ruth Whitlock.

All quotes in this article come from Twentieth Century Brass Soloists by Michael Meckna (Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 1994)




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