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Carter 100

Elliott Carter is, I believe, the first "famous" composer who has composed a piece for his own centenary.

The Astra Chamber Music Society in Melbourne is putting on a concert a few days before his actual birthday featuring the Brass Quintet (Program Note - pdf download), written in 1974.

ECQ
Tristram Williams (trumpet)
Mark Skillington (trumpet)
Geoff Lierse (french horn)
Bob Collins (trombone)
Charles MacInnes (bass trombone)

We formed this ensemble in 2002 for the express purpose of learning and performing this demanding work. We gave several performances (for Astra, VCA, and at the MIFB), and are now doing it again in honour of the 100th!


To help us become familiar with the metric modulation of the work, I made a click track.
CLICK here to listen to (or RIGHT-CLICK to save) a low resolution MP3 (56 kbps/16'41") of this file (7MB) - caution - do not use this link if you want to hear any music; this is for learning purposes only!

Wry Practice

Practicing in a virtual world

I couldn't play for almost a week because of some unexpected neck problems (spasm of the sternocleidomastoid muscle). One of the host of doctors and physios I saw, who has dealt with musicians before, said that practice can be just as effectively continued without actually playing.

She said I was to stand or sit, use the metronome (or whatever props), and spend time hearing and visualizing myself playing beautiful music.

I did this. When I picked up my trombone this morning and played again I have to say that everything felt fine (except the neck!). I wasn't bothered by the usual "oh this is going to sound and feel shithouse" thoughts. Of course the muscles, the ears, the instincts still know what to do.

Who was it who told me that I have to do this certain amount of practice everyday? Is it self imposed control? The talking muscles still know how to talk after a vow of silence, surely? Not that I would know anything about this.

Some of the best musical lessons and insights come from non-musicians, or at least non-brass players. One of my uni trombone students was asked recently, while being coached on some Mahler Lieder by a repetiteur:
- Can you change between those two notes without moving the slide?
- It's not physically possible
- Do it anyway
He did it, and she said:
- That's the legato I'm talking about

I also remember doing a cruise ship gig with a chamber orchestra once, where Christian Lindberg came on as guest soloist. I was up at the pool caring for my Verve Clicquot aftershocks. He was next to me in the deck chair, "virtually" playing through the pieces he was learning for the following week's concert. Whistling, singing, playing the positions with all the attention and focus of a performance.

I'm not saying all this to advocate a downing of tools. But, I am beginning to realize that all the practice in the world is wasted if the underlying musical and expressive intention isn't there. And precisely this is best practiced away from the horn. It's musical meditation.

Lips and Tubes

Demonstration

Inspecting the horns

Jam #1

The girls


Jam #2

Close up #1

Blowing!

The Revised Scale and Chord Book

The revised version of the book is ready.

It includes the warm up, sample routine, advanced scale library in all keys, as well as the suggested reading list.

Coil bound copies printed on good quality paper are available. Contact me via the comments section for price and information about ordering.

Queen Victoria's Mash Up...

or the Susato Sandwich?

Have just returned from playing a 10-piece brass gig for the MSO which farewelled the Queen Victoria from the Melbourne wharf.

You know how certain club owners have to be asked a couple of times to switch the house music off because, like, the band is back on stage? Well, we had that on a large scale tonight. We were getting stuck into the hits of the English brass eighties with Susato Suite, Three (or Four) Brass Cats, and something by Ray Premru when the ship PA started blaring the hits of downunder out at the same time. Slim Dusty, Men At Work, Midnight Oil and some others I think.

Anyway, the client was nice enough to slop a bit of Yellowglen into our plastic cups and the band(s) played on, fought it out.

What did it sound like on deck? Was this Melbourne avant-garde at its best?

.....Bon Voyage

Recommended Texts for Brass Students

Adam Routine, (unpublished)
This routine by trumpet teacher Bill Adam does not to my knowledge exist in formal published form, but is referred to and practised by many players. This, I believe, is the original source of the “fanning out long tone” exercise.

Crook, Hal. How to Improvise, Advance Music 1991
Improvisation teacher at Berklee College (Boston, Mass.) and trombonist Hal Crook’s book is a masterpiece of organization and ideas. Every player (improviser or not!) would benefit from reading his thoughts on practice and systematic approach to learning. Bursting with scale and chord exercises which are nothing short of ingenious.

Edlund, Lars. MODUS NOVUS Lärobok i fritonal melodiläsning, AB Nordiska Musikförlaget / Edition Wilhelm Hansen Stockholm, 1963
A collection of atonal sight singing (reading) exercises specially written as well as collected from the repertoire. This book is a standard text in many music faculties at universities, and goes through the various intervals. Excellent material for escaping the well worn “major/minor” paths - challenging and beneficial for aural and musical development.

Iyengar, B. K. S. Light on Yoga, Allen & Unwin, 1976
Many musicians have benefited from yoga. This book is helpful in teaching you all about the practice and philosophy of yoga, but can also encourage you to appreciate the similarities between yoga and mastering a musical instrument. The author’s clear and unequivocal instructions provide much comfort during the many hours in the practice room.

Levine, Mark. The Jazz Theory Book, Sher Music Co., 1995.
This is the most comprehensive resource for explaining intervals, chord and scale relationships, progressions, practice tactics and much more. Filled with musical examples and enlightening anecdotes, this book is a must for anybody interested in how harmony really works.

Mainous, Frank D. Melodies To Harmonize With, Prentice Hall, 1978.
400-odd melodies of all styles organized into 19 sections, which go progressively through the various chord types needed for harmonization. Uses chord symbols, but also traditional terminology. Extremely valuable collection for musicians to discover that advanced (e.g., altered and augmented) chords are by no means restricted to “jazz” or “modern music”.

Reeves, Scott D. Creative Jazz Improvisation, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall, 1995.
Very useful book with chapter by chapter guide to each mode/chord. Includes thorough transcriptions of solos, patterns, and licks which add enormously to the understanding of how progressions work, and are extremely beneficial for developing the ear.

Schlossberg, Max. Daily Drills and Exercises for Trombone, Carl Fischer, (date unknown).
Classic routine book that contains an impressive collection of exercises, many of which have been incorporated into other standard routines. The interval studies, as well as ubiquitous exercise no. 17 alone make this book indispensable.

Slonimsky, Nicolas. Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns, Music Sales Corp, 1997.
An extraordinary book (first published in 1947) that contains a vast array of octave additions and divisions that spawn hundreds of “new” scales, chords, and other patterns. This is “Schoenberg meets Coltrane” in one volume, and is required reading for anybody looking for harmonic ideas.

Spence, Greg. The Only No Mystery Guide to Trumpet Mastery, Mystery to Mastery Publishing, 2006.
Commercial trumpeter Greg Spence has written a book which demystifies the whole business of air, chops, sound, and range. It takes you step by step up from low C (on the trumpet), introducing many original ideas, and teaches you to play properly and easily. Adaptable to trombone and highly recommended.

Vernon, Charles G. A Singing Approach to the Trombone & Other Brass Instruments, Atlanta Brass Society Press, 1995.
Essential text that collates and presents years of Edward Kleinhammer and Arnold Jacobs (former Chicago Symphony bass trombonist and tubist respectively) devotion. Excellent source of exercises covering flexibility, range, and smoothness.