Day One- 7/26/93

Day Two- 7/27/93

Day Three- 7/28/93

Day Four- 7/29/93

Day Five- 7/30/93

ARNOLD JACOBS WORKSHOP- 7/26/93

Itís just vibration- we can buzz anywhere on our lips We donít need to find placement; we just hear notes We buzz without thinking The lips just have to vibrate

When thereís air, thereís not necessarily a buzz We need great knowledge of the art of sound and ignorance of physiology.

B. The brain must have a concept of good sound

Memory is very important We arenít aware of our vocal cords during speech We should treat the embouchure as vocal cords Sound is most important The adult brain should only be involved in music

The body is only hardware Demonstration is the most successful form of teaching Stabilize the sound, not the body.

C. The nervous system

Motor nerves- carry signal from brain to effectors Only carries signals one way

Takes orders from brain to body parts Sensory nerves- gather information only We learn through our sensors and act through our effectors Therefore, always focus on the product, no the process

D. The nervous system and practicing

You canít use the sensory system primarily when embarking on a motor activity i.e. listening to yourself play instead of practicing

You must be involved only with the message Always focus on the product, not the process If thereís a physiological problem, take care of it away from the instrument The instrument is a powerful stimulus for bad habits

Focus on the person, not the musician

E. Be a storyteller of sound

There are 2 instruments- one in the hand and one in the brain The horn in the hand- must be a mirror of your thoughts Imitation is a powerful learning tool

Hear the ideal sound in your mind always Donít blow and just listen to yourself Donít stabilize the meat, stabilize the sound To drive a car it is not necessary to know how a car works

The human body is too complicated to understand

F. Sensory awareness canít be involved in performance

You should be aware only of your mindís horn Donít just listen to yourself when you practice Demonstration- ďPromenadeĒ from Pictures at an Exhibition

Performers shouldnít be afraid to play in public Weíre in an art form Practice so youíre performing Weíre communicating

Low pressure in oral cavity, high air flow through horn

Little backpressure

Go to extremes during practice- use as little air pressure and as much wind as possible

You can blow hard but not have much air

Your body can lie- your diaphragmatic area can expand without any air being inhaled

Less pushing, more air

The psychology of suction in inhaling causes less pressure in exhaling

Itís almost impossible to be tense when youíve taken a free, full breath

G. Blowing air out freely is the physiological opposite of childbirth and defecation

Donít stabilize the diaphragmatic and laryngeal regions, or else you may trigger the Valsalva Maneuver Donít confuse your body by tensing up these regions and blowing As long as thereís tone, thereís wind Pressure always exists as a phenomenon of wind

Minimize the air pressure, and the tone gets automatically better

we do this by using more wind

H. Accuracy comes from the brain, not the chops

The ďbreath builderĒ- you must use it with a minimum of effort Because of hyperventilation, you can only do 3-4 repetitions After working with the breath builder, the horn in your mind must become more important The tongue should only be used in extreme range leaps Inhale deep breaths with as little effort as possible Raise the chest if necessary Donít breathe deeply according to body motion-just take in a lot of air When making physical changes, always do them away from the instrument

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ARNOLD JACOBS WORKSHOP- 7/27/93

A. The tongue

Takes up most of the space in the oral cavity in repose Ah, Oh, Oo- 3 most open vowel sounds Ss, K- most closed You must get the tongue out of the way during playing ĎTí is an unvoiced consonant- it cannot make a sound

Itís a blockage of air

íTí makes no sound or music whatsoever The tongue and ďdiaphragmĒ can cause the most problems in playing ďA most unruly organĒ It does strange things and consists of many muscles

Stuttering on a brass instrument is caused by isometric contraction

The tension can be felt under the chin

This isometric contraction also occurs in swallowing- it closes off the windpipe During a deep breath the larynx moves down and opens up Having the chin down in playing closes off the airway

Inhaling openly and largely prevents closure in exhaling Static air pressure (Ďtí) we try to avoid Concentrate on blowing air out, not on the tongue

Think of wind, not pressure

You canít control the meat in order to control the sound

Donít concentrate on the feelings of the tongue or chops

This makes pressure, not wind, the most important

B. When you play your horn, forget about it all except for the music

Avoid ďparalysis by analysisĒ 15% of thought on respiration, 85% on music

The lungs and heart are attached to the diaphragm

Donít immobilize the diaphragm area

Think of a piston going down in inhaling and up in exhaling

Donít buzz without the mouthpiece or ring (open lip buzz)- you must feel the lips vibrate

Donít think loud or soft- think tone quality

Strength isnít needed- what we need is weakness

Sit-ups, weightlifting, etc. donít affect playing because we want weakness

No sound from the horn means that you are trying to make sound without buzzing

EXERCISES:

Slow breathing- in 4 counts, out 4 counts Allows you to ďfollow throughĒ and use all necessary muscle groups

Also helps for stage fright

Done many times throughout the day

Start with a full lung capacity

A study of the psychology of breathing Fast inhalation- exhale for 7 eighth notes, inhale for 1 eighth note Vary speed by making tempo progressively faster

Study of the rapid, full breath (However, donít think about breathing exercises during playing!)

Donít fight old habits, replace them with new ones

In legato playing, slurring is done with the brain, not the valves Back to Top

ARNOLD JACOBS WORKSHOP- 7/28/93

654 of our 659 muscles are antagonists to each other All of us have more than enough strength to play We want weakness, not strength Conceive of air outside the mouth, not inside A sure sign that things are working correctly

Resuming practice after a long vacation Focus primarily on interpretation Find your finest quality of tone- even on 1 long note Make sure you go after the music, not drills Gradually increase range Donít try to stabilize the meat, stabilize the tone and sound Hypertrophy- decreases after 3 weeks of not playing Play easy music that you know Donít accept lower standards even though you havenít been playing Copying is very important at this stage What causes hiccups? An irritation of the diaphragm- the diaphragm makes a spasm downward Rebreathing in a bag or holding breath works best to get rid of them Increase carbon dioxide in the lungs Sugar scrapes the throat; works for some How do you form a mental image while playing music youíve never seen? Mental image should be based on past experiences Music should remind you of music youíve played or heard before Sightreading is like walking through tall grass -1st time- no path is made; no memory is achieved -Each additional time a greater path is made; a better memory of the piece is achieved Where should the destination of the air in the lungs be? No specific region; just the lungs! Every area of the lungs fills equally at the same rate Thinking about full breaths allows more air than thinking about regional breaths- More area to expand In high flow rate instruments (tuba) it is more important to have air reserves The ribs lower as you get out of breath -As you inhale the ribs widen and raise- You can't expand the lungs with the back muscles- it is very inefficient- allow the rib cage to move up -Just take in huge volumes of air and donít worry about being wrong Controlling long phrases without running out of air Maximum efficiency -If the embouchure wants to vibrate, less air is automatically required -Concentrate on a free buzz Some have a smaller ďgas tankĒ than others, but we all need the same amount of air to play -Those with a smaller tank just need to take in more breaths Long tones make things much more efficient Articulation- sometimes wastes air Mouthpiece buzzing Produces a feeling of strangeness which can be beneficial in getting rid of bad habits It is a pure connection from the brain to the lips Donít warm up- use the lips as vocal cords -Mental thought in playing should be the same as in singing- only the message reaches the lips through the 7th cranial nerve rather than the vocal cords vial the laryngeal nerve -Buzz songs that arenít too fast or slow Avoid problems involved with adding the horn -Breathe a thick column of air -Think air and buzz, song and wind Covering backbore causes the same resistance as the horn -Good for buzzing pedal m tones Length, thickness and tension exist in all vibration -When articulating in the low register you must use a slightly more tense embouchure than if playing legato -Playing general music in the low register helps -Interpret music down there

Concentrate on the love song- music Whether long or short tones, always play with the same quality of tone Daily practice Long term goals- ex. orchestral excerpts -Anything practiced regularly Recital program Short term practice- ex. etudes -Orchestral parts- even practice quarter notes! -Practice things you donít include on the job- balance. -Control the tone to control the meat, not vice versa -Piston (lungs) down when you breathe in, up when you breathe out -Breathing exercises can only do 4 repetitions if you do things correctly -Donít concentrate on moving the body during breathing- if you breathe correctly it moves without thought

Slow breath- long body (as if standing) 5 counts each way Study what happens to your body during the slow breath- like ďlong bowĒ exercises Mid 40ís or so- some elasticity is lost -Still keep breathing deeply- it shouldnít matter if you were breathing correctly in the first place Exhale for 4 beats, inhale 1 beat, exhale -You must work as a person on breathing, not as a brass player Exhale 7 eighth notes, inhale 1 eighth note Use your arms as a visual aid during the exercises During exhalation, move arm away from the body During inhalation, move arm toward you -Arms represent air well because they are visual and represent change -Air cannot be felt as air below the larynx- itís more of an imitation Many times replacement breaths are inadequate Practice moving air out and in by thirds while moving the arms- begin to sense quantity Also, do long and fast inhalations using arms Short breaths can fill lungs to capacity- you must be very efficient (no half breaths) You canít get tense or you canít get full lungs capacity The sensation of having too much air to get a fresh breath is caused by too much pressure inside the lungs You donít have to empty lungs totally when playing; there is always gas exchange

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ARNOLD JACOBS WORKSHOP- 7/29/93

The source of stimulus must be in the brain for the embouchure ex. Trumpet part to Zarathustra- Hear the high ĎCí a moment before you play it High register- must be played in enough - Play songs up high - Lyricism more important- get a good concept of what the high register should sound like - Stabilize the sound and the music- the embouchure will develop later Make sure replacement breaths are large enough Every note must have a stimulus in the brain When buzzing, feel where the lips are vibrating Itís the buzz that plays the horn, not the air Always mentalize when you play Always sing when you play- even use numbers or solfege if needed Donít tolerate anyone who plays better than you High standards are in the head, not the lips The horn in your hand must mirror the horn in your mind If your mental image is good enough, soon you will play better than those you imitate You canít control the embouchure- you must control the music The less air pressure and resistance you use, the better tone you will have Darker Pull tuning slide in, though Endurance will increase greatly Match tone qualities when slurring octaves As you rise one octave the backpressure doubles -ex. 7-14-28 6-12-24 The freer you play in the low register the less backpressure you will need Arpeggios- must be free

The breath builder A good ďfrog and tipĒ study Use weakness Closing the port- causes more resistance You must put the tube between the teeth and over the tongue 3-4 reps only Hospital inhaler Can have variable resistance Keep the ball up as long as possible Anesthesia bag- like long tones -Put mouthpiece in to measure air used when playing Inspiron alone, or with rubber tube for mouthpiece work -Ordinarily it is a breath exerciser 3/4 inch tube- lets you feel the air going into the mouth Putting your mouthpiece through it aids resistance Finger also works in place of the tube Snatched inhalations- use arm for visualization Smaller women- must be more efficient Snatched inhalations- practice quickly using arms -Also practice on horn

Standing and sitting should feel the same Replacement breaths- must be large at all times No gasps 80% of lung capacity can be removed in one second in healthy males 15% - takes 2-3 seconds 5%- residual air; canít be removed Large inhalation stretches tissues Tissues have an elastic rebound effect 3/4 lbs. of pressure right after inhalation Rest position- This portion usually used during sleep; about 1/3 of lung capacity; in balance with atmospheric pressure The amount of work gets greater as you pass 0 pressure Asthmatics and emphysema sufferers- take longer to empty lungs Work harder than healthy persons Also occurs in older people Replacement breaths- donít need to fill lungs totally, but should be comfortable into the positive pressure area In general, breathe comfortable large breaths and exhale in a way that expels air the quickest Practice holding your breath without closing your throat, or try panting, or a gasp of surprise Hold your breath without closing the throat and use the breath as needed in orchestral situations (actually this can be very calming). Refilling the lungs can be very quick no matter where you are in the pressure curve (neural inhibition= reversal of inhale and exhale is instantaneous) Palpating the sternal region- makes exaggeration in the chest region apparent- bring the chest up and utilize that space Every area of the lungs must expand- the chest and diaphragm area included Aerobic exercise doesnít help lungs, but does make you healthy! If you use 4 liters of air, take 4 back in Stay out of the negative pressure curve Always take air in through the mouth Think of the air vacuum meter at the lips Back to Top

A RNOLD JACOBS WORKSHOP- 7/30/93

A. The embouchure Play it down- it develops based on the music you play It develops with lots of range, dynamic and musical practice Basic musculature Upper lip consists of all the muscles from the nose to the lip opening Lower lip consists of all the muscles from the top of the chin to the lip opening The cheek muscles are also involved- from the ear to the mouth No embouchure exists except inside the mouthpiece The embouchure consists of only the vibrating surfaces High register problems Adjust the vibrating surfaces, not the rim surface Small muscles of the orbicularis oris bring the vibrating surfaces inward We arenít aware of these small muscles- we must concentrate on the sound instead High notes are nothing but a fast vibration, Low notes are nothing but a slow vibration The high register doesnít involve strength Donít stabilize the embouchure, stabilize the sound Try getting a good high sound in your brain Too often the embouchure in the high register is forced to vibrate No forcing is needed Take music you know and put it in the high register- it will take a little time, but it will develop with more practice The ring around the embouchure consists of hypertrophy of small muscles Mouthpiece pressure has a purpose It helps isolate the region No pressure- only works in fanfare situations Prepare everything but air pressure when playing- the cellist prepares everything but motor movement Changing mouthpieces If you go by the product, changing doesnít affect it (The same rim helps, though) If you go by feeling, it affects playing (however, we shouldnít play by sensory information) Changing mouthpieces helps the psychomotor aspect of playing Strangeness- gets rid of conditioning It changes the stimulus- thoughts become more important 3 variables- the horn, the mouthpiece, and the embouchure- Placement of the mouthpiece Much to do with taste You should find your own placement Pressure should be equal at all points- if the angle isnít correct we will try to equalize pressure at all points, causing overpressing on one lip Pivot system- donít pivot for small intervals like 3rds, 5ths, etc. We should concentrate on small embouchure changes Pivoting definitely helps in large intervals, but donít overdo it in small intervals Buzzing Visualizer- very inefficient- no acoustical benefits It isolates the vibrating surfaces though Can cause more air pressure than in the horn and less air flow- a danger exists of carrying this to the instrument Practice only low and middle ranges with the visualizer Buzzing without the mouthpiece (free buzz) Difficult to transfer to the mouthpiece- the ring makes transfer easier It is almost perfect buzzing, but it is so close to being right it is dangerous (the embouchure does not actually buzz this efficiently) Can make the vibrating surfaces too tense The visualizer isolates muscles for buzzing but lip pressure is not the same The double buzz is an airway problem Caused by not thick enough of an air column Not enough air- therefore not an embouchure but an air problem Puffing cheeks Donít draw attention to it- the corners of the mouth are the only thing that matters Fix this problem by working on articulated interval studies- they require firm corner muscles -Demonstration- Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto- If you donít always use your full lung capacity you run into problems in later life Inhale feeling friction at the lips during suction- suck! Air and embouchure, not air and tongue- even in fast staccato passages (the visualizer helps awareness in buzz, not tongue) Full and empty exercises using arms as frog and tip visualizations Suck air at lips, not throat Inhaling is much more important than exhaling Slow breath studies for quantitative purposes Exhale in 4 beats, inhale in 1 Put lips forward during suction- the tube in the mouth alters the stimulus B. The aging process and wind playing 45-50 was the age that brass players used to retire Loss of elasticity and chest wall compliance Tonguing problems also showed up Those who then gear toward the feelings they had when they were younger also ended up retiring Bud Herseth and other successful older brass players are geared toward music and therefore donít experience this Age brings on only a ďshortening of the bowĒ- Mental states are much more serious Difficulty in tonguing and tightening of the throat are the first symptoms More wind- the solution Music and song always -Demonstration- Rochut etude #4 Add the dimension of song Listen to musicians and singers- copy and create All practice must be based on the concept of art Donít prepare tissue, or there will be no music- hear notes, prepare the music Song and wind Song is all-important Wind is secondary Put the mouthpiece in an inspirometer; try to lift the ball while buzzing- imagine raising a ball when buzzing on your horn C. Final comments Song and wind are very simplifying concepts- the only challenge in playing is musical Preconceived sound Very important; almost vital to a brass player A brass player must have excellent relative pitch Have recall after you play also Mouthpiece buzzing is very important in developing relative pitch also Solfege is a fine way to develop this; even think the syllables when you play Singing and brass playing are closer to each other than any 2 instrument families Talking is very easy because thereís a message- if you have nothing to say it gets difficult- the same is true with brass playing You can sound great when doing everything physically wrong if you think musically Vibrato Use visual aids; shake the horn, etc., and donít allow any guessing internally Always go by sound Imitation is also important Back to Top

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