HOW CAN MY STUDENTS SOUND LIKE PROFESSIONALS?

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1 HOW CAN MY STUDENTS SOUND LIKE PROFESSIONALS? The upper part of the body must be very stoic so air can naturally pass from the body to the instrument. Students should never move when breathing or while breathing. When playing wind instruments, students should never look AT their instruments, but instead, look BEYOND their instruments. Students should keep their eyes still and look ahead PAST their instruments. Students should sit ON their chair not IN it. The sternum should be lifted and the shoulders should be sloped. The tendons that connect the shoulders to the neck are very soft; the neck in turn is very soft and therefore allows free air all the time. The upper body down to diaphragm should be natural. With younger students, it is important that you find someone that can demonstrate the most characteristic, colorful and focused sound. Airflow must be even and constant as it moves past vibrating lips or reeds, and not feel forced for speed or energy past what will create their most resonant sound at a particular movement in their experience. Air that moves past resonance (too fast) or does not reach resonance (too slow or unfocused) will contain extraneous noise. Tonal color and energy is only a result of the appropriate ratio of air to resistance of the specific instrument being played. **This can absolutely be taught to beginners!! Once students have processed information concerning how their air moves from their diaphragm through their instrument to the point of placement they must be constantly reminded to think about how it FEELS, how it SOUNDS and what they are THINKING. Tuning problems are not as prevalent when students are taught as beginners to think about the resonance of their tone, the placement of their tone, how the body feels when the placement of air and the resistance of the instrument merge to create the most colorful and characteristic sound. If we tell a student that a note has sharp tendencies, it will be thinner and have a less resonant body of sound if they do not mentally and physically adjust how their air is moving and where it is moving. Vibrato in General Vibrato instruments will not respond unless the aforementioned information has been processed successfully. Students must be taught to connect notes with vibrato. They have to think about the center of one note to center of the next note as opposed to going from the back of one note the front of the next note. This holds true for both 1

2 tuning sequences and in music ALL THE TIME! Students notes will be the same if they do not try to do different things with each note. Double Reeds in General When students begin to learn vibrato, you just need to find someone to come in and teach this vital skill to your students if you are unable to provide this information. If not using vibrato, double reed students can easily overblow the capacity of their instrument at their level of development. Double reed students cannot learn vibrato until they learn to correctly place their air for sound and place the release of the sound in the same place. Purpose of Using a Tuner The first priority is to create a resonant, centered, steady sound. It is impossible to tune an unfocused sound because of inconsistency. o Starting in beginning class, students need to be taught to play a good, centered sound and match the people around them. Teaching students to play with characteristic and consistent sounds is imperative at all levels. The tuner is helpful in allowing students to visually see the lack of steadiness and center. It is a good tool to promote interest with younger players because it adds the sense of sight. Kinds of Tuners 12-Strobe Tuner o The best large tuner o The darker the strobe bands are, the more focused the sound is. Individual tuners that clip on instruments o Individual clip-on tuners may be useful for individual practice or section rehearsals. They should never be used for tuning purposes of anything except octaves, fourths and fifths. Linear/horizontal lines can sometimes be improved by the use of these tuners. Chord structures, however, are not compatible with the use of these devices. 2

3 If your students use clip-on tuners, be very certain they are not doing anything that is physically unnatural. Students tend to look at these devices more than they look at their director. Never allow your students to use these devices in any public venue or performance. o These tuners are never guaranteed to be calibrated correctly. Sound an F on the McAdams adjust the calibration knob on the tuner until the F is completely centered. o It is acceptable for piccolo, English horn, E-flat clarinet and soprano sax players to utilize clip-on tuners. Students playing these color instruments are certainly encouraged to use individual tuners until they get used to the instrument and its tendencies. Violin clip-on tuners can be used for piccolo. o Pitch CD s, if used at all, should be sounded and then turned off as to not create an environment of chaos in the room. Side-to-side tuner o Tuners that have needles that move from side to side to indicate pitch discrepancies are very difficult to control. Students will often contort their faces to make the needle stop. o A good solution is to have students play their tuning sequences with their eyes closed. The focus should be solely on producing the best and most characteristic sound on the instrument. Once a steady and resonant sound is produced, the student then opens their eyes to see if the note is in tune. Yamaha Harmony Director o This device allows you not only to hear the qualities of certain chords, but also allows you to move between even-tempered and just intonation. ***You are discouraged from using tuning CD s or other computer programs unless they are used independently from students playing. It is ok to produce a pitch or interval for students, but the sounds should be turned off when the students actually start to play. Use of a Tuner in a Full Rehearsal 1. Use the tuner consistently to help with overall pitch level and instrument lengths. o You will have to show younger students where to place their pipes. o Your goal should be to check one section a day and to visually check for pipe lengths every day. 3

4 o Flute, saxophone, and all brass players can make small markings on their slides or corks so they know, generally, where to set their mouthpieces or slides. 2. In a high school band, if possible, students can check their basic tuning notes prior to rehearsal. If not, the director should check their notes once or twice a week. Woodwind players must have 4 workable reeds at all times. o You must do reed guard checks. If you are allowed to give a daily grade for having a reed guard, then assign 25 points per reed. o Having good reeds is as important as having valves and slides that move! o Bad reeds will make intonation futile. 3. In every rehearsal, be sure to tune a few key players to set the level, whether there is time to set instrument lengths or not. Recommended Tuning Notes/Sequences* *with the assumption that students are forming their embouchures and using their air correctly Always slur the sequences, because in most cases, the tongue only adds interference (especially with younger players). When tuning, vibrato-producing instruments need to play with a straight tone sometimes, and with vibrato at other times. When vibrato is really slow..or really fast..the notes will not register well on the tuner. o Flute and Piccolo: *For advanced players, in addition to the first sequence above. In general, headjoints can be pulled approximately ¼ of an inch. After being tuned, students can make a mark with their pencil on their headjoint. If the A is in tune but the D is sharp, the student s corners and/or jaw may not be forward enough. 4

5 o Oboe: Students should use their embouchures to improve intonation. Bringing the corners in and playing with rounder embouchures will help to lower the pitch. In order to raise the pitch, students should use faster and more focused air. The quality of the reeds will also be a factor! The amount of reed will differ from student to student, and the correctness can only be judged by their tonal response, resonance and color. Students should not be told to pull out or push in their reeds any more than normal. When students sound uncharacteristic, it is a result of a lack of balance between air, embouchure and reed vibration. Mirrors should be used as needed for oboe players in both MS/JH and HS ensembles, especially for students that play with their corners incorrectly pulled back. o Clarinet/Bass Clarinet: Clarinet mouthpieces should connect completely to the barrel. Use first line E to adjust at the barrel (clarinet) or the neck (bass clarinet). If a student is playing on too hard of a reed, they will tend to play sharp. If a student is playing on too soft of a reed, they will tend to play flat. OR Use 4 th line D or 3 rd space C to adjust in the middle (between the upper and lower joint). On Buffet R13 clarinets, the 4 th line D will almost always be sharp; therefore, most instruments will need to be pulled in the middle. On Buffet R13 clarinets with 5RV Lyre mouthpieces, the barrel may need to be pulled slightly. 5

6 Older bass clarinets cannot be adjusted in the middle because they are in one piece; therefore, they can only be adjusted at the neck. Newer bass clarinets can be adjusted both at the neck and/or in the middle because they are in two pieces. They need to be adjusted where the screw is. o Eb Contra-alto Clarinet (aka E-flat Contra-bass Clarinet): o Bassoon: Either 2 nd space C or 2 nd line B will be the best notes to tune. Students should use their embouchures to improve intonation. Bringing the corners in and playing with rounder embouchures will help to lower the pitch. The quality of the reeds will also be a factor! The amount of reed will differ from student to student, and the correctness can only be judged by their tonal response, resonance and color. Students should not be told to pull out or push in their reeds and/or bocal any more than normal. When students sound uncharacteristic, it is a result of a lack of balance between air, embouchure and reed vibration If students are sharp, they should not be told to pull the bocal or the bell out. 4th line F (whisper/wisper key F) and below the staff F are generally sharp; thus, they are not good tuning notes. 6

7 Mirrors should be used as needed for bassoon players in both MS/JH and HS ensembles, especially for students that play with their corners incorrectly pulled back. o Alto and Baritone Saxophone: Do not teach or allow young alto or baritone saxophone students to put down their below the staff B or B-flat keys to lower the fourth line D. These tricks will lower the pitch but will also deaden the sound. The only exception is a student who is playing on a Yamaha baritone saxophone or a Selmer alto saxophone. For a step-up Selmer alto saxophone, the left hand C, B, A and G will be flat. Students will most likely have to add keys to raise the pitch. Refer to the additional saxophone handout regarding specific fingerings. In general, there should be ¼ to ⅓ of the cork showing on the neck. After being tuned, students can make a mark with their pencil on their cork. o Tenor Saxophone: In general, there should be ¼ to ⅓ of the cork showing on the neck. After being tuned, students can make a mark with their pencil on their cork. ALL valve brass instruments in general: 1-2 valve combination is sharp valve combination is sharp 1-3 valve combination is sharp 2-3 valve combination is flat All high B-flat concerts are sharp because the students tend to play with a tight/pinched embouchure to get the note. In sectionals, the brass players need to check their valve slides in addition to their main tuning slide. 7

8 After being tuned, students can make a mark on their slide(s) with a pencil. Brass instruments should never be tuned on F concert it is a sharp note. o The exception is the 3 rd space (trigger) C on French horn. When students are physically ready to perform this note with a nonforced and centered sound, then they are ready to tune on this note. Brass players should be taught to completely push in all slides at the end of each class/practice session. This forces students to move their slides daily and will alleviate maintenance problems regarding slides in general. o Trumpet: 3 rd space C is the main tuning note o French Horn: 2 nd line G for the F side 3 rd space C is the main tuning note for the Bb side Keep in mind that if you choose to use below the staff C as an alternate tuning note, it is also a sharp note on the instrument. An old-school way to tune a French horn is to have students play a 3 rd space C with the trigger and then without the trigger. Because students will never play this note without the trigger, there is really no point in this method. You should never see the front three slides pushed all the way in; they should be pulled equidistantly. After middle school/junior high, this may change. 8

9 o Trombone: Remember that when playing a 4 th line F, the slide should be a few millimeters out because that note is naturally sharp; however, when playing above the staff and second line B-flat, the slide should be in 1 st position. When using the trigger, the positions end up being bigger. When using the trigger, kick out a few millimeters for T1 and T2 (similar to 4 th line F without the trigger). When tuning the trigger slide, use below the staff F or 2 nd space C and adjust the trigger slide not the main tuning slide. o Euphonium: o Tuba: Tuning this note only tunes the B-flat side of the instrument. The main tuning slide is on the back of the instrument. Regarding Besson euphoniums: the 4 th valve slide is on the front of the instrument. Regarding Yamaha YEP 321 euphoniums: the 4 th valve slide is embedded in the middle (compacted in the middle). The main tuning slide is always on the front of the tuba on the bottom. Remember that Yamaha 641 tubas are full-sized and Yamaha 105 tubas are small-sized. The 3 rd valve slide is on the front and the main slide is in the back. Regarding Miraphone 186 tubas: the 3 rd and 4 th valve slides are on the back of the instrument. The 3 rd valve slide is behind the 4 th valve slide; follow the pipe! Students playing regular B-flat tubas should not pull slides while they are playing (exception being very advanced players). 9

10 Bad Notes on Instruments Flute: Oboe: o These are considered the four (technically eight) special notes on flute. o The top lip should be stretched/pulled over their top teeth like a hook. Students should aim their air lower into their embouchure hole, and their jaw should drop as well. Students should not be allowed to add right hand fingers on 3 rd space and above the staff C-sharp. Bassoon: o 2 nd and 3 rd octave C s are very sharp; 5 th line F, F# and above the staff G are extremely sharp o Half-hole notes, in general, are sharp. o 4 th space G is very sharp add the left pinky E-flat resonance key to lower the pitch. This should be taught as part of the fingering with beginners. o 3 rd space E-flat is very sharp add the left pinky E-flat resonance key to lower the pitch. o 4 th line F-sharp and below the staff F-sharp are both very sharp. o Below the staff D is very sharp. 10

11 Clarinet: o These notes are considered the throat tones. Refer to the additional clarinet handout regarding intonation. o Do not alter these fingerings with beginners. With advanced players, use a tuner and give each student special fingerings when needed. Not every student will necessarily use the same fingering. o G in the staff is controversial in terms of it being considered a throat tone. o Altissimo D and all notes higher are flat and should always be played with the speaker key (low G-sharp key plus the left hand index finger being half-holed) or completely removed left hand index finger for advanced players. Alto and Baritone Saxophone: o 2 nd octave open C-sharp is flat, and the above the staff C-sharp is sharp. Trumpet: o The two sharpest notes on the instrument are 4 th line D and 4 th space E. o 4 th space E-flat and 4 th line D are flat. 11

12 o Below the staff D is sharp. o Students should extend their 3 rd valve slide ¾ the way. Not using the 3 rd valve slide is not an option in terms of the fingering. o Below the staff C-sharp is sharp. o Students should fully extend their 3 rd valve slide and thumb saddle. Not using the 3 rd valve slide is not an option in terms of the fingering. o You should periodically check 3 rd valve slides and thumb saddles for proper maintenance and ease. o Do not allow students to use the 3 rd valve as an alternate fingering for 1 st and 2 nd valve. French Horn: o 3 rd space C is sharp. o Below the staff C can sometimes be sharp. Trombone: o In general, 2 nd position is flat and 5 th position is sharp because students tend to not put these positions in the correct place. o Do not make students play sixth and seventh positions until their arms are long enough. o Do not allow students to gauge 3 rd position with their finger(s) on the bell. o 7th position is past the stocking (the raised area). o Students should not be allowed to use their foot to catch their 7 th position. With smaller students, allow them to move to their right slightly. 4. During rehearsal, use the tuner to help with notes in extreme registers and isolate problem pitches. 12

13 o Assuming that the embouchure and air are being used correctly, allow students to make markings regarding tuning tendencies on certain notes. arrows up and down vowel sounds simple catchphrases o Instrument lengths should not be adjusted without careful monitoring of embouchures and use of air. o If a note is in a passage, have the student play the passage and see how it registers on the tuner or simply sustain the problematic note (or notes). 5. Emphasize evenness of tone quality and tonal center moving from the center of one note to the center of the next note and use the tuner only as a reference. 6. Do not tune every student every day. If you are having to tune students on a daily basis, then students are not taking the time before class/rehearsal to set their instrument lengths correctly. This in turn results in a very ineffective use of your time. Students who share school-owned instruments must be reminded that their instrument length may not be the same as the other student assigned to that instrument. French Horn Pipes Holton brand/conn 6/8/10D and Yamaha 667 o The main slide is the first slide leading from the lead pipe on the back. If student looks at the back of the horn with the mouthpiece pointing up, it will be the slide on the left. o The other large slide is the F tuning slide. It will be on the right if the students are looking at the horn from the back with the mouthpiece pointing up. o The water slide is the slide on back, closest to the mouthpiece. Water, ironically, is in the main tuning slide. Students should either: turn their mouthpiece to the right, remove the main slide, spin the instrument clockwise and empty the water. turn their mouthpiece to the right, remove the main slide, spin counter-clockwise and empty the water from the leadpipe. Make sure students put their slides back in the correct position after emptying the water. o With most French horns, there will be a lot of water in the 3 rd valve slides. These are the lowest points on the horn. 13

14 o 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd valve slides are on the top half of the F side. The B-flat slides (shorter because they are on the higher part of the horn) are on the bottom half closer to the main tuning slide. Miscellaneous Remind students as they are entering the set-up to visually place pipes/set their instrument lengths where they should be before class begins every day. The younger the students, the more they have to be reminded! When standing for breathing exercises, do not allow low clarinet or low saxophone players to push down on their necks. This not only causes damage to the instruments over time, but may affect the intonation as well due to the necks always being pushed in. Using the Tuner During Section Rehearsals Most individual tuning should be done in sectionals but only if needed! Tune the individual notes and the problem pitches that occur in the music. This does not always mean to move a tuning slide, because: o brass players can adjust other slides and/or be assigned vowel sounds to think while playing o woodwind players can also be assigned vowel sounds and/or be given information regarding better placement/focus of air. Make sure that everyone who has that note knows who to listen for. Realize that different instruments have different tendencies students will have to adjust accordingly. Tune notes that are inherently bad on the instrument, but continue emphasizing a centered, resonant sound. You cannot use a tuner to accurately tune chords. o For example: in an F Major chord, you can kind of tune F-C a little bit, but when you add the A, you have an out of tune chord. o You cannot accurately tune a Remington exercise. o You cannot accurately tune a linear/horizontal line. o The tuner helps with reference, but is not exact in an ensemble. Emphasis must be on sound quality and matching; the tuner is only a means of reference to those goals. Emphasize how things feel as well as what you see (the tuner dial). o Students can re-create this in a proactive manner than in a responsive manner. 14

15 Types of Tuners You are highly encouraged to have a 12-window strobe tuner. o Node 8001 available through Peterson o MSRP $5,400 This is the new version of the Node 7050, which is already in many band/orchestra halls. Tuning Software/Apps o StroboSoft 2.0 Available from Peterson ( There are PC and Mac versions in several configurations; cost between $50-$130. o istrobosoft Tuning app from Peterson, available for ipad/iphone/ipod $9.99 o TonalEnergy Tuning app for ipad/iphone/ipod/android (tonalenergy.com) $3.99 Has a just temperament Korg CA-40 Electronic Chromatic Tuner (student-owned) o Has one strobe o It is digital o Knows what note a student is playing o MSRP $21.99 Many students will have free or cheap tuning apps on their phones, tablets, or ipods. o Make sure students have calibrated correctly. o Test the app before you allow students to use it. o If you allow these during class/rehearsal, set strict parameters to make sure phones are used for intonation only. 15

16 DEMONSTRATION BAND EXERCISES Touching the Spot Where Air is to be Placed While Playing Flute/Piccolo Oboe Bassoon Clarinet Low Clarinet Saxophone Trumpet French Horn Trombone Euphonium Tuba F-Around-the-Room (F Exchange) Procedure o Band plays Concert F (or any other note), then the note is exchanged between sections and individuals o Perform in whole notes, dotted half notes or other note values of your choosing. o Your order can move through brass and then woodwind instruments: Full Band, Tuba, Euphonium, Trombone, French Horn, Trumpet, Low Clarinet, Bassoon, Low Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Oboe/English Horn, Flute, Piccolo, Percussion, Full Band o Your order can move from the lowest sounds to the highest sounds: OR 16

17 Full Band, Tuba, Euphonium, Trombone, Bassoon, Low Saxophone, Low Clarinet, French Horn, Trumpet, Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Oboe/English Horn, Flute, Piccolo, Percussion, Full Band o If you have a better section than the tubas, then you can start with a different instrument as the model. o If helpful, have your very best vibrato student play by themselves right before the first vibrato section performs. Objectives o Match tonal energy, volume, and strength of articulation between voices and individuals. o Make a smooth (seamless) exchange between whole notes. o Match starts and releases. o Match pitch. Variations o Exchange on measures of quarters, eighths, etc. o Pull out challenging rhythms from performance literature and pass around the room both by section and individually. o Dove-tail: each person holds for a maximum of eight counts and the first person holding releases when matched with the second person This variation is very challenging to match at the beginning with a person that is sustaining, because you have to think about what the other person is doing before you play then you play and then you have to think whether your sound is matched or not. To make this variation even more challenging, perform this in eighths and sixteenths. o Exchange on intervals and notes other than a single note Work on how to play open fifths. Exchange them with no color changes and volume changes. Learn how to match open fifths. With younger students, work on volume first and making volume the same from instrument to instrument -- no matter the color Match color, energy and volume of the people on either side of you. Individual F-Around-the-Room (F Exchange) 17

18 Creative Ways to Incorporate Tuning Notes and Sequences into a Basic F- Around-the-Room Exercise Flute/Piccolo above the staff A; then above the staff D Oboe 2 nd space A Bassoon 2 nd space C Clarinet 1 st line E; then 4 th line D (or 3 rd space C) Bass Clarinet 1 st line E Eb Contra Bass Clarinet 3 rd line B Alto Saxophone 5 th line F# Tenor Saxophone 3 rd space C Baritone Saxophone 5 th line F# Trumpet 3 rd space C French Horn 2 nd line G; then 3 rd space (trigger) C Trombone above the staff Bb Euphonium above the staff Bb Tuba 2 nd line Bb Individual Vibrato - Matching Exercises Using Various Note Values 18

19 Basic Full Ensemble Daily Drill Exercises Breathing and Breath Control Exercises Long Tones Remington Exercises F-Descending/Ascending Articulation Series F-Around-the-Room (F Exchange) Color Drill Refer to Color Drill supplemental pages from Essential Musicianship for Band: Ensemble Concepts (Green, Benzer, Bertman) o This is an extremely sophisticated exercise that should only be performed with a very advanced ensemble. This should be considered the end result of excellent preparation through other basic exercises. Chorale Refer to Rehearsing a Four-Part Chorale supplemental page from Essential Musicianship for Band: Ensemble Concepts (Green, Benzer, Bertman) o Be careful not to do too much too soon in terms of the difficulty of your chosen chorale. o Specific chorale recommendations: Patterson chorale Sixteen Chorales by J.S. Bach (arr. Mayhew Lake) o You are strongly encouraged to have students slur their parts for as long as it takes to them to move from the center of one note to the center of the next note at a very high level. Eventually, students can perform their parts as written. Supplemental Exercises 19