Re: more core in the low register?


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Posted by Jim Williams on October 15, 2003 at 12:01:26:

In Reply to: more core in the low register? posted by tim on October 14, 2003 at 11:09:39:

Tim:
Developing in this register, as with all playing, requires introspection and guided practice. If you are practicing 15-30 minutes every other day and/or do not have a teacher, development in ALL areas of playing will be slow if it occurs at all.
Having said that, my advice is similar to that given by the gentleman from Colorado:

1. You must find where the notes are on your tuba and in your mouth. You must experiment with different sizes of "sound box" until you find the one that "Locks in" the low notes with a full sound at mp of mf MAX. You should START this process at the lowest note at which you feel fully comfortable, say low Bb or low C, depending on your tuba. In general, low notes require a bigger sound box.

2. Ensure that the back of your tongue is not up. If it is, the sound box will be too small and the low notes will be wimpy or non-existant. The "aw" in "law" is perhaps an appropriate vowel sound here, as it forces the back of the tongue down, but you will have to experiment to find the right size sound box for your face, mouthpiece, and tuba.
If you were a ham radio operator, I would kinda liken the process to antenna impedance matching so that there is no standing wave that feeds back to the source.

3. This process is enhanced by having another set of ears to listen to the sound--so find a teacher if you don't have one, or work with another tuba player whose low register you admire.

4. remember that low notes require relatively few lip vibrations--do not overblow. That's why I say no more than mp or mf max until you have the process of slow vibration under control

5. Once you have found where the notes are in your mouth & on the tuba, then work on building them up. Start mp or mf, then SLOWLY build volume over time. Remember--the lips need to vibrate slowly, so do not over-energize them. A large volume of air moving slowly is appropriate here. Immediately back off if the tone starts to break, gurgle, or waver. Try to eliminate all sources of tension (easy to say!)in order to let the lips vibrate FULLY but SLOWLY. Work down chromatically from the "comfortable" note, a note or two at a time.

6. Do not expect this to occur overnight, esp. if you play only casually and don't have a teacher. As I say, all development is an introspective process that requires time and ears beyond your own, however good they may be.
Jim



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