Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 8:44 pm
Rochut legato etudes (trombone). Play down 2 octaves. Do it every day.
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:24 pm
I generally treat low range extension like I do with high range extension. buzz it on the mouthpiece, play etudes and scales in that range, and go harder. If I'm working on a solo that has a certain pitch in it, and i can't get it, i make sure to try and get my warm-ups a fifth or so farther than that pitch, if i can play something harder to get than the note i'm really shooting for, its easier (i apologize if that makes no sense at all...)
Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 12:21 am
richland, by the way ,how was your bydlo experience? Seems like that was a topic a while back...
Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 8:21 am
You're on the right track. Remember that building any particular skill does take time -- sometimes months or years. Just stick with it and know that even if it doesn't seem (or sound) like you are getting better in the low register, your skills are indeed building. As Ben mentioned, if you can do it on the mouthpiece you will eventually be able to do it on the tuba. Be sure to listen not only to the quality of the buzz, but also to the intonation of your buzz (find a tuner that will pick up those low frequencies). This is very critical in finding the center of the pitch on your tuba and developing a strong ear-chop link.
Visualizing a thick, slow-moving air column will help a lot as well. Slow, fat, warm air.
Allow this to be a long-term process. Do some buzzing each day, but don't obsess over it. Play your low register etudes (Rochut down 2 octaves, Snedecor, etc.) without expectation that in 2 weeks, 4 weeks you will have mastered the low register. Know that each day you will be inching closer to your goal. Have fun and above all be patient!
Gary
Visualizing a thick, slow-moving air column will help a lot as well. Slow, fat, warm air.
Allow this to be a long-term process. Do some buzzing each day, but don't obsess over it. Play your low register etudes (Rochut down 2 octaves, Snedecor, etc.) without expectation that in 2 weeks, 4 weeks you will have mastered the low register. Know that each day you will be inching closer to your goal. Have fun and above all be patient!
Gary
richland tuba 01 wrote:Ben, I've been using that mouthpiece technique everyday for about 2 weeks now, I've gotten where I can get an e just by putting it on my face and buzzing, no pressure, but I'll continue to do it, thanks!
MMZ, I'll have to find those, thanks(it'll help with my sight transposing as well)
Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 4:43 pm
Not really a tip for how to play that lower range, but more of a thing of how to remember how it should sound: Remember Opera Winfrey...Big, Dark and Rich... 
Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 11:01 am
no articulation? no tongue? HA!
he wants it to be CLEAN. Using air only doesn't allow for that, or causes the articulation to be done by the lips. Not exactly a clean articulation.
But, don't be afraid to articulate between the teeth in lower ranges. There is just too much distance between a properly "dropped" jaw and the roof of the mouth to allow clean tonguing in the lower part of the tuba range, or even euph/'bone.
I've been preaching a jaw thrust/pullback for a long time. Think of an overbite for high, perfectly aligned teeth for mid, underbite for low range.
And, to use Gene P's great idea--you need an overlap in the transition from low to pedal range. An overlapped range of a 4th in each embochure setup makes it a lot easier to go into and out of that area, and will make the transition a lot easier. The Rochut are GREAT for that, but don't practice them legato in the 16vaB--the idea is to work on articulations.
he wants it to be CLEAN. Using air only doesn't allow for that, or causes the articulation to be done by the lips. Not exactly a clean articulation.
But, don't be afraid to articulate between the teeth in lower ranges. There is just too much distance between a properly "dropped" jaw and the roof of the mouth to allow clean tonguing in the lower part of the tuba range, or even euph/'bone.
I've been preaching a jaw thrust/pullback for a long time. Think of an overbite for high, perfectly aligned teeth for mid, underbite for low range.
And, to use Gene P's great idea--you need an overlap in the transition from low to pedal range. An overlapped range of a 4th in each embochure setup makes it a lot easier to go into and out of that area, and will make the transition a lot easier. The Rochut are GREAT for that, but don't practice them legato in the 16vaB--the idea is to work on articulations.
The air sound.......
Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 12:11 pm
I believe the thing you are describing at the start of the note, with the sound of the air, is due to a problem I see all the time in my students and ocassionally in professional players who have made changes to their attacks for specific horns or notes. Listen very carefully for the "puff" of air before the note starts. This is a SYMPTOM. What I have found is when you hear that sound, the air is not at the front of the mouth where it belongs, but is being stored and started from some place further back in the mouth or throat.
To correct this, whisper the syllable "HUT" and hold the "T" - this puts the air right behind the tongue where it belongs. Now go right into your attack from the "T" feel. You will find that the air sound that used to be in front of the note is gone. Practice this for several minutes in each practice session to get used to where the air needs to be to get a consistent and stable attack.
As to low register - get your embouchure into the mouthpiece and form your lips so that the air is going straight ahead. This puts the softer, inner lip tissue into the mouthpiece and like a bass drum head, being softer it allows for slow vibration. The soft inner tissue is the slow vibration tissue and the firmer outer tissue is high register tissue. Pucker out to expose this soft tissue and used a steady air stream and your low register should improve quickly. Also,if you have a moustache get rid of it. The hair takes up space in the mouthpiece and will nt allow the lip to vibrate on a wide enough arc to form the longer sine wave required for low register paying. Make sure that the upper lip is vibrating against the lower lip - not the other way around. If you are doing it wth the lower lip doing the work, drop me a PM.
Good luck on this, and happy new year to all.
Roger
To correct this, whisper the syllable "HUT" and hold the "T" - this puts the air right behind the tongue where it belongs. Now go right into your attack from the "T" feel. You will find that the air sound that used to be in front of the note is gone. Practice this for several minutes in each practice session to get used to where the air needs to be to get a consistent and stable attack.
As to low register - get your embouchure into the mouthpiece and form your lips so that the air is going straight ahead. This puts the softer, inner lip tissue into the mouthpiece and like a bass drum head, being softer it allows for slow vibration. The soft inner tissue is the slow vibration tissue and the firmer outer tissue is high register tissue. Pucker out to expose this soft tissue and used a steady air stream and your low register should improve quickly. Also,if you have a moustache get rid of it. The hair takes up space in the mouthpiece and will nt allow the lip to vibrate on a wide enough arc to form the longer sine wave required for low register paying. Make sure that the upper lip is vibrating against the lower lip - not the other way around. If you are doing it wth the lower lip doing the work, drop me a PM.
Good luck on this, and happy new year to all.
Roger
Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 12:15 pm
Well, you definitely need a completely different articulation when working in the low register. With that, you will also need a different vowel shape in your mouth cavity. Both of those points are also extremely important when working in the upper register.
Back to low register... Instead of using the tip of the tongue for the articulation, use a flatter surface of the tongue a little bit behind the tip. So instead of articulation "too" you will be articulating "loo." Experiment with this, no two mouths are the same so we will all need something different.
Be careful that you do not make any huge adjustments in your embouchure or mouthpiece placement. Such adjustments will give you flexibility troubles when moving quickly or slurring between the low register and the mid/upper register.
Getting a good response in the low register is very difficult. Be very patient and don't expect overnight miracles. Do a lot of experimentation to find a solution that works for you.
Back to low register... Instead of using the tip of the tongue for the articulation, use a flatter surface of the tongue a little bit behind the tip. So instead of articulation "too" you will be articulating "loo." Experiment with this, no two mouths are the same so we will all need something different.
Be careful that you do not make any huge adjustments in your embouchure or mouthpiece placement. Such adjustments will give you flexibility troubles when moving quickly or slurring between the low register and the mid/upper register.
Getting a good response in the low register is very difficult. Be very patient and don't expect overnight miracles. Do a lot of experimentation to find a solution that works for you.