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WIGGLING THE VALVES....? Explanation needed

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 5:35 am
by ubq
As I'm Hungarian, I have several english words yet which I do not really understand... I would greatly appreciate if you could please explain wha does the following sentence mean:

"Play these octaves as harmonic slurs on one fingering (until this I understand :) ) - or just rip them while wiggling your valves "

And the other:

"Rip the valves on the slurs in every exercise"


Thanks for your kind help. If you would need hungarian translation, just let me know :) !!

Re: WIGGLING THE VALVES....? Explanation needed

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:47 am
by imperialbari
ubq wrote:As I'm Hungarian, I have several english words yet which I do not really understand... I would greatly appreciate if you could please explain wha does the following sentence mean:

"Play these octaves as harmonic slurs on one fingering (until this I understand :) ) - or just rip them while wiggling your valves "
I think wiggling the valves means pressing the valves in fast sequences of random patterns. When combined with a rip there often will sound something like an upwards scale.

Around 1970 one of the entertainment pieces common on brass band concerts was about a lighthouse with the baritones and euphs illustrating the foghorns by playing long notes in odd intervals. The cornets had very fast chromatic scales. At a clinic with a well-known British conductor, who preferred British instruments over Japanese, the cornets had problems with the speed of these scales. The instruction was:

You may use Chinese fingerings. Yes, you may even use Yamaha fingerings!

Klaus

Re: WIGGLING THE VALVES....? Explanation needed

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 8:21 am
by tubatooter1940
This is called "faking it".
Slurring up or down while rapidly pressing any valve combination, may make an audience think you have taken the time to properly play a passage this fast.
However there is no guarantee a fake will fool anybody.

Re: WIGGLING THE VALVES....? Explanation needed

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 9:37 am
by Wyvern
This seems a technique which works best on piston valve instruments, but not so effective with rotaries.

In my experience, it is a common practice in British Brass bands :wink:

Re: WIGGLING THE VALVES....? Explanation needed

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 11:52 am
by ubq
No I dont want to fool anybody :)
This are just octave glissando exercises, for developing the top notes!

Thank you so much for the help! :)

Re: WIGGLING THE VALVES....? Explanation needed

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:19 pm
by Alex C
wrote:In my experience, it is a common practice in British Brass bands :wink:
Not in the best ones.

Re: WIGGLING THE VALVES....? Explanation needed

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:44 pm
by Wyvern
Alex C wrote:
wrote:In my experience, it is a common practice in British Brass bands :wink:
Not in the best ones.
Yes they do! :lol: A few years back I was at a brass band masterclass with players from a top championship brass band. I cannot remember which test piece we were working on, but there was a tricky semi-quaver (16th note) passage with lots of accidentals in the bass part. I got back early from one break to practice this passage. When the bass tutor came back he heard me working on this and said "don't bother working all that out - it is only an effect - just wiggle your fingers - we do!"