At my lesson the other day my professor told me to work on my notes from C (just below the staff) to A (at the bottom of the staff) because they are a bit fuzzy when I play them.
So, I am working on improving my embrasure in that range, but I have noticed all the notes below an F have become a bit sharp and it is harder to control the notes. Is there any way to improve this?
Fuzzy Sound
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Henry Gertcher
- bugler
- Posts: 47
- Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 5:35 pm
Re: Fuzzy Sound
Rochester,
Fuzzy sound is something any brass player can have to contend with. I found that the best way to work through this was to do some simple buzzing exercises. Play a note that you are comfortable with, say a C in the middle of the staff and than buzz it. Now play two notes descending, say the C and the B below it. Next buzz it on the mouthpiece. Continue working downward until you notice the fuzzy sound. Once you find your "threshold" you need to play around that note, I recommend descending patterns and simple melodies around that area. You will find that in the beginning you will feel like their is no hope but trust me it gets easier. Just focus on the sound coming out of the mouthpiece and try to make the buzzing as close to the sound of your tuba playing only much softer.
For a good sample of buzzing (and the only one that I know of) pick up the CD Portrait of an Artist and check out track 8. Arnold Jacobs gave an interview where he demonstrates playing some notes on the tuba and buzzing them on the mouthpiece. Aside from this track the CD is filled with great playing and excerpts from his master classes, well worth the money. I don't think it left my CD player for a month after I got it.
One tip to make the buzzing easier is to attach a plastic tube to the shank of the mouthpiece. About four inches is a good length to add enough resistance to make the low notes a little easier. You could partially cover the end of the shank with a finger but that seems like more trouble than it is worth. Besides the plastic tube will only set you back like 50 cents at Home Depot or Lowes. One last thing is to not do this for more than five, maybe ten minutes at a time and please keep yourself honest with your pitch by playing the notes on your horn, buzzing notes and than playing them again on the horn.
By the way, this is one of my favorite ways to learn new music. Singing is also a welcome addition to this formula especially if you are not a skilled singer. Trust me, I was a terrible singer and now am barely passable but it helped my sense of pitch which in turn helped my intonation and phrasing. Plus it is good to put the horn down from time to time and still make music.
Henry Gertcher
Fuzzy sound is something any brass player can have to contend with. I found that the best way to work through this was to do some simple buzzing exercises. Play a note that you are comfortable with, say a C in the middle of the staff and than buzz it. Now play two notes descending, say the C and the B below it. Next buzz it on the mouthpiece. Continue working downward until you notice the fuzzy sound. Once you find your "threshold" you need to play around that note, I recommend descending patterns and simple melodies around that area. You will find that in the beginning you will feel like their is no hope but trust me it gets easier. Just focus on the sound coming out of the mouthpiece and try to make the buzzing as close to the sound of your tuba playing only much softer.
For a good sample of buzzing (and the only one that I know of) pick up the CD Portrait of an Artist and check out track 8. Arnold Jacobs gave an interview where he demonstrates playing some notes on the tuba and buzzing them on the mouthpiece. Aside from this track the CD is filled with great playing and excerpts from his master classes, well worth the money. I don't think it left my CD player for a month after I got it.
One tip to make the buzzing easier is to attach a plastic tube to the shank of the mouthpiece. About four inches is a good length to add enough resistance to make the low notes a little easier. You could partially cover the end of the shank with a finger but that seems like more trouble than it is worth. Besides the plastic tube will only set you back like 50 cents at Home Depot or Lowes. One last thing is to not do this for more than five, maybe ten minutes at a time and please keep yourself honest with your pitch by playing the notes on your horn, buzzing notes and than playing them again on the horn.
By the way, this is one of my favorite ways to learn new music. Singing is also a welcome addition to this formula especially if you are not a skilled singer. Trust me, I was a terrible singer and now am barely passable but it helped my sense of pitch which in turn helped my intonation and phrasing. Plus it is good to put the horn down from time to time and still make music.
Henry Gertcher