http://trumpetdude.com/2008/12/mind-air-chops-mac/ Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:26:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://trumpetdude.com/2008/12/mind-air-chops-mac/comment-page-1/#comment-2906 Kevin Sat, 25 Jun 2011 22:36:41 +0000 http://trumpetdude.com/?p=490#comment-2906 I could not agree more with this knowledge. In my playing, the biggest thing that has assisted me in sound, range, flexibility, expression has been the use of the vocal approach. People must sing in thier heads every single thing that comes out of the horn. I mean this exactly. Take the horn off your faces and sing what your trying to play. You are so right it's scary. The mind must be right, but the right mind is the one that is singing. I find this helps take the trumpet-torture out of the eqation. When I think about singing through the horn, I do breathe correctly, my throat has no chioce, but to be open, my lips are playing the circumference of the mouthpiece hanging off the rims buzzing crazy creating a huge sound and great tone. That's not to confuse this with a loud sound. A huge sound and great tone have nothing to do with volume. Singing allows me to be able to play very softly, but with a huge sound and tone. Also, when I'm singing through the horn I find I'm not blowing anymore, but pushing the air past my lips, through the horn almost like I'm heating-up the bell with hot inner-costal air. Like fogging-up the mirror. In fact, water beads "bead-up" on my bell and as I'm playing in front of the mirror, it begins to fog-up. Literally fog-up. There is a significant difference hearing a player who is and who is not singing through the horn. My articulation has even improved because of singing through the horn. Symphony, lead-plaer, or jazzer. Singing gets it done. Do people think Clifford Brown, or Miles Davis were simply getting lucky? Man, you just can't play that stuff if your not singing it through your head. Where do people think all that music came from. Listen to old Harry James, or Louis Armstrong recordings and try telling me they were'nt singing through the horn. You mentioned the great Jon Faddis. When he plays he's literally talking to you. His singing mind and his horn are so connected he's free. That soaring feeling of freedom where any and all ideas are right at his fingertips whenever he commands them. Anyway, I've found that singing is the only thing that works for me. The vocal approach stops the blame-game with myself too. It's not my horn, not the mouthpiece, not the room, not,"I just can't do it" not the angle off my face, not I'm tired, or sick, or any other problem. It's me who's wrong. I'm out of tune, I'm not playing the circumference of the mouthpiece, my throat is not open, I'm allowing the horn to control me. Well, if my singing mind is not connected she will drive me into the ground like a railroad spike without mercy. It will be a long night for sure. But, If my singing mind is connected, than I can play with freedom and beauty. After 30 yrs of struggle I'm finally on a good path of intense learning and growth and I'm going to continue this path because I'm convinced it's the only thing that has worked to truly improve my playing. The more I learn how to connect the vocal approach to my horn the less the horn become a barrier. Over the past months I've added double G's, A's onto my register and this morning during my practice time was able for an extended period of time scream Double C's. I was singing them in my head and before I knew it they were screaming out the horn. I scared my wife for god's sake. She asked me what I was doing differently. I told her...Honey, I'm just in here singing!! I'm not afraid any longer. if I'm not able to do it on any other day it means I'm simply not connected with my singing voice. it means I'm messed-up in the head and need to get it straight. It means I'm still trying to play the trumpet, focused on the trumpet, thinking about my chops, my breathe and a bunch of other crap and Not on singing, sound and music. Man, sooner, or later we all need to do something different to get better results. Insanity is doing the same behavior over and over, but expecting a different result. I just can't live like this anymore, or approach the horn this way anymore. Seriously playing the vocal approach has changed the way I think about and approach my life in general. It's made me more natural, clear and simple. It's taken away all my lame excuses and reasons why I can't do something. I find that the vocal approach is the bottom line. A most amazing example of what I'm talking about is the recording of the great Allen Vizzutti "The Carnival of Venus" If you don't know this recording. May I humbly suggest it. It's simply an awsome display between the marriage of technical facility and musical artistry. It's a perfect example for the connections between the vocal singing mind and the trumpet. If you're slightly curious, please check out my first CD studio recording and some live recordings as well at www.kevingeorgemusic.net Thanks so much, Kevin I could not agree more with this knowledge. In my playing, the biggest thing that has assisted me in sound, range, flexibility, expression has been the use of the vocal approach. People must sing in thier heads every single thing that comes out of the horn. I mean this exactly. Take the horn off your faces and sing what your trying to play. You are so right it’s scary. The mind must be right, but the right mind is the one that is singing. I find this helps take the trumpet-torture out of the eqation. When I think about singing through the horn, I do breathe correctly, my throat has no chioce, but to be open, my lips are playing the circumference of the mouthpiece hanging off the rims buzzing crazy creating a huge sound and great tone. That’s not to confuse this with a loud sound. A huge sound and great tone have nothing to do with volume. Singing allows me to be able to play very softly, but with a huge sound and tone.
Also, when I’m singing through the horn I find I’m not blowing anymore, but pushing the air past my lips, through the horn almost like I’m heating-up the bell with hot inner-costal air. Like fogging-up the mirror. In fact, water beads “bead-up” on my bell and as I’m playing in front of the mirror, it begins to fog-up. Literally fog-up. There is a significant difference hearing a player who is and who is not singing through the horn. My articulation has even improved because of singing through the horn.
Symphony, lead-plaer, or jazzer. Singing gets it done. Do people think Clifford Brown, or Miles Davis were simply getting lucky? Man, you just can’t play that stuff if your not singing it through your head. Where do people think all that music came from. Listen to old Harry James, or Louis Armstrong recordings and try telling me they were’nt singing through the horn. You mentioned the great Jon Faddis. When he plays he’s literally talking to you. His singing mind and his horn are so connected he’s free. That soaring feeling of freedom where any and all ideas are right at his fingertips whenever he commands them.
Anyway, I’ve found that singing is the only thing that works for me. The vocal approach stops the blame-game with myself too. It’s not my horn, not the mouthpiece, not the room, not,”I just can’t do it” not the angle off my face, not I’m tired, or sick, or any other problem. It’s me who’s wrong. I’m out of tune, I’m not playing the circumference of the mouthpiece, my throat is not open, I’m allowing the horn to control me. Well, if my singing mind is not connected she will drive me into the ground like a railroad spike without mercy. It will be a long night for sure. But, If my singing mind is connected, than I can play with freedom and beauty. After 30 yrs of struggle I’m finally on a good path of intense learning and growth and I’m going to continue this path because I’m convinced it’s the only thing that has worked to truly improve my playing. The more I learn how to connect the vocal approach to my horn the less the horn become a barrier. Over the past months I’ve added double G’s, A’s onto my register and this morning during my practice time was able for an extended period of time scream Double C’s. I was singing them in my head and before I knew it they were screaming out the horn. I scared my wife for god’s sake. She asked me what I was doing differently. I told her…Honey, I’m just in here singing!! I’m not afraid any longer. if I’m not able to do it on any other day it means I’m simply not connected with my singing voice. it means I’m messed-up in the head and need to get it straight. It means I’m still trying to play the trumpet, focused on the trumpet, thinking about my chops, my breathe and a bunch of other crap and Not on singing, sound and music. Man, sooner, or later we all need to do something different to get better results. Insanity is doing the same behavior over and over, but expecting a different result. I just can’t live like this anymore, or approach the horn this way anymore. Seriously playing the vocal approach has changed the way I think about and approach my life in general. It’s made me more natural, clear and simple. It’s taken away all my lame excuses and reasons why I can’t do something. I find that the vocal approach is the bottom line.
A most amazing example of what I’m talking about is the recording of the great Allen Vizzutti “The Carnival of Venus”
If you don’t know this recording. May I humbly suggest it. It’s simply an awsome display between the marriage of technical facility and musical artistry. It’s a perfect example for the connections between the vocal singing mind and the trumpet.
If you’re slightly curious, please check out my first CD studio recording and some live recordings as well at http://www.kevingeorgemusic.net
Thanks so much,
Kevin

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