"Talking Basics...."

Today’s world is a changing one.  Everyday new inventions and technology remind us of how important it is to be ready for anything that comes our way and the new challenges and demands these changes pose.

Playing a brass instrument is no different.
I believe the brass musician in this new century will face challenges like never before.  The Internet “shrinks” the world every day more and more making distances seem so small we feel we can reach the other end of the world with our hands.  Therefore; the versatility in our performing abilities will be demanded by many as people become more aware of the different styles of music that are played throughout the world, and only the disciplined musician will be able to cope with the new challenges and demands.  You must be asking yourselves: How does all of this relate to basics?  It is very simple.

The healthy practice of basics every day in our instrument is the most important aspect of our playing.  It does not only help us maintain and reinforce healthy habits, but it also enables us to reach new levels.  These basic concepts and exercises affect directly the level of success and mental confidence we are able to achieve when facing any challenges during our career.  A brass player without a daily routine is the same as an athlete without warm-up or pre-season training in any sport.  For example, a football (soccer) player who has not had a proper pre-season preparation increases the chances of a serious injury by 60 percent throughout the season and his stamina and productivity suffer visibly.  Our “chops” are no different. Without the proper maintenance and promotion of healthy habits every day, our playing will suffer and our risk of injury will increase significantly. Besides, we won’t have the basic tools to refine our craft.
We must make a habit of starting the day with a very healthy routine and be as honest and analytical as possible when playing these basic exercises.  Long tones, mouthpiece buzzing, flow studies, breathing exercises, technical exercises, tonguing, easy melodies and finally lip flexibility (I think this is the most demanding exercise of them all), if practiced correctly, will increase the chances of success in our career and will help promote a healthier and longer life as a brass player.

A very important aspect of playing a routine and practicing in general is the amount of playing time versus the amount of resting time. It is my believe we need to rest as much as we play.  It is also very important we stop playing before we experience mental or physical fatigue.  My advice is to avoid playing for more than twenty minutes at the time unless we are preparing for a specific show or piece; or working on a specific skill.  Some studies have shown that the brain starts to lose focus and attention after twenty minutes of heavy activity.  It is important to stay mentally and physically “fresh”, otherwise bad habits can start to appear and it is easier for them to creep into our playing.

Always start the day as easy as possible.  Avoid starting by playing anything extreme and demanding dynamically and range wise.  Comfortable dynamics, relaxation, deep breaths and lots of air are the perfect breakfast for the brass player and as we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  The use of a metronome and a tuner are very important since we want to increase positive habits at all times.  Have a flight plan ready; avoid jumping in without knowledge of what and how much of each skill you need to work on.  Preparation is key.  
How to practice?

The first thing we need to take into consideration is that practicing basics is not particularly the most fun activity in our lives.  But we can make it fun.  
Avoid practicing for time and start approaching practice as a vehicle to reach goals.  If we try to do something with our long tones and instead of playing them as we always do we try to improve our attacks, sound, air stream and capacity while warming up; all of the sudden we have an exercise that not only helps us with our routine but also makes us improve in all of the aspects of our playing.  Not to mention we will stay mentally engaged as we analyze and try to improve in a regular basis.  If our single tonguing is not fast enough design a plan to help it and set dates to reach goals by.  The better and more efficient we become at practicing the more fun it is.  Goal setting is important because it quantifies our efforts and lets us see the improvement we are making on the spot.  It is like the investment that pays off.  When we see our selves getting better practice becomes a fun activity and not just something we have to do.  Remember to rest as much as you play when practicing.  

I hope these few thoughts will help to make our already exciting journey through music a bit more fun.

"Easy Articulation" 

Most of us at some point get confused with our articulation, also known as  “tonguing”.  I’m a big believer that if this aspect of our playing is not developed properly, it can be the biggest obstacle to better tone production, flow and general improvement on our instrument.  Therefore, it deserves all the attention we can give it.

Let’s start by understanding the simplest concept of tone production. Vibration of the lips in contact with the air produces the sound of a brass instrument; this is what occurs in the middle of a long tone.  If all the elements are working efficiently, our sound should be pretty relaxed, open and beautiful.  There’s no reason why the sound should suffer or change when we start using our tongue to give definition or to articulate a note.

In my experience, the harder we tongue, the most our sound suffers and loses quality. Therefore, we need to find a happy medium between a good firm attack and great sound quality at all times. In this quest, “breath attacks” are crucial.  The process of starting a note correctly with air is the best training possible towards acquiring a great first attack. When we accomplish that “perfect breath attack”, our lips aperture and our air stream are working in perfect harmony. This will enable our sound quality to be the same from the beginning of the note. A good breath attack starts with sound right away; there is no hesitation or air heard before the sound itself.  Sometimes these air attacks are misunderstood and we simply start with air, ignoring the importance of the sound immediacy, which is key.  The analogy of a golfer stroke is my favorite one to vividly paint the perfect picture in our head of that first attack.  The golfer positions himself next to the ball, setting up as correctly as possible before making any moves. Then, he visualizes the shot itself and the route of the ball.  Finally, the club goes up and comes down in one motion hitting the ball on that sweet spot that will launch it either as far as possible, or as gentle and precise as he needs it to go.  Our approach to starting a note needs to be the same. We need to set our embouchure before we make any sound. Then, we visualize what is about to happen and the music we want to produce. Finally, we take that efficient, full breath and exhale in one single motion making sure our air can start the note without the help of the tongue.  Once this process is mastered then we can reinforce the proper use of the tongue.

Let’s remember that we want our first attack to repeat itself as efficiently and effortlessly as possible throughout any musical piece, therefore, our first attack should not be hard and labored. I’ve found that the mixture of a “du” syllable and the proper use of air will result in a much more efficient way to articulate than when “ta” is used. I’m not implying that a solid strong articulation is not needed, but it is much easier to obtain than a polished refined one.  Besides the use of the “ta” syllable in a string of repeated notes at a higher speed will produce more tension than when “da” is used, resulting in extra work and most of the time the use of a forceful and tense air stream.  This tension will not only affect our sound but it will also conflict with the flow of the line and the ability of improvement of a player.  

Now that we have addressed the production of the first attack, let’s focus on the rest of attacks on a musical piece. We want to have a flow in our musical line that’s comparable to a singer or a string player.  Unless we are playing a style of music that demands stronger attacks or these are specified on the page, we need our regular attacks to be as similar to our regular sound as we can. A way to visualize a proper concept for tonguing I like, is to imagine an open faucet with a very steady stream of water and our hand positioned next to it with our index finger extended.  Then, we flick that stream of water with the smallest and easiest movement.  In this analogy, the water is our air and the finger our tongue.  The air never stops; that small and efficient tongue movement only interrupts it.  This concept of thinking and playing will not only help the flow, quality of sound and playing experience in general, but it will also train our air to avoid nuances and involuntary movements we don’t want in our everyday playing.  For example, those “twa” tendencies at the beginning of notes that a lot of younger players experience and are so difficult to get rid of.

A very valuable tool to help train our air and start getting this concept of playing implemented at a faster pace, is a book called: “The Breathing Gym”.  Written by Sam Pilafian and Patrick Sheridan, the breathing gym will stir anybody into the proper use of air, facilitating the way we use our tongue in the process.

A quality long tone followed by a string of notes trying to match the sound quality of that long tone is one of the best exercises to reach this goal of tonguing effortlessly.

Finding a way to articulate more efficiently is a quest to be conquered by each individual on his own, a teacher or a mentor can only do so much.  These are tips that helped me through the years; I hope you find them useful as well.

"Preparation=Visualization and Focus."

Mental preparation for performance success.

Visualization and focus are among the most important concepts and actions during a performance.  Not addressed often enough, these concepts play a main role towards the success of a performance and give us the platform we need mentally to make those technical and physical efforts become “second nature”.

Visualization helps to put our mind in the best possible place for success.  Having a clear concept of what we are about to do is key, therefore, we need to be as familiar as possible with the music, the instrument, and all the other variables that come into place while performing.  For example, let’s say we are about to start a piece of music with our group and we are not completely sure about the tempo and the speed of the difficult passages, the only fact that is processing in our mind at this point is a negative one that has nothing to do with the music at all.  The “voices” in our head are going to start taking over and since we are not familiar enough either with the music or the sole act of performing, our chances of success have been and are being diminished by a big percentage.  If instead, we know the music well and have a clear concept of what is about to happen in our minds, we can then focus in the most important aspect of our playing:  singing.  

Singing through our instrument is the goal we strive for, is the only way to communicate with an audience and to make sure our message gets across.  It is important to understand that the brain can focus in one thing and only one thing at the time, therefore, if we feed it with music and we sing mentally every second we perform, the brain is going to be focusing on music and that’s it.  Sounds very simple and logical, but taking into consideration the fear of being on stage, the different environment we are faced with, and the other hundred of variables that could strike us at any point; that simplicity and logic seems off limits.  At this exact point our mind is going to start to wonder, if we add the fact of lack of visualization, focus and preparation, our chances of “crashing and burning” just went to the roof.

I like to think of visualization and focus as two elements that just like playing our instrument need to be practiced, prepared and worked on.  In order to have a clear perspective of what is about to happen on stage, at that key moment, we need to know our music ……, be completely comfortable with our instrument and have the capability to translate into our playing what is being played or sung in our head.  In our search for all these elements to come together and happen at once we reach the most important concept in performance and music: Preparation.
In earlier articles I have insisted many times in the importance of mastering the basics on our instruments.  These basics will enable our mind to become free so it can visualize and focus without the handicap of our physical limitations.  Every time we practice our basics we are preparing for any performance.

    Analyzing and becoming one with the music is key.  We must be able to sing, live and breathe trough the music we are performing.   Remember, the piece of paper in front of us is only that, a piece of paper.  It is a map to show the way, the magical journey is our making.  Music comes to life when we take it and give it our voice, when we pour our soul into it  (I have found through the years that memorization, if done properly, will enable us to take music to the next level in a quicker and easier way).

    Finally, the infinite number of variables that come into place when performing will affect us only if we let them affect us, we feed that monster in our head every time we stop singing and thinking music.  No matter how warm or cold the hall is, how full or empty it is and how many people are talking while we are playing, our focus should be the music happening at that time, in that precious moment. That musical line should be so loud and clear in our heads that it doesn’t leave room for anything else. The second we start paying attention to the variables more than just to help us get prepared and try to overcome them, we are positioning ourselves for failure.  In other words, if the hall is cold the tuning will be affected, that’s all we need to know to prepare for that variable and fix it.  It took us two seconds to realize it, hopefully before we started playing.  Now it is done, time to start making music and stop worrying about that variable.
    Visualization and focus are tied to each other as mental stages during a performance, they happen constantly and they can only exist and coexist through preparation.  

"Musical Communication."  

Playing a brass instrument is a way to express and communicate our thoughts and feelings.  It is also a vehicle to people’s hearts.  Our goal as musicians is not only to strive for a higher quality product but also to ensure we affect people with our craft.  Therefore, communication in music can’t happen merely through the process of playing right notes and rhythms, it happens as a combination of these factors and the most important ingredient in the mix:  the human element.

In order to be an active and important voice in the communication process, it is very important to determine and understand our roll in an ensemble or as a soloist.  Understanding the message trying to be communicated and how we can help to clarify it and express it in a clearer manner is what differentiates a good musician from an excellent one, a good ensemble from an excellent one.   Playing flawlessly should always be something to strive for every time we pick up our instrument but it is not the ultimate goal.  The ultimate goal should be to affect and communicate.

Understanding and respecting phrasing in melody as well as in accompaniment is one of the most important tools we have to clarify and strength the message.  Preparation and study of the music is essential, as well as understanding the history of the piece and composer we are performing.  By taking these aspects into consideration we will be able to give a more accurate version of that message and will enable us to be involved one hundred percent in the story being told.  The clarity in form achieved trough musical phrasing will tell a much stronger tale.  It is like the speaker who takes time and pays attention to every comma and punctuation mark in a speech.  Not only the message is clearer but also much more interesting.

Dynamics are like colors in a painting.  We need to expand them to their max.  Taking advantage of the huge spectrum of dynamics we have as brass players is a really powerful tool.  We need to explore our soft playing in our practice time diligently every day.  It is a lot harder to make our point clear throughout a soft passage than it is during a fortissimo passage.  Always approach soft playing with a good sound and a healthy air stream.  Louder dynamics sometimes are approached not musically at all, it is important to remember that we need to protect the musical line and effect to our audiences before anything else.  Playing always with our best sound is a must and will enhance any musical experience we take a part of.

Sing, sing, and sing………  Music can’t happen without it.  Singing is the most important element in music.  After all, our instruments are merely extensions of our voice.  It is really important we listen to singers every day.  If we accomplish to sing every time we play, our goal to affect and communicate will become a lot easier.  Technique and basics are always things we accomplish through mechanical processes, but singing and expression are not easily accomplished.  As instrumentalists, our goal should be to express and communicate that mental voice which sings musically and has no hesitation in delivering the message at its best.  The voice in our head has no limitations and sounds better than any instrument we have heard.  We need to come as close as possible to that voice in our brass playing.

The human element is the most important factor we need to take into consideration when trying to communicate through music.  It is my believe music exists with the whole purpose of creating a better quality of life for society.  Our personal input in every note and phrase we play is key in order to achieve that magical link between the audience and the performer.  We must strive to pour our soul into the music and really let our feelings and emotions carry our musical ideas to new stratospheres.  Once that link is created and we experience the reaction and emotion of an audience, performing becomes addictive.  Not only because of the natural excitement we feel through the applause and acceptance, but also because that communication channel is so vibrant and so direct it is difficult to describe and substitute.  We never want to get away from that level of understanding and communication without words and our message is obviously being heard and appreciated.

Communication through music is the best give we have, sharing it should be our contribution to a better quality of life and better society.

"One of a Kind."  To the memory of Gilbert Johnson.

When I was approached by Phil Biggs to write an article about my mentor, the late Gilbert Johnson; I did not hesitate for one second. What an honor to write and tell a few memories and lessons learned from one of the most influential trumpet players and educators of our time.  The aspect I did not take into consideration was that Mr. Johnson besides being my teacher was one of my dearest friends, an example, an idol and the most influential person in my career as well as in my personal life.

“Gil Johnson”, was born September 10, 1927 in Turlock, California. His first musical experiences were lived close to a piano, instrument he started playing at a very young age.  He was not introduced to the trumpet until the sixth grade.  After a few years of training and studying in Connecticut (he received a BM from the Julius Hartt School of Music in Hartford), he decided it was time to take the next step and starts to commute almost a whole day to take trumpet lessons in Philadelphia with Sigmund Hearing.  Being a very driven person kept him on this track and in 1949, he is accepted as a student in the prestigious “Curtis Institute of Music” where he studied with Samuel Krauss, principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the time. Before he could finish his degree he was hired by the “Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo” as their principal trumpeter.  A funny anecdote here, when Mr. Johnson told the Dean of students at the “Curtis Institute of Music” of his plans to leave school in order to play professionally with the “Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo”, he was told his career was not going anywhere, that was it, he was doomed and done.  Later he would become the trumpet professor at Curtis and the principal trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra for almost twenty years.

While playing in the “Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo”, “Gil” was offered the principal position with the Buffalo Philharmonic, but just before he started his new job; the World War II interrupted his brilliant career. He spent a whole year aboard aircraft carriers with no opportunities to play or practice the trumpet. After the war, Gil played principal trumpet with the New Orleans Symphony, then he would join the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra hired by Eugene Ormandy himself.  His unique sound and artistry can be heard in more than 800 orchestral recordings and up to this day he is one of the most recorded orchestral trumpet players in the world. Highlights of his recordings are the trumpet solo from “Pines of Rome” under Eugene Ormandy on RCA Victor and the “Blumine” trumpet solo from Mahler’s first symphony (this can be found on Itunes).

As an educator, Mr. Johnson taught at the Curtis Institute of Music, Temple University, the New World School of the Arts (Miami, FL) and the University of Miami.  Being an orchestral player one would think that his main focus was the teaching of excerpts, but no, even though excerpts would be somewhat important on his curriculum, his main goal was to provide a student with the tools to master his instrument, musically and technically. Personality played an incredible role in Gil’s studio.  He always spoke his mind and confronted you with the truth about your playing, if you were to be his student you had to be ready for this challenge.  There were no excuses for tardy arrivals and showing up unprepared for a lesson could easily turn into a “suicidal attempt”.  They called him “Old School”.  Many thought he was relentless……. Well, indeed he was. He was one of the most relentless people I have ever met; but this level of intensity and demand had an explanation. He loved and respected music more than anything.  In his book, music was number one and if you did not share that mentality, he did not want to have a musical relationship with you.  Fishing? Sure, smoking a cigar? Of course, but not making music.  Music was the loved Goddess and had to be treated with out most respect.

On the other hand, when you showed him you cared for music as much as he did, he would “give you the moon”. This of course meant that you had to approach the relationship between music and you as a top priority.  Always prepared, on time, dressed properly and willing to make any sacrifice for the love of music.  Once I understood this, I considered myself one of the luckiest people. Here I was with one of the best trumpet players in the world who at the same time was willing to teach me to love and respect music.  Why lucky?   Lucky because when you go from being a student of music to try to make a living playing an instrument, you better had not lose this perspective. Discipline, character, personality and preparation play a key role in a professional musician’s day-to-day life. I was lucky, very lucky, and lucky enough to study with a musical authority that took the time and effort to shape me up not only musically but personally.

One of the most important aspects of his teaching philosophy was the need of a brass player to devote time and effort everyday to what we call “basics”.  He said it was our bread and butter, and he only knew two kinds of players that practice basics: the beginners, because that’s all they can do; and the players that really know what they are doing. Basics, if practiced properly, will enable you to perform at a maximum level of efficiency all times.  To show an example of the level of commitment he was used to dealing with towards basics and the instrument, I will share a little experience of my own.  When I was about eighteen years old I went through an embouchure change encouraged by him, and he said (I remember this vividly):  “José, there is only one way to do this right”.  Then, I spent the next month playing a “G” on the staff, resetting my embouchure after each note I played.  I remember sitting there and thinking, this is going to affect my playing, because I’m not focusing on anything else but attacks on a “G”. I was so wrong, when I went back to my regular routine, not only my embouchure was fixed, but also my attacks throughout the horn got better. Retraining the air and the lips to interact together correctly through healthy repetition improved my playing. He would show you the way to fix a particular problem and, during that process, usually your whole playing would improve as a result. His teaching methods did not only involve correction but also encouragement to study yourself and be able to solve your own problems through thinking and reasoning. Gil was a true genius of the mechanical and technical aspects of the instrument and on top of that he could explain them verbally like no one else.  He didn’t have to play a single note for you to understand.

Other fond memories are the many Saturday mornings he would call at a very early hour, so early is not decent enough for public consumption. The phone would ring and there he was asking:  “Jose, what are you doing? Needles to say I was sound sleep, so asleep and I could not even talk.  He would proceed:  “I want you warmed up and ready to play in my studio in half an hour”.  My only reaction was: “Yes, sir”.  And there I was on my way to the studio of a person who did not have to be there, did not need to be there, but his commitment to teaching and music was so big, he found enjoyment and satisfaction in doing anything related to music at anytime of the day, any day.  Indeed, I was very lucky.

But “Gil” was not only a teacher and a musician; he was also an incredibly witty person.  As many of his students, colleagues and friends called him:  “The King of One Liners”.  His humor was usually the soul of the gathering and his stories were always funny and unassuming.  One of those stories from his days in the Orchestra goes back to one rehearsal where Ormandy told the Philadelphia Orchestra that the Chinese Olympic Ping Pong team had tickets to see the Phillies (Major League Baseball Team) at a professional game, but in stead, they were going to attend the Orchestra concert that evening.  “Gil” stood up and asked:  “Maestro, can we have the tickets for the game?

I could write countless stories about “Gil”, but probably he would have not approved, if you really knew him he did not like to brag or be praised. He was very unassuming, humble but with a huge will and very straight forward.  A true gentleman and devoted father.  We really miss you my dear friend!!!

Sitting here and looking at this document is hard for me, very hard. I don’t really like it.  You must be wondering why?  I don’t like the word “was” that is used all throughout. As much as I would like to replace it for the word “is”, it would not change anything. He is gone, and six years later we talk about him as if he is still around.

People that hear us, or hear the stories; wonder why this man is praised and missed so much by his close friends and relatives. The answer is very simple; he was one of a kind!!!!!

When I was approached by Phil Biggs to write an article about my mentor, the late Gilbert Johnson; I did not hesitate for one second. The aspect I did not take into consideration was that Mr. Johnson besides being my teacher was one of my dearest friends, an example, an idol and the most influential person in my career as well as in my personal life; and a lot of other people’s lives.

We really miss you my dear friend!!!

Gilbert Johnson, one of a kind!!!!